Social Security Agreement with Malta - living in Malta
If you've lived in New Zealand and now live in Malta, you may be able to get some payments. This is because New Zealand (NZ) has an agreement with Malta to share responsibility for social security coverage.
This agreement can help you if you either:
- are an NZ citizen
- are an NZ permanent resident, or
- have an NZ resident visa.
How this Social Security Agreement helps you
This agreement generally allows you to apply for certain NZ payments (paid by us) or Maltese payments (paid by the Maltese Department of Social Security).
NZ payments covered by this agreement are:
- New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super)
- Veteran's Pension.
Maltese payments covered by this agreement are:
- Retirement Pension
- Survivor's Pension
- Non-contributory Old Age Pension.
This agreement also allows you to add together your periods of residence in either country so you can meet certain criteria for these payments.
NZ and Maltese payments
If you're already getting an NZ payment and going to live in Malta, go to one of these pages to find out what you need to do:
Living overseas if you get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
Living overseas while on a benefit
If you're not already getting a NZ or Maltese payment, read the information below.
Who can get these payments
Who can get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
You may be able to get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension while you're living in Malta if you:
- meet the criteria for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension. However you will be ordinarily resident in Malta instead of NZ when you apply
- have been resident in New Zealand for at least 1 year continuously between ages 20 and 65.
- are in New Zealand or Malta when you apply, and
- intend to live in Malta for at least 26 weeks from when you apply.
You need to have lived in New Zealand for a certain amount of time to get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension. If you haven't, you may be able to use time you've spent contributing to the Maltese insurance scheme to meet this criteria.
To use this time, you must:
- have at least 1 year of continuous NZ working age residence
- be ordinarily resident in Malta, and
- present in NZ or Malta when you apply.
Using SSA countries to meet residence criteria for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension
Who can get Maltese payments
You may be able to get Maltese payments while you're living in Malta. These are the:
- Retirement Pension
- Survivor's Pension
- Non-contributory Old Age Pension.
You may need to have lived in Malta for a certain amount of time to get a Maltese payment. If so, you may be able to use periods of residence in New Zealand to meet this criteria.
The Maltese Department of Social Security decides who can get these Maltese payments.
How to apply for these payments
How to apply for NZ payments
How you apply depends on if you're applying from NZ or Malta.
Applying from NZ
You need to contact International Services at least 4 weeks before you leave NZ.
They will book an appointment for you to come in and see us. At the appointment, you and your partner (if you have one) will complete an application form. This includes questions about your residence in NZ.
We'll ask you to bring these documents to the appointment:
- your passport
- another form of ID, e.g:
- birth certificate
- driver's licence
- marriage certificate
- proof of NZ residency
- your travel itinerary or tickets
- bank account details for the account you want your payments to go into
- any documentation that shows your intent to live in Malta, e.g. an accommodation agreement.
You may need to bring other documents, we'll let you know when you call us.
Applying from Malta
You need to contact the Maltese Department of Social Security.
Contact the Department of Social Security - Malta
You and your partner (if you have one) will need to complete an application form and provide proof of the time you lived in NZ.
This proof can include:
- testimonials
- work references, and
- letters from neighbours and friends.
You'll also need to provide the following documents:
- proof of your identity, e.g:
- birth certificate
- passport
- driver's licence, or
- marriage certificate
- proof of NZ residency
- bank account details for the account you want your payments to go into, e.g:
- bank statement
- deposit slip.
How to apply for Maltese payments
You need to apply for Maltese payments when you're in Malta. Contact the Maltese Department of Social Security to apply for these payments.
How much you'll get
New Zealand payments
If your NZ payments are made to a Maltese bank account, the amount you get will change each month. This is because it depends on the exchange rate used to convert your payment from NZ dollars to Euros.
How much you get is based on the number of months you lived in NZ between the ages of 20 and 65. This is a total of 540 months (or 45 years).
We work out how much you could get using the steps below.
Step 1: Confirm the number of months you've lived in New Zealand from age 20 to 65.
Step 2: Divide this number by 540.
Step 3: Take that answer and:
- if you're single, multiply it by $1,191.14 (the single fortnightly gross rate we use), or
- if you have a partner, multiply it by either:
- $1,968.56 if both you and your partner qualify for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension (the couple fortnightly gross rate for this situation), or
- $984.28 if you only you qualify for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension (the couple fortnightly gross rate for this situation).
For example, you're single and you've lived in NZ for 240 months (20 years) from age 20. Divide 240 by 540 which is 0.44. Then multiply this by the single gross rate of $1,191.14. That gives a fortnightly payment of $524.10 gross.
Maltese payments
The Maltese Department of Social Security decides how much you will be paid. For more information, contact the Maltese Department of Social Security.
How you'll be paid
You can choose to have your payment made:
- to an overseas bank account every 4 weeks, or
- to a NZ bank account every 2 weeks.
If they go to an overseas bank account, we'll pay the initial cost of transferring the funds. You must pay for any other costs that your bank charges.
If they go to a NZ bank account, you must pay the cost of any transfers overseas.
Taxes
For information about your tax obligations, contact the tax authorities in the relevant countries.
When your payments start from
Payment will usually start from the date of your application or the entitlement date. It will be whichever is later.
We'll let you know what date this will be in the letter we send you, once your application's approved.
Send life certificates and renewal forms back to us
We'll send you life certificates every 12 months for the NZ payment you get.
In some cases, we'll send you a life certificate every 6 months, e.g. if:
- you use an agent,
- your New Zealand Super or Veteran's Pension payments are made to a New Zealand bank account, or
- you're over 80.
You need to return the life certificate within 8 weeks otherwise your payments will stop.
Travelling from Malta to another country (not NZ)
Before you leave Malta you need to contact:
- our International Services team, and
- the Maltese Department of Social Security, if you get a Maltese payment.
Contact Department of Social Security - Malta
Below are details of what will happen to your NZ payments. Our International Services team will talk you through this when you call and tell you what you need to do.
Talk to the Maltese Department of Social Security for information about what will happen to your Maltese payment.
Temporarily visiting another country
If you're going to visit another country for 26 weeks or less, your payments will continue while you're away.
If you're going to visit another country for more than 26 weeks, your payments will stop from the date you leave Malta. You may have a debt which you'll need to repay.
Moving to another country
NZ has Social Security Agreements (SSAs) with 11 countries. If you move to one of these countries, you'll need to re-apply for your NZ payment under the relevant agreement.
One of the countries NZ has a SSA with is the United Kingdom (UK). If you're moving to the UK, you can't get an NZ payment. You may be able to get a UK payment instead under the UK Social Security Agreement.
Social Security Agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) - living in UK
Social Security Agreements and special arrangements with Pacific countries
If you move to a country that doesn't have a SSA with NZ, your New Zealand payment will stop.
Returning to NZ from Malta
Returning to NZ temporarily
If you return to New Zealand for 26 weeks or less, you'll get the same rate of payment you were getting in Malta.
Returning to NZ permanently
If you return to New Zealand permanently, you may be paid the full NZ rate less any payment you get from Malta or another country.
You need to contact us when you return to NZ so we can assess your payments.
Tell us about changes
You still need to tell us about any changes to your circumstances while you're living in Malta. These changes may affect your payments. You also need to tell the Maltese Department of Social Security about these changes.
These changes could include:
- entering a relationship, or
- moving address.