If you worked in one of the 32 countries that have signed a social security agreement with the Québec government and you are receiving a pension or benefits from that country, you must notify the Régie des rentes du Québec of your change of address.
You can use the Service québécois de changement d'adresse to notify the Régie des rentes du Québec of your change of address. Thanks to the Service québécois de changement d'adresse, you can notify many government services of your new address in a single, secure operation.
A social security agreement between Québec and a foreign country enables Québec citizens who have worked in that country to receive a pension (such as a retirement pension, disability benefits or survivors’ benefits payable to the family of a person who has died) from that country.
The Bureau des ententes de sécurité sociale of the Régie des rentes du Québec administers agreements between the gouvernement du Québec and some 30 countries. The Bureau is responsible for the application of these agreements in two different sectors: foreign pensions and coverage under the Québec social security program for workers assigned to work in a foreign country.
The Bureau
- provides information on the requirements that must be met in order to receive a pension or benefits;
- gives advice on preparing an application for a pension or benefits;
- provides the necessary forms;
- intervenes, where necessary, to ensure that the country concerned recognizes the applicant’s rights;
- issues certificates of coverage to Québec workers assigned to work in countries with which Québec has signed an agreement.
Clientele
The clienteles are
- any citizen of Québec who has worked in one of the countries that have signed a social security agreement with Québec, or the citizen’s spouse (or former spouse) or children;
- a self-employed worker who works in one of those countries (certain countries only);
- a worker assigned to work in one of those countries.
Note
A former spouse (in the case of a divorce or legal separation) may receive a foreign pension from certain countries that have signed a social security agreement with Québec. However, since the conditions vary depending on each country’s social security plan, the former spouse should contact the Bureau des ententes de sécurité sociale of the Régie des rentes du Québec to find out the specific conditions that apply.
Eligibility requirements
The beneficiary must have contributed to the social security plan of one of the countries that has signed an agreement with Québec. Because the eligibility conditions are different for each agreement, each case must be analyzed individually.
The foreign pension is usually calculated based on the contributions paid by the worker in the foreign country concerned.
The foreign pension does not affect the amount of the pension that is paid (or will be paid) by the Régie des rentes du Québec. However, pensions paid by certain countries may be reduced if a pension is also paid under the Québec Pension Plan.
The Bureau des ententes de sécurité sociale of the Régie des rentes du Québec has administered these agreements since February 3, 2003.
