Widow's pension (Pensión de viudedad) (INSS)

What you need to have to hand

1. Cl@ve or a working digital certificate/DNIe. Without this you’ll use the no-certificate form and it’s slower.
2. Deceased’s details: NIF/NIE, date of death and, if you know it, their Social Security number.
3. Your IBAN (account in your name). Sounds obvious, but if you’re not the holder, they won’t pay.
4. Clear PDF/JPG scans.

Documentation

1. Your DNI/NIE and the deceased’s.
2. Certificado literal de defunción (Registro Civil). If you tick the authorisation, the INSS can check it, but it’s faster to upload it yourself.
3. Libro de familia and certificado de matrimonio. If pareja de hecho: inscripción en el registro de parejas and padrón histórico conjunto.
4. If divorced: the sentence and proof of pensión compensatoria.
5. If the deceased worked: certificado de empresa or last payslips. If they were a pensioner: the pension resolution.
6. If it was a work accident / occupational disease: the report/attestation.

Step by step

1. Log in to tu.seg-social.gob.es with Cl@ve/certificate.
2. Go to Tus prestaciones > Solicitar pensión > Pensión de viudedad.
3. Complete the form: causante’s details, your family situation, children, and the payment account.
4. Attach all documents. If something is missing, tick the authorisation for the INSS to consult registries (Registro Civil, padrón…).
5. Check, send and save the receipt. If you don’t have Cl@ve, use the Sede del INSS (Ciudadanos > Pensiones y prestaciones > Pensión de viudedad sin certificado), fill it in and sign with SMS.
6. Monitor the expediente in Tu Seguridad Social. If they request补正 (subsanar), upload what they ask via the document upload option.

Time-saving tricks

1. Upload recent certificates (death and padrón). Very old ones cause problems.
2. Merge related documents into a single PDF (e.g., marriage + libro de familia), but don’t exceed file size limits. The Sede struggles with very large files.
3. Tick the data-authorisation even if you upload the papers: sometimes INSS still verifies and this prevents extra requests.
4. If you’re pareja de hecho, prepare clear proof of cohabitation: padrón histórico conjunto and a properly dated registration. This is where most denials happen.
5. If divorced, also attach payment receipts of the compensatory pension. It avoids follow-ups.

Common mistakes that can derail the process

1. Filing after the first 3 months thinking it’s fine: they’ll recognise it later, but you lose months of retroactive pay.
2. Putting an IBAN that isn’t in your name: payment blocked until fixed.
3. Not proving pareja de hecho with registration and cohabitation evidence: near-certain denial.
4. Forgetting the certificado de empresa or proof of the deceased’s contributions when they were employed: you’ll get a requirement and the clock stops.
5. Uploading blurry or cropped photos: they’ll ask you to resubmit and that adds weeks.