Applying for pension for work carried out abroad

Are you claiming for pension from abroad when living in Finland or have you worked and accrued pension in Finland and are now living in another country? Find out how to proceed.

Accrual of pension abroad

When you work abroad, you are usually insured in the country where you work. Pension is also accrued for this period in the country in which you have worked and in accordance with the legislation of the country in which you have worked.

If you want to find out your pension accrual abroad, you can ask the pension institution of the country in which you have worked. Työeläke.fi includes comprehensive instructions on how to determine your pension accrual in another country. Read how to determine your pension accrual abroad on työeläke.fi 

When applying for a pension from abroad, it is also a good idea to find out whether your pension from abroad affects the benefits paid from Finland, taxation or insurance. Read more about the impacts

From which country are you claiming pension?

Your country of residence or the country from which you wish to claim pension affects how you should proceed when it is time to apply for a pension. Check the list to see which countries are EU/EEA countries and with which there is a social security agreement.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

How to apply for a pension if you live in Finland and apply for a pension from abroad

How to apply for a pension if you live abroad and apply for a pension from Finland

Australia, Canada, Chile, China, India, Israel, Japan, Quebec, South Korea and the United States

How to apply for a pension if you live in Finland and apply for a pension from abroad

How to apply for a pension if you live abroad and apply for a pension from Finland

All countries that are not EU/EEA countries, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or a social security agreement country are referred to as non-agreement countries.

How to apply for a pension if you live in Finland and apply for a pension from abroad

How to apply for a pension if you live abroad and apply for a pension from Finland

What to do when you live in Finland and apply for a pension from abroad

Read the application instructions according to whether you are applying for a pension from an EU/EEA country, a country with a social security agreement, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, China or another country, i.e. a non-agreement country.

I am applying for Finnish and foreign pension at the same time

If you are applying for a pension from Finland and abroad with the same pension application, you can fill in the application in Varma Online Service.

  1. Fill in the pension application at the earliest six months before the date when you hope to retire.
  2. Once you have completed and sent the pension application, fill in Appendix U as an attachment to the application. You can fill in Appendix U in Varma Online Services.
  3. We will submit your pension application and its appendices to the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
  4. If you have indicated in your pension application that you are applying for a pension from a country with a social security agreement, the Finnish Centre for Pensions will send you the pension application for the country in question to complete. You can speed up the processing of your case by filling in the application in advance. You can find the pension applications of the social security agreement countries on the Finnish Centre for Pensions website
  5. The Finnish Centre for Pensions takes care of sending your pension application and appendices abroad.
  6. The foreign pension institution processes and makes the decision on your pension application according to their local legislation and, if necessary, contacts you to request additional details. You can enquire about the processing status of your application directly from the pension institution of the country in question. Once the foreign pension institution has processed your case, they will send the pension decision directly to you.

Log in to Varma Online Service

I am only applying for a pension from abroad

If you apply for a pension from abroad at a different time than your Finnish pension, apply for the pension from abroad by filling in the paper pension application form and Appendix U (Residence and employment abroad). If you are only applying for a pension from abroad, you cannot apply for it by filling in the application in Varma Online Service.

  1. Fill in the paper pension application first. You can print out the applications from the työeläke.fi website
  2. Fill in Appendix U to the application, in which you can find more information about employment and residence abroad. You can fill in Appendix U in Varma Online Services. You can also print out Appendix U from the työeläke.fi website
  3. Submit your pension application and Appendix U to us by sending them as an attachment to a Varma Online Service message. You can also send them to us by secure e-mail or by post.
  4. We will send your pension application and any documents attached to it to the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
  5. If you are applying for the pension of a social security agreement country, the Finnish Centre for Pensions will send you the pension application form that applies to the social security agreement. You can speed up the processing of your country-specific application by completing the application in advance. You can find pension applications for countries with a social security agreement on the Finnish Centre for Pensions’ website
  6. The Finnish Centre for Pensions will take care of sending your pension application and the attached documents abroad.
  7. The foreign pension institution will process and issue a decision on your pension application based on that country’s legislation, as well as ask you for more information if necessary. The pension decision from abroad will be sent directly to you.

