Social security agreement between Italy and Argentina was signed on November, 3rd 1981 in Buenos Aires and ratified through the Law No 32 of January, 18th 1983. The administrative agreement was signed on December, 15th 1983. The Convention has been in force since January, 1st 1984 and it applies to all workers, regardless of their nationality, who can claim insurance periods in Italy and Argentina.
Learn more about how to apply for an international pension, if you have worked in Italy and abroad.
Requirements for the application of contribution aggregation
Regarding Italy, the Convention applies to the General Compulsory Insurance, i.e. for invalidity, retirement and survivors of employed and self-employed workers, maternity, sickness and tuberculosis insurance, childcare allowance insurance and compulsory insurance against and occupational injuries and diseases.
According to the Italian-Argentine Agreement, the benefits payable by Italy are:
- retirement, invalidity and survivors’ pensions;
- sickness and maternity benefits for workers and members of their families;
- sickness benefits in kind for pensioners and members of their families;
- tuberculosis benefits in kind or in cash;
- benefits for dependent members of the worker’s family;
- benefits for dependants of recipients of pensions (provided by the Country of residence of the recipient);
- benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases.
In any case, for information on pension benefits provided by Argentina under bilateral agreements, we recommend consulting ANSES – Administración Nacional de la Seguridad Social, National Social Security Administration.
International aggregation requires a minimum of 52 weeks of contributions in both Italy and Argentina. Therefore, insurance periods of less than 52 weeks accrued in one Country (which do not result in international aggregation) are in any case taken into account by the other Country, both for the purposes of ascertaining entitlement and for determining the amount.
This happens only when the worker has accrued in the other Country the minimum period provided for by the Agreement and does not accrue the right to a benefit without recourse to international aggregation.
Multiple contribution aggregation
Multiple aggregation is very important because it allows to aggregate insurance periods accrued in countries other than Italy and Argentina.
In particular, the Convention establishes that, if the requirements for the right to a pension are not met through the international aggregation of insurance periods completed in Italy and Argentina, the periods completed in third Countries, linked to both Italy and Argentina by separate social security Conventions, which provide for the international aggregation of insurance periods, must also be taken into consideration.
In addition, the Convention provides that if only one of the two Contracting Countries is bound to a third Country by a social security convention providing for international aggregation of insurance periods, that Country shall also take into account periods completed in the third Country.
Argentina pension in Italy: application forms
The interested party must submit the pension application on the following forms in the forms section: IT/ARG 3 - COD. CI 003 “Domanda di prestazione argentina per residenti in Italia – solicitud de prestación argentina por residentes en Italia.” (only Italian and Spanish versions available); or ARG/IT 3 - COD. CI 004 “Domanda di prestazioni pensionistiche italiane per residenti in Argentina” (only Italian and Spanish versions available).
Residents in Italy must submit online their pension application in agreement with Argentina on the INPS website through the dedicated service.
Alternatively, one can apply via:
- Contact centre on 803 164 (free of charge from a landline) or 06 164 164 from mobile;
- Patronage bodies and other authorised intermediaries of the Institute, through the telematic services offered by them.
Within 15 days of submitting the application for a convention pension, or the application for a foreign pension only, it is necessary to produce the paper documentation to the INPS office responsible for residence, which then forwards it to the foreign institution.