Benefits of being able to travel and work in different EU countries
If you were born in a country that is a member of the EU, consider yourself lucky! You don’t need to worry about a passport, permit, or visa. You can simply pack your bags and move anywhere in the EU where you feel comfortable. The best part is that you can travel without any problems. You can get a job in another country just as easily as in your home country. But won’t you have a problem retiring later?
Can you actually retire?
Let’s say you took this great opportunity and decided to work abroad. In your thirties, you had a passion for skiing and wanted to be close to the Alps – that’s why you decided to work in Austria for five years. Then it turned out that you didn’t like the cold, and for the next 15 years you worked in Spain. That’s when you noticed an offer for a dream job in Slovakia. You moved out and did what you love for 15 years. But you started to miss the beautiful beaches. Eventually, you return to Spain, decide to work there for a while, and then retire.
It is clear that if the EU allows citizens of the Member States to work and travel freely, there will be people who will take advantage of this opportunity and later have problems with retirement. That is why there are EU directives and treaties between the countries of the old continent in this area. Their aim is to ensure that people can retire when they are entitled to do so.
How does retirement work in different countries?
Suppose you are a woman and you have chosen the path we described earlier. In Spain, the retirement age is 65 years and 10 months and 65 years if you have paid social security contributions for at least 37 years (which you have done). The retirement age is lower in both Slovakia and Austria, so you don’t have to wait. All you have to do is visit the institution that manages your pension and submit all the required documents. Then you just need to spend your well-deserved pension. The Spanish institution will request the required forms from all the countries where you have been employed and calculate the amount you will receive based on your social contributions, of course, each country has different laws regarding retirement. But the important thing is that no matter how many countries you have worked in, you will have no problem retiring.
To sum up, you have the opportunity to travel abroad, learn new languages, experience foreign cultures, and see as many places as you want. Retirement will no longer hold you back. There’s just one simple step to take – find a job abroad.
