The Social Security (Netherlands) Order (Northern Ireland) 2007

ARTICLE 18 General provisions

(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) to (4), where a person is entitled to a basic retirement pension under the legislation of any part of either Party otherwise than by virtue of this Convention, that pension shall be payable and Article 19 shall not apply under that legislation.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a person entitled to a Category B retirement pension under the legislation of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, or the Isle of Man shall also be entitled to have any Category A retirement pension entitlement determined in accordance with Article 19.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a married woman entitled to a retirement pension solely on her husband’s contributions under the legislation of Jersey or Guernsey shall also be entitled to have any pension entitlement based entirely on her own insurance determined in accordance with Article 19. Such a married woman shall be entitled to receive only the benefit of her choice.

(4) Entitlement to a retirement pension in the circumstances referred to in paragraph (1) shall not preclude the competent authority of any part of either Party from taking into account in accordance with paragraphs (3) to (6) of Article 19 insurance periods completed under the legislation of any part of either Party.

(5) By applying paragraph (1) the Netherlands competent institution shall determine the amount of the old age pension directly and exclusively on the basis of the insurance periods completed under the Netherlands General Old Age Pensions Act. Notwithstanding this paragraph, paragraph (4) will apply where appropriate.

(6) Subject to paragraph (7), periods before 1 January 1957 during which a person resided in the territory of the Netherlands after reaching the age of fifteen years or during which, while residing in the United Kingdom, the person was employed in the territory of the Netherlands shall also be considered as insurance periods if the person does not satisfy the conditions of the Netherlands legislation permitting such periods to be treated for that person as insurance periods.

(7) The periods referred to in paragraph (6) shall be taken into consideration in the calculation of the old-age pension only if the person concerned has been insured within the meaning of Article 6 of the Netherlands General Old Age Pension Act and the person has resided for at least six years in the territory of one or both Parties after reaching the age of fifty-nine years and only while the person is residing in the territory of either Party. However, these periods shall not be taken into consideration if they coincide with periods taken into consideration for the calculation of an old age pension under the legislation of a country other than the Netherlands.