BILATERAL INPS CONVENTION ITALY CANADA AND QUEBEC

​Italy has bilateral social security agreements with several foreign states. The Agreement with Canada and Québec applies to all workers, their family members and survivors, regardless of citizenship, who can claim periods of insurance in Italy and Canada or Québec (paid to the Canada or Québec Pension Plan) and periods of residence in Canada or Québec.

WHAT DOES THE AGREEMENT INCLUDE?
As of October 1, 2017, the new Agreement with Canada, signed in Rome on May 22, 1995, entered into force.
As far as Italy is concerned, the new Agreement applies to the Assicurazione Generale Obbligatoria (AGO) for invalidity, old age and survivors of employees and self-employed workers as well as to members of the "Separate Account," tuberculosis insurance, and compulsory insurance against accidents at work and occupational diseases.
Under certain conditions, it also applies to pension benefits that replace General Insurance, such as special pension funds managed by INPS and other unique insurance schemes of specific categories of workers ex ENPALS, INPGI and ex INPDAI.

Under the Italian-Canadian Agreement, the benefits payable from Italy are:

• old-age, disability and survivors' pensions;
• benefits in case of tuberculosis, in cash also to beneficiaries residing in Canada;
• benefits for dependents of the retiree (payable regardless of the residence of the eligible family members);
• benefits for industrial accidents and occupational diseases.

About Canada, the Agreement applies to the universal old-age pension scheme under the Old Age Security Act and Canada's pension scheme under the Canada Pension Plan and the Québec Pension Plan.
For information on pension benefits provided by Canada and Québec under the Bilateral Agreement, consultation with Service Canada and Régies des rentes, Canadian and Québec social security institutions, respectively, is recommended.
For Canadian benefits, international totalization requires at least 52 weeks of residence and contributions. In contrast, for Québec benefits, the 53 weeks of home and assistance under the old Agreement remain valid. Years of recognized legal place in Canada from age 18 and contributions made to Canada or the Québec Pension Plan are also considered to perfect the requirement.
International totalization requires at least 52 weeks of contributions for Italian benefit purposes and 53 for Québec.
For eligibility for voluntary insurance under Italian law, contribution periods credited in Italy may be totalled, where necessary, with insurance periods in Canada and at least one week of contributions from actual work in Italy required.
Periods of insurance of fewer than 52 weeks (53 for Québec) accrued in one state (which does not give rise to international totalization ) are still taken into account by the other state. Still, only for ascertaining entitlement: this is only if the worker has accrued in the other form the minimum period required by the Agreement and if, again, in the other state, they do not accrue the right to a benefit without resorting to totalization.
Multiple totalization is provided for creditable periods accrued in states other than Italy and Canada linked to Italy and Canada by separate bilateral Social Security Agreements that provide for the totalization of insurance periods for pension purposes. The new Agreement also provides the safeguard clause of the integration to the minimum treatment of pensioners residing in Italy in the presence of the income requirements. 

HOW TO SUBMIT THE APPLICATION?

The interested party must submit the pension application using one of the following forms in the appropriate forms section of the INPS website.

IT/CAN 1 (COD. CI 061) - "Application for Canadian pension benefits for residents in Italy" (Italian-English version);
IT/CAN 1 (COD. CI 062) - "Application for Canadian pension benefits for residents of Italy" (Italian-French version);
IT/CAN 3 (COD. CI 078) - "Application for Canadian child benefits" (English-language version);
IT/CAN 1 (DI) (COD. CI 069) - "Application for Canadian disability benefits" (English version);
IT/QUE/1 (COD. CI 067) - "Application for Quebec pension benefits for residents of Italy" (Italian-French version);
CAN/IT 1 (COD. CI 063) - "Application for Italian pension benefits for residents of Canada" (Italian-English version);
CAN - IT/TBC (COD. CI 071) - "Application for Italian antitubercular economic benefits" (Italian-English version);
QUE/IT/1 (COD. CI 064) - "Application for Italian pension benefits for residents of Québec" (Italian-French version).

Residents of Italy must apply for pension benefits in Convention with Canada or Québec online through the dedicated service.
Within 15 days of applying for a convention pension or foreign-only pension, paper documentation must be produced to the INPS office responsible for residence, which then forwards it to the foreign institution. 

For more information or any other needs, interested parties can also contact the patronage bodies, recognized by law and qualified to assist workers free of charge in carrying out social security practices.
For more information or any other needs, interested parties may also contact the patronage agencies, recognized by law and empowered to assist workers free of charge in carrying out social security and welfare practices.

Residents of Canada or Québec with insurance periods also in Italy must submit their applications for pensions under the Agreement to the International Operations Income Security Programs in Ottawa or the Régie des rentes du Québec in Montreal, respectively, as the foreign institutions of their place of residence, which will forward them with the forms provided for in the Agreement to the specialized INPS centres.
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