Under Spanish law, individuals who leave covered employment may make voluntary contributions to maintain their Spanish coverage, provided they have credit for at least 1,800 days of contributions and meet other qualifying conditions.

Under the agreement, Spain will consider U.S. QC's when determining if the person meets the 1,800-day requirement.

Advise people who inquire about making voluntary contributions to the Spanish system to write directly to the National Institute of Social Security at the address in GN 01721.020.

If the Spanish agency needs the person's U.S. coverage record, they will request it directly from OIO.