Moroccan resident loses bid for French pension after 10 years of claimed work

He says he worked in France for ten years, but there is no record of that career in the retirement insurance registers. From his home in Morocco, a man born in 1960 is trying to have his entitlement to a French pension recognized. His claim was ultimately rejected by the Marseille judicial court in a ruling issued on 3 September 2026. It is a case in which pay slips nearly forty years old could have made all the difference.

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The case began on 27 July 2023, when the man applied for a personal pension from the South-East regional retirement and occupational health insurance fund (CARSAT). He says he was employed in France for ten years, between 1979 and 1989.

But the fund’s checks found nothing. No insurance quarters were recorded in his name under the general scheme. His career statement showed no contributions paid. On 28 August 2024, the organization therefore notified him that his pension claim had been refused.

The man challenged the decision. After applying to the amicable appeals commission, he took the case to the Marseille judicial court in September 2025. He hoped to have his years of work recognized and receive his pension.

But there was a problem: he no longer had the documents from that period. He had no pay slips, proof of contributions or other records that would allow the judges to verify the jobs he says he held.

He cannot even afford to travel to defend his case

The man was absent when his case was heard in Marseille on 2 June 2026. He had, however, been properly summoned at his home in Morocco.

In a letter to the court, he explained that his financial and social circumstances did not allow him to pay for travel to France. He therefore asked to be excused from appearing.

CARSAT, represented at the hearing by a legal inspector, stood by its refusal. According to the organization, nothing in the case file established that old-age contributions had been paid for the career he claims to have had.

The court nonetheless recalled an important principle: when an insured person is clearly unable to provide proof of contributions, they may rely on other probative documents or consistent presumptions. Even contributions deducted from wages but not remitted by the employer may, under certain conditions, be taken into account.

There must, however, be at least some initial evidence. The claimant submitted no document to support his statements. The judges also found that he had not shown he was clearly unable to provide such proof. His sole assertion that he worked in France from 1979 to 1989 was not enough.

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In its ruling of 3 September 2026, the court therefore found that CARSAT had correctly applied the law in refusing the pension claim. The man’s appeal was declared admissible but rejected on its merits. He was also ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings.

The ruling was issued at first instance and may be appealed within three months of notification, a deadline adjusted to account for his residence abroad.