Claiming benefits in Lanzarote
November 4th, 2009 | 
Author: The Foreign Commonwealth Office gives advice on what benefits you can claim as a UK National in Lanzarote… and as a Irish National in Lanzarote. We hope the following links help.
What benefits must I apply for from the UK BEFORE moving to Lanzarote?
What benefits can I apply for from the UK AFTER moving to Lanzarote?
What benefits can I claim from Ireland whilst living in Lanzarote?
What Spanish benefits are available for a person living in Lanzarote?
Claiming Paro (dole) in Lanzarote?
The first thing that we must make clear… s that you need to have paid into the social security system in Lanzarote for at least a year before entering a claim. That being said, this still does not guarantee you a payment. The payments you then receive are based on your previous earnings.
If you are not entitled to Paro… then you may be entitled to “Ayuda” (help) which is a nominal amount, and only available for six months. That also eats into your “days worked” allowance, which puts off the period of time until you can claim your Paro… so think carefully before claiming this, and see if you can get on without it. It’s ok if you know that you have a guaranteed job start date.
Telefonica offers a discount to unemployed people too – click HERE for the form.
Posted in Lanzarote Information
Elle
I am so glad that you have put this piece together. As an resident here I was very glad to know that the benefits system in Spain is much tighter than of that in the UK (something the UK government could take a lesson on).
In these tough economic times we should be welcoming people to Lanzarote (and indeed across Spain) to work hard and bring new ideas, innovation and more. Spain currently has the highest rate of unemployment in Europe close to 3.5 million people (Oct 09) and this doesn’t include the numbers of people that are not “in the system”.
If you want to relocate to Lanzarote then check out your finances and employment prospects first or consider your own business.
Phil Burch
Sure thing Phil, and thanks for the praise.
We would highly recommend that people have enough money to allow themselves time to settle in and support themselves whilst they eithr find a job or set themselves up in business. It’s a small island… and jobs are few and far between.
Elle x