Apply for a survivor's pension

The survivor’s pension is a monthly benefit that is paid to family members after the death of a person covered by social security, to compensate for the loss of income of the deceased.

The survivor's pension is only granted if the person has contributed to the Social Security system for at least 36 months under the general pension scheme or rural pension scheme (special pension scheme for agricultural workers), or 72 months under the voluntary social insurance scheme, subject to other conditions.

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Who can apply for a survivor's pension?

The following individuals may be entitled to a survivor’s pension:

  • spouse – If the marriage results in no children, even unborn children (babies still in the womb, unborn), the pension is only payable if you were married for at least 1 year before the death of your spouse (unless the death was the result of an accident or a disease contracted or that manifested itself after the marriage);
  • former spouse – You are only entitled to the pension if, at the time of your spouse’s death, you were receiving a maintenance allowance ordered or approved by a court or civil registry office;
  • unmarried partner – If they had been living with the deceased person for more than 2 years;
  • first-degree descendants up to the age of 18 – biological or adopted children;
  • first-degree descendants aged 18 or over – as long as they do not work and do not pay into a social security scheme. The exception is school holiday jobs or student workers with an income from employment that is less than 14 times the guaranteed minimum monthly remuneration:
    • from 18 to 25 years old – as long as they are enrolled in secondary education, higher education or non-higher education (post-secondary, non-higher education qualification with credits for further study at a higher level and level 5 higher vocational technician diploma),
    • up to the age of 27 years – provided they are enrolled in a postgraduate, master’s or doctoral programme or undertaking an internship that is essential for obtaining an academic degree,
    • no age limit – people with disabilities who, as such, receive family benefits or the social inclusion benefit;
  • stepchildren – provided that the deceased person was liable to pay maintenance;
  • grandchildren – dependants (without income and living with the deceased at the time of death);
  • direct relatives in the ascending line – provided that they were dependent on the deceased person, that their income does not exceed the value of the social pension and that there is no spouse, ex-spouse or descendants who are entitled to a survivor’s pension.

When can you apply for a survivor's pension?

The survivor's pension can be claimed at any time after the death has been registered.

If you claim a pension:

  • within 6 months of the death or disappearance, you are entitled to the benefit from the month following the death or disappearance;
  • after the 6-month period, you will only be entitled to the benefit from the month following the month in which you submit the ‘benefits in the event of a death’ application.

What are the documents and requirements to apply for a survivor's pension?

Requirements

A survivor’s pension is paid if, at the time of death, the deceased person had:

  • 36 months of contributions – General or rural social security scheme,
  • 72 months of contributions – Voluntary social insurance scheme.

Documents

You must submit the RP 5075 application form or fill in the form online on ‘Segurança Social Direta’, sending it with the documents listed below.

The deceased person’s

  • full birth certificate, with the official record of their death
  • declaration form 5078-DGSS – if the cause of death was an accident

The claimants’

Spouse

  • civil identification document (Citizen Card or ID card or taxpayer’s card - if you don't have a Citizen Card, a civil registry certificate or passport)
  • full birth certificate
  • declaration of having lived together as unmarried partners (RP 5083), to prove that you were living as an unmarried (common-law) partner with the deceased for at least 2 years prior to the marriage, which took place less than a year ago.

Unmarried partner

  • full birth certificate
  • civil identification document (Citizen Card or ID card or taxpayer’s card - if you don't have a Citizen Card, a civil registry certificate or passport)
  • declaration of having lived together as unmarried partners (RP 5083), to prove that you were living as an unmarried (common-law) partner with the deceased for at least 2 years prior to their death, which took place less than a year ago.

Former spouse

  • full birth certificate
  • civil identification document (Citizen Card or ID card or taxpayer’s card - if you don't have a Citizen Card, a civil registry certificate or passport)
  • up-to-date divorce certificate or agreement approved by the Civil Registry Office establishing the right to receive maintenance and the respective amount.

