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Pensions and social security

ITALIAN PENSIONS

Please be informed that this Consulate General does not have an office specifically assigned to pension services.
Below is general information regarding the pension system in Italy and contact information for the various Patronato offices located in this jurisdiction mandated to provide information and assistance on matters relating to Italian pensions.

NOTICE
Only the Patronati (Patronato = Institution of Social Services for workers of Italian origin) listed below are recognised by the Consulate General as capable of correctly submitting pension applications. It is advisable that you do not contact agencies, persons or other offices which are not included in this list.

PATRONATI IN VANCOUVER

50 & PIU ENASCO – Director Ilaria Bosco
103-3939 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC V5C 2H8
Tel: +1 604 294 2023
Fax: +1 778 300 9987
Mon.- Fri. 9-12,13-17 (Sat. & Sun. closed)
E-mail: burnaby@enasco.it
E-mail Ilaria Bosco: i.bosco@enasco.it
PEC: 50epiu.burnaby@pec.50epiu.it
Website: www.50epiu.it

INCA CGIL – Director Rocco Di Trolio
120-2891 East Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V5K 5J8
Tel: +1 604 255 0908
Fax: +1 604 255 0701
E-mail: inca@telus.net

PATRONATO IN EDMONTON

INAS – Director Giovanni Svigeli
9111-110 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5H 4J9
Tel: +1 780 421 9559
Fax: +1 780 429 1984
E-mail: edmonton@inas.it
Sito web: https://patronatoinas.ca/offices/edmonton/

 

LIFE CERTIFICATE (Certification of existence)

Pensions from the Ministero del Tesoro
Certificates are mailed biannually from the Consulate General to pensioners receiving this type of pension and residing in this jurisdiction. The certificate must be completed and returned to this office as per the instructions contained therein.

Pensions from the I.N.P.S.
From time to time, individuals receiving pensions from the I.N.P.S. (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale), are also requested to sign certification of existence. In such cases, the certificate must be mailed to the requesting office, be it the I.N.P.S. directly or the financial institution (Citibank).
Please refer to the pension cheque receipt in order to verify the type of pension that is being received.

As per Law 445/2000, pensioners in possession of Italian or E.U. citizenship can self-certify their certificates so long as the signed document is accompanied by a valid document with photo ID (form PENS02 available on this page).

Pensioners not in possession of Italian citizenship are required to sign the certificate (form PENS01 available on this page)  at one the following offices:

– the Consulate General
– a Patronato office
– office of a Notary Public whose signature is deposited at the Consulate.

The certificate is issued free of charge to all pensioners by the Consulate General as well as by the Patronati.
Certificates that are signed in the presence of a notary must subsequently be validated by the Consulate General. There is no fee for this service.

Pensioners that visit the Consulate in person are required to present valid photo ID as well as proof of their pension number (displayed on the pension book and on the cheque receipts).

Expired ID documents and documentation not containing details such as date and place of birth and, for women, maiden name, cannot be accepted for the purposes of identification.

Pensioners who cannot visit the Consulate in person must delegate an individual to act on their behalf. The delegated person must present:

– a recent doctor’s note attesting to the current health and condition of the pensioner and confirming that the latter is not physically able to attend personally;

– the pensioner’s valid photo ID and proof of the pension number;

– the delegated individual must also present valid photo ID.

 

PENSION CATEGORIES

A) I.N.P.S. OLD AGE PENSION
To be eligible for an I.N.P.S. pension you must have worked in Italy and contributed into the I.N.P.S. social security insurance scheme.
The age limit is 66 for men and women in the public sector and, in the private sector, 66 for men and 62 for women. Age limits are to be equalized as of 2018.
Under the Italy-Canada agreement, a person must have contributed to the Italian pension system for at least 53 weeks to submit an application. This applies to wage-earners, self-employed persons and ex-servicemen. Eligible wage-earners must cease all paid working activities.
On the basis of the Italy-Canada agreement, documentation required for old-age pension applications includes:
– Social Insurance Number;
– Original Italian passport bearing the “Landed Immigrant” stamp or a “Landed Immigrant” document, issued by the Canadian Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration;

– Certificate of Birth and, if applicable, Certificate of Marriage;
– Valid photo ID (ie. driver’s licence, passport or citizenship card);
– Record of contributions made (military service record, employment card, receipts of voluntary contributions).

