{"id":23582,"date":"2026-09-29T12:25:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viviruruguay.com\/?p=23582"},"modified":"2026-09-29T12:25:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:25:46","slug":"social-security-agreements-uruguay-foreign-pension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viviruruguay.com\/en\/social-security-agreements-uruguay-foreign-pension\/","title":{"rendered":"Social security agreements: receiving your foreign pension while living in Uruguay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Uruguay has social security agreements with many countries \u2014including the United States\u2014 that let you receive your foreign pension while living here, combine years of contributions made abroad with Uruguayan ones and, in some cases, retire with contributions from both countries. If you are planning to move to Uruguay and already receive a pension from abroad, or if you worked for years in another country and want those contributions to count when you retire here, these agreements are essential. We explain which countries have agreements, how they work, what you need to do to receive your pension in Uruguay, with a special focus on US Social Security, and what options you have if your country has no agreement.<\/p>\n

Which countries have a social security agreement with Uruguay<\/h2>\n

According to the Banco de Previsi\u00f3n Social (BPS, Uruguay’s social security agency), Uruguay has agreements in force with a long list of countries, including Germany, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada (and a separate one with Quebec), Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, the United States<\/strong>, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Romania, among others. In 2025 Uruguay also signed agreements with Australia and Finland. These agreements allow periods of work and contributions in those countries to be recognized in Uruguay, and vice versa.<\/p>\n

The US\u2013Uruguay agreement<\/strong> was signed in 2017 and entered into force on November 1, 2018. On the US side it applies to Social Security retirement, survivors and disability benefits. It allows people who worked in both countries to combine periods of coverage to qualify for benefits and avoids double social security contributions for certain workers. Separately from the agreement, US Social Security benefits can generally be paid to US citizens living in Uruguay.<\/p>\n

In addition to bilateral agreements, Uruguay is part of the Mercosur Multilateral Social Security Agreement, which allows totalization of contribution periods among its signatories, such as Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Practical implementation can vary from case to case.<\/p>\n

How recognition of contributions between countries works<\/h3>\n

The basic principle of these agreements is totalization of periods<\/strong>: if you worked 15 years in one country and 15 in Uruguay, and each country requires more years than that to qualify, you can add the periods together to meet the minimum requirement. Each country then pays you a benefit proportional to the years you contributed there.<\/p>\n

For example, if you worked 20 years in the United States and 10 in Uruguay, each system calculates your benefit based on the agreement’s rules: Social Security pays a partial benefit related to your US coverage, and BPS pays a benefit related to your Uruguayan contributions. You do not get a full pension from each country, but you earn the right to retire by combining both periods.<\/p>\n

When the agreement matters less<\/h3>\n

If you already receive a full pension from abroad before moving to Uruguay, the agreement mainly helps with payment arrangements. You cannot use the same years again to retire here. What you can do is keep working in Uruguay, contribute to BPS and eventually generate an additional Uruguayan pension if you meet the minimum requirements.<\/p>\n

How to receive your foreign pension while living in Uruguay<\/h2>\n

Once you have your legal residency in Uruguay<\/a>, you can arrange to receive your foreign pension in a local bank account. The procedure depends on the country that pays the pension, but in general you must notify your pension agency of your change of address and indicate how you want to receive the payments.<\/p>\n

For US Social Security<\/strong>, you notify the Social Security Administration of your new address abroad, through its online services or the Federal Benefits Unit that serves the region. Payments can be deposited by international direct deposit where available or into a US bank account, which many Americans keep for this purpose. Beneficiaries living abroad receive a periodic questionnaire to confirm they are alive and still eligible, and it must be answered on time to avoid suspension.<\/p>\n

For Spanish pensions, the INSS allows you to keep receiving your pension outside Spain as long as you submit the proof-of-life certificate<\/strong> it requests periodically. For Argentine ANSES pensions, the procedure is similar. To open a bank account in Uruguay<\/a> you will need your residency and your Uruguayan ID card for foreigners<\/a>; as a US person, you will also fill out FATCA forms.<\/p>\n

Documents usually required to arrange payment<\/h3>\n

The documents requested by your home country’s agency generally include:<\/p>\n