Descendants (children, stepchildren and grandchildren)

  • civil identification document (Citizen Card or ID card, a civil registry certificate or birth certificate, for descendants who do not have a Citizen Card)
  • certificate of enrolment / declaration of enrolment for descendants aged between 18 and 27 (they must do a proof of enrolment [‘Prova Escolar’])
  • declaration by the individual that he/she is not carrying out an activity that is a determining factor for inclusion in compulsory social security schemes (when the activity takes place abroad). If employed, indicate the annual amount
  • proof of IBAN for descendants over the age of 18 – with the applicant’s name as account holder

Direct relatives in the ascending line / Relatives (by blood or equivalent)

  • full birth certificate
  • civil identification document (Citizen Card or ID card or birth certificate)
  • declaration form RP 5086-DGSS – evidence that the direct relative in the ascending line was dependent on the deceased

Other documents relating to claimants

  • Proof of IBAN with the applicant’s name as the account holder
  • Declaration RP 5077 – claim for a pension from a relevant foreign institution
  • Form RV 1017-DGSS – identification of individuals covered by the citizens’ social welfare system (if not registered with Social Security)
  • Form RV 1006-DGSS – for foreign citizens, if they do not have a Portuguese Social Security number (attach to RV 1017-DGSS)
  • Multipurpose medical certificate of disability – if you have a degree of disability equal to or greater than 60%.

NB: if the deceased worked in France, certificates must be issued in an international format.

How apply for a survivor's pension?

You can claim a survivor’s pension:

Online on ‘Segurança Social Direta’ (SSD [Social Security Direct])

To access SSD, you will need to sign in using one of the following means of authentication:

Then, in the SSD menu, click on ‘Pensions > Pensions and Simulators’ and then on ‘Benefits in the event of a death’:

  1. Click on ‘claim benefits in the event of a death’.
  2. Fill out the form and submit your request.
  3. After submitting the form, a screen with the order number will be displayed. You can check this under ‘Pensions > Benefits in the event of a death’.
  4. The claim will be examined by Social Security. You will receive notifications about the decision in your SSD mailbox and by post at your home address.

In person

  • at Social Security offices.
  • Citizens residing abroad (in the European Union and in countries with an international agreement with Portugal) can go to the offices of entities equivalent to Social Security in those countries.

How long does the survivor's pension last?

The period for which the survivor’s pension is awarded depends on the following situations:

  • Spouse, ex-spouse or unmarried partner
    • if you are under 35: for 5 years (the pension is extended if there are descendants)
    • if you are 35 or over or are totally and indefinitely incapable of working: no time limit
  • Descendants
    • up to 18 years of age
    • over 18 years of age – see the eligibility conditions for those over the age of 18
    • no age limit – individuals with disabilities and recipients of family and/or social benefits
  • Direct relatives in the ascending line
    • for the remainder of their lives, as long as they awarded a pension in their own right or receive income above the amount of the old-age pension (‘Pensão Social de Velhice’ – EUR 255.25 in 2025).

How much is the survivor's pension?

The survivor’s pension is calculated based on the amount of the invalidity pension or old-age pension that the deceased person was receiving or would have been entitled to at the time of death.

Where there is more than one person entitled to receive the survivor’s pension, the amount is divided equally between each person.

Spouse / former spouse / unmarried partner

  • 60% if only one person is entitled to receive it. For example: if the husband dies, the wife receives 60% of the husband’s old-age pension.
  • 70% if there is more than one person entitled to receive it. For example: if a person dies and has two former spouses, each receives 35% of their former spouse’s old-age pension (a total of 70% of the pension).

NB: In the case of a former spouse, a spouse who is legally separated and a person whose marriage has been declared void or annulled, the amount of the pension may not exceed the amount of maintenance allowance that the deceased was receiving when he or she died.

Descendants

  • 20% – if there is one descendant
  • 30% – if there are two descendants
  • 40% – if there are three or more descendants.

NB: The percentages applied to descendants are then doubled if there is no spouse or former spouse entitled to the pension.

Direct relatives in the ascending line

  • 30% – if there is one relative in the ascending line
  • 50% – if there are two relatives in the ascending line
  • 80% – if there are 3 or more relatives in the ascending line.

Additional pension payments

In July and December each year, in addition to the monthly pension, an additional instalment of the same amount is paid.

What is the price to apply for a survivor's pension?

It is free.

Additional Information

For more information on the survivor’s pension, please check the Social Security Portal.