Greece: Pension options for those with under 15 years of insurance

In Greece, thousands of individuals approaching retirement age face the risk of not meeting the mandatory 15-year (4,500 days) insurance requirement for a full old-age pension at age 67. This issue primarily affects long-term unemployed persons, women who paused careers for childcare, former self-employed individuals, and workers with significant periods of uninsured employment.

Legal expert Dionysios Rizo outlines several pathways to bridge this gap. Options include searching for missing insurance records in the e-EFKA system, such as unrecorded contributions or lost insurance booklets, and seeking recognition for undeclared employment if legal conditions are met. Other methods include the purchase of fictitious years or voluntary insurance, which may include contribution coverage through DYPA for certain groups.