Applying for a pension from China

Finland and China have a social security agreement, but it agrees that pension is always applied for directly from the other country. Therefore, if you live in Finland and want to apply for a pension accrued in China, apply for it directly from the Chinese pension authority.

If you want to apply for a pension from a country other than the EU/EEA, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or a country with a social security agreement, apply for pension directly from that country.

The foreign pension institution processes and makes the decision on your pension application according to their local legislation and, if necessary, contacts you to request additional details. The foreign pension decision will be sent directly to you.

What is Appendix U and why is it needed?

If you live in Finland and have lived or worked abroad, we need information about your residence and employment abroad in order to process your pension application. You can easily submit the information with Appendix U after you have filled in a pension application. You must complete Appendix U even if you are not applying for a pension from abroad.

Appendix U asks:

  • the countries in which you have lived or worked
  • the time when you lived abroad
  • addresses where you have lived
  • information about foreign employers
  • your foreign personal identity code or insurance number (you can state this if you know it).

If you are applying for a pension from an EU/EEA or social security agreement country, the Finnish Centre for Pensions and the foreign institution will use the information you provide to determine your pension entitlement and calculate your pension. Accurately completed information can speed up the processing of your pension case abroad, so you should complete Appendix U carefully.

For many people, working abroad may have taken place a long time ago. Perhaps you have only worked abroad one summer decades ago and you don't have accurate information about times and addresses in your memory. However, complete Appendix U to the best of your abilities and enter the information you remember. In Varma Online Service, you can also indicate in Appendix U whether the information you have filled in is accurate or estimated.

What to do when you live abroad and apply for a pension from Finland

Read the application instructions according to whether you live an EU/EEA country, a country with a social security agreement, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, China or another country, i.e. a non-agreement country.

If you have worked in Finland and have accrued pension according to Finnish employment pension legislation, you can apply for your Finnish pension through the pension authority of your country of residence.

  1. Inform the pension authority of your country of residence that you have also worked in Finland and want to apply for the pension accrued from it.
  2. The authority of your country of residence will submit your application to be processed in Finland.
  3. We will send the pension decision by post to the address you have provided.

Applying for a pension from Finland if you live in the United States

Finland and the United States have a social security agreement and you can apply for a pension through the US pension institution. You must attach a life certificate to the application, as the U.S. pension institution does not confirm personal data. You can also apply for a pension with a Finnish pension application and submit the application directly to the Finnish Centre for Pensions. A life certificate must also be attached to such an application.

Applying for a pension from Finland if you live in China

Finland and China have a social security agreement, but it agrees that pension is always applied for directly from the other country. Therefore, if you live in China and want to apply for a pension accrued in Finlanf, apply for it by completing the Finnish pension application.

If you live in a country with which there is no social security agreement, you can apply for earnings-related pension from Finland. In this case, complete the application form for Finnish earnings-related pension and submit it to Varma. If you do not know which company is your pension provider, please submit your application to the Finnish Centre for Pensions.

In order to process your application, we need a certificate, extract or other official statement provided by the local authority or other authority in your country of residence, with such a document providing the following information in a reliable manner: your personal data, your nationality, your country of residence.

You can find the forms online at työelake.fi

To apply for survivors’ pension, you also need information about your marriage

In addition to the information listed above, when you apply for survivors’ pension, include the following confirmation provided by an authority in your country of residence: marriage certificate, confirmation on the validity of marriage at the time of the deceased’s death, death certificate of the deceased, amount/estimate of the widowed person’s earnings-related pension at the time of the deceased’s death.

Effect of pension paid from abroad on benefits and taxation

Pension paid from abroad may influence your other benefits received from Finland, such as unemployment allowance. You should check with the payer of the benefit determine the impact of a foreign pension before applying for the pension.

When you receive a pension decision from abroad, report your pension income in Finnish taxation. Read more about the taxation of pensions from abroad at vero.fi

Pension granted from abroad terminates YEL insurance

If you are a self-employed person, your YEL insurance will be terminated if you are granted old-age pension from Finland or abroad. If you continue as a self-employed person also on retirement, you can take out voluntary YEL insurance.

Help with using our services

Take care of your pension matters online

In our online service, you can, for instance

  • fill in your pension application on the ‘