Retirement in Italy: Brazil-Italy Agreement 2026

Brazilians who have worked or work in Italy — including descendants who recognized Italian citizenship and migrated there — can combine the contribution periods from both countries to retire. The instrument that enables this is the Social Security Agreement between Brazil and Italy, which remains in force in 2026 and is administered, on the Italian side, by the INPS (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale).

What is the Brazil-Italy Social Security Agreement

The Social Security Agreement between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Italian Republic was established to prevent workers who divided their professional lives between the two countries from losing retirement benefits simply because they did not complete the minimum contribution time required by each system individually.

The current text replaced earlier bilateral understandings and is applied in Brazil by the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) and in Italy primarily by INPS.

In practice, the agreement operates on the principle of period totalization: someone who contributed some years in Brazil and others in Italy does not need to meet the minimum time requirement in each system separately. The periods are added together for purposes of calculating retirement eligibility, even though the benefit amount in each country is calculated proportionally to what was actually contributed there.

Those who can benefit from the agreement include:

• Brazilians who worked formally in Italy, with or without recognized Italian citizenship;
• Italians or descendants who worked in Brazil;
• People who, after recognizing Italian citizenship, went to work in Italy and contributed to INPS there;
• Dependents and pension beneficiaries, in specific situations of survivor pensions, according to agreement rules.

Contributions Counted Under the Agreement

The agreement recognizes contribution periods documented in both social security systems, provided they were made within the rules in effect in each country at the time of contribution.

On the Italian side, INPS considers work periods registered in the local social security system — formal employment relationships (lavoro dipendente), self-employment with contributions to the corresponding fund, and other categories provided for in Italian law. On the Brazilian side, INSS recognizes periods listed in the National Social Information Registry (CNIS).

The sum of periods — called totalization — does not result in double payment for the same period. Each country pays, proportionally, only the portion of the benefit corresponding to the time actually contributed to its own system. In other words, totalization serves to verify whether the person has reached the minimum time required to be eligible for benefits, but the calculation of the amount paid by each country considers exclusively the contributions made in that territory.

There is no fixed, single "minimum contributions" number applicable to all cases under the agreement: the minimum time depends on the type of benefit sought (age retirement, contribution-based retirement, survivor pension, among others) and the rules in effect in each country for that benefit type.

Requirements to Apply for Italian Retirement

To be entitled to retirement through the Italian system using the agreement with Brazil, the applicant must simultaneously meet two types of requirements: the general rules of Italian social security legislation and the specific conditions of the totalization agreement.

Among the requirements analyzed by INPS are:

• Minimum age, according to Italian social security legislation in effect for the type of retirement requested — the reference age for retirement by old age (pensione di vecchiaia) is periodically adjusted by Italy according to life expectancy, and should be checked directly in INPS's current tables at the time of application;
• Minimum contribution time, which can be met by combining Italian and Brazilian periods under the totalization rule;
• Proof of employment relationships in both countries, with documentation attesting to start and end dates, nature of the relationship, and contributions made.

Mandatory documentation typically includes identification document, proof of residence, CNIS extract (for the Brazilian period), employment certificates, and, when applicable, proof of Italian citizenship or legal residence in Italy during the work period.

How to Apply for Your INPS Retirement

A retirement application involving the Brazil-Italy agreement can be filed in either Brazil or Italy, since the two social security institutes exchange information with each other through specific bilateral agreement forms.

The process generally follows these steps:

1. Gathering documentation — CNIS extract, work certificate, proof of employment relationships, and, if applicable, Italian citizenship documents;
2. Filing the application — can be done at INSS, which forwards the request to INPS using the totalization forms provided in the agreement, or directly to INPS if the applicant resides in Italy;
3. Cross-analysis — both institutes verify the contribution periods reported by each system and separately calculate the amount owed by each country;
4. Decision notification — the applicant receives the response regarding approval (or denial) of the benefit, with the corresponding amount calculated by INPS.

The analysis timeframe varies depending on case complexity and the volume of cases being processed by both institutes and can be longer when there is a need to confirm old employment records or obtain additional documentation. There is no single, fixed legal timeframe announced for all cases, so it is recommended to track progress directly through official INSS and INPS channels.

Differences between Italian and Brazilian Retirement

Even with period totalization, both benefits continue to be calculated and paid separately, each according to the respective country's rules.

• Amounts and calculation: INSS calculates the amount of Brazilian retirement based on contributions made in Brazil; INPS calculates the Italian portion based on contributions made in Italy. There is no single "combined" amount — they are two distinct benefits, each proportional to the time contributed in each country.
• Simultaneous receipt: it is possible to receive both retirements at the same time, since they are benefits from different systems, calculated on distinct periods, with no overlap in payment for the same contribution time.
• Taxation: taxation on benefits received in Brazil follows Brazilian law, and the amount received from Italy may be subject to specific tax rules, including agreements to prevent double taxation, when applicable. Those planning to live in Italy after retiring should also consider local tax rules on income — a topic often covered in reports about life in Italy published on the portal.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Agreement

Does loss of Brazilian nationality affect retirement? Retirement rights stem from contribution time, not the applicant's nationality. An eventual loss of Brazilian nationality does not, in itself, extinguish the right to amounts already contributed to INSS during periods worked in Brazil.

Is it necessary to be enrolled with INPS to apply for the benefit? It is necessary to have some period of contribution registered in the Italian system for the Italian portion of retirement to be calculated. Anyone who never contributed in Italy has no portion to receive from INPS, even if they have Italian citizenship — citizenship alone does not generate retirement rights without actual contributions.

Is it possible to apply for Italian retirement while living in Brazil? Yes. The bilateral agreement allows the application to be filed in Brazil with INSS, which acts as an intermediary in communication with INPS. Payment of the Italian benefit can be received abroad, according to INPS operational procedures for beneficiaries residing outside Italy.

The Brazil-Italy Social Security Agreement remains an important instrument for those who built professional careers in both countries, especially for Brazilians who recognized their Italian ancestry and went to live or work in Italy. To keep up with changes in social security, immigration, and citizenship rules, it is worth consulting regularly the latest news from Raízes Italianas, as well as the sections on Italian Citizenship and Life in Italy.