Thread: Claiming unemployment benefit in Spain

Hi All
Was looking at site to see if I can claim unemployment benfit,, now living full time in Spain. Have paid all contributions in UK. Moved to Spain October 2007 worked for a few months but unable to find employment at present. Couple of letters contradictory so can anyone clarify if I can claim or not. If I can how do I go about it.
I am 53.
Thank you.

Malcolm

I think if you are living in Spain and claim UK unemployment you are breaking the Law at the moment UK Social have asked for people who know of anybody claiming benefits in the UK and are living in Spain to inform them in other words grass them up .Spain and UK benefits are totally different and have nothing to do with each other. In Spain you get nothing unless you pay in to their system and then its only after a few years. I have had a forecast of the Pension and have been told after 2010 I only need 30yrs contributions to get a full pension when I retire,if you have 16yrs in you will still get a pension my wife as only 12yrs in and gets her pension next year. Spain as its own rule,s and regulations even though it is part of the EU but saying that so as the UK

Blueboy.

I am not receiving any benifits from the UK. I wanted to know if I could claim money in Spain as I have no money coming in and cannot pay bills.

Malcolm

Malcolm have you paid any social payments in Spain while you were working if so you can claim something but it won,t be a lot

Thank you for you help

If you are unemployed in the U.K. you can go abroad to look for work whilst still receiving job seekers allowance but you will probably have to fight for it as the DSS said it will look at each case individually, even though the European Court of human Rights declared that any EC citizen was entitled to look for work within the European community whilst retaining the benefits to which they were entitled to in the original country. You have to register at the job centre in the country you are looking for work in. The ECHR decision came about after an unemployed German moved to Poland (supposedly looking for work ) and had his benefits stopped on the grounds that he was no longer looking for work in Germany. ( Apart from the fact that his u/benefit per week was equivalent to a months wages in Poland.) He took it to the ECHR and they found in his favour and that it was applicable to ALL EC members. So if you'r unemployed and moving here sign on before you leave.