B) I.N.P.S. LONG SERVICE PENSION
The long-service pension scheme requires 35 years of contribution and at least 57 years of age for public sector employees and 40 years for private sector workers. Particular rules apply to self-employed persons who have contributed to the I.N.P.S. pension scheme.
An application for a long-service pension requires the same documents as one for an old-age pension, namely:
– Social Insurance Number;
– Original Italian passport bearing the “Landed Immigrant” stamp or a “Landed Immigrant” document, issued by the Canadian Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration;

– Certificate of Birth and, if applicable, Certificate of Marriage;
– Valid photo ID (ie. driver’s licence, passport or citizenship card);
– Record of contributions made (military service record, employment card, receipts of voluntary contributions).

C) I.N.P.S. INVALIDITY ALLOWANCE
An allowance for invalidity is granted to a person who has suffered a permanent loss of working capacity of at least one third due to an illness, or physical or mental disability. A basic requirement is that the person was employed for at least 3 of the past 5 years. The invalidity pension is paid for an initial period of 3 years and subsequent renewals are subject to review. After 9 years and 3 such reviews, the allowance becomes permanent. Please note that it is not transferable to surviving family members.  At the prescribed pensionable age, if contribution requirements are met and all working activity has ceased, the invalidity pension will automatically convert to an old age-pension.
To apply for an invalidity allowance one must submit documentation listed above (see INPS Old Age requirements) as well as a medical report specifying the degree of invalidity.

D) I.N.P.S. DISABILITY PENSION
A disability pension is a monthly benefit paid to a person who is permanently and totally unable to perform any type of work due to an illness or a physical or mental disability.
The invalidity allowance is not compatible with any wage-earnings, unemployment insurance or any other type of income. If the pensioner is unable to move without assistance, or cannot perform basic everyday activities, thereby requiring constant care, they may apply for a supplement. Such a supplement is not transferable.
To apply for a disability pension one must submit documentation listed above (see INPS Old Age requirements) as well as a medical report specifying the degree of disability.

E) SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PENSION
A social assistance pension is only available to Italian citizens residing in Italy, provided that they are 65 years of age and in serious economic need. No contributions are required. This type of pension is essentially more of a welfare benefit.

F) SURVIVORS’ BENEFITS
Survivors’ benefits are paid to family members regardless of whether the deceased was already in receipt of a pension or not. In addition to the surviving spouse, children are also entitled to a share of the pension if they belong to any one of the following categories:
– under the age of 18;
– students between 18 and 21 years old, dependent on the deceased parent and not employed;
– university students, for the duration of the course and not beyond the age of 26, if dependent on the deceased parent and not employed;
– disabled and dependent on the deceased parent. There is no age limit for disabled children.
A spouse is entitled to survivor’s benefits, even if legally separated or divorced—with some exceptions—provided that certain conditions are met.

The following is a list of the documents required to submit an application for survivor’s benefits:
– Social Insurance Number for both spouses;
– Original Italian passport bearing the “Landed Immigrant” stamp or a “Landed Immigrant” document, issued by the Canadian Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration;
– Valid photo ID (ie. driver’s licence, passport or citizenship card) for the applicant;

– Certificate of Death and Certificate confirming family composition;
– Records of the contributions made by the deceased (military service record, employment card, receipts for voluntary contributions).

 

USEFUL LINKS:

INPS – www.inps.it

Ministry of Foreign Affairs – https://www.esteri.it/it/servizi-consolari-e-visti/italiani-all-estero/sicurezzasociale/

Ministry of Economy and Finance (formerly the Ministry of Treasury)  – https://www.mef.gov.it


Last update: Nov 23, 2023

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