Survivor's pension for spouses

You are married and receive a pension from Overseas Social Security (OSS). Fortunately, financial support is available for partners in the event of your death.

From your OSS pension to a survivor’s pension for your partner

Your partner should apply to find out if he or she is entitled to a survivor’s pension (widow’s or widower’s pension) in the event of your death. This pension corresponds to a percentage of the deceased’s retirement pension. The percentage depends on the age and circumstances of the deceased, and the age difference between the spouses.

The survivor's pension amounts to at least 45% and a maximum of 60% of the retirement pension. If both spouses are aged 65 or over at the time of death, the age difference no longer affects this percentage.

Further information on the survivor’s pension. Please note that we will consider each case individually. Please contact us to discuss your situation.

How do you apply for the survivor's pension?

If an insured person dies whilst living in Belgium, the authorities will inform us automatically. If they are living abroad at the time of death, we must be notified as soon as possible, with a death certificate provided as proof.

You will need to apply for a survivor’s pension; it is not granted automatically. The application needs to be submitted immediately. We recommend doing this via our online form or using a form which we will send to you upon request. Please note: If you receive a pension from another institution, the surviving partner will also need to contact that institution.

Do you have more questions?

Our frontline experts are happy to assist you at:

• Telephone: +32 2 509 90 99
• Email: overseas@onss.fgov.be