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The
Agreement
The Agreement on Social Security between Canada and
Romania was signed on November 19, 2009. It will enter
into force once both countries have completed their
legal procedures. The
Agreement may help you qualify for Canadian and Romanian
retirement, disability or survivor benefits.
Social security legislation and agreements are
complex. This sheet contains only general information
and may not describe all the provisions that apply to
your situation.
Qualifying
for a Canadian benefit
The Canadian pension programs included in the Agreement
are the Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Security
program. Under
the Canada Pension Plan, you can receive a benefit when
you retire or if you become disabled. The Plan may also
pay benefits to your survivors after you die.
To qualify for a benefit, you normally must have
contributed to the Plan, which came into force on
January 1, 1966, for a minimum period.
If you do not qualify for a Canada Pension Plan
benefit, Canada will consider creditable periods under
the pension program of Romania as periods of
contribution to the Canada Pension Plan.
The Old Age Security program covers most persons
who live or have lived in Canada. The Old Age Security
pension is payable at the age of 65 to persons who meet
certain residence conditions. To qualify for this
pension while living in Canada, you normally must have
lived in this country for at least 10 years after the age
of 18. To qualify while living outside of Canada, you
normally must have lived in Canada for at least 20 years
after the age of 18.
What happens if you do not qualify for a Canadian
Old Age Security pension because you have not lived in
Canada for the minimum number of years? Under the
Agreement, Canada will consider creditable periods under
the pension program of Romania after the age of 18 as
periods of residence in Canada.
The Agreements cover residents of Quebec with
respect to the Old Age Security program. However, the
Province of Quebec negotiates its own understandings
with respect to the Quebec Pension Plan.
Qualifying
for a Romanian benefit
The pension program of Romania is similar to the Canada
Pension Plan and covers most employed and self-employed
persons in Romania.
To qualify for a benefit under the pension
program of Romania, you normally must have contributed
to the program for a minimum number of years. For
example, to qualify for a Romanian old age pension, you
normally must have contributed to the pension program
for a minimum period which varies between 11 and 15
years, depending on the date you become eligible. By
January 2015, the minimum contribution required will be
15 years and the age requirement will be 60 for women
and 65 for men. RUM1-11-09
If you have not contributed to the
program for the minimum period you may not qualify for a
Romanian benefit. However, to determine eligibility for
a Romanian old age benefit under the Agreement, Romania
will consider periods of contribution to the Canada
Pension Plan and periods of residence in Canada after
the age of 18 as creditable periods under the pension
program of Romania.
Payment of your benefits
You may qualify for a Canadian or Romanian benefit, or
both; however, under the Agreement, each country pays
your benefit based solely on your creditable periods
under that country’s pension program. In other words,
Canada would pay the benefit amount for the portion of
creditable periods to the Canadian pension programs and
Romania would pay the benefit amount for the portion of
creditable periods under the pension program of Romania.
Applying for benefits or finding more
about the agreement
If you want to apply for a benefit from Canada or
Romania under the Agreement or if you need more
information about the Agreement, please contact us:
On the Internet:
www.servicecanada.gc.ca
By phone: from
Canada or the United States: 1-800-454-8731
1-800-255-4786 (TTY)
From other countries: +1-613-957-1954
By mail:
International Operations
Service Canada
Ottawa, ON K1A
0L4
CANADA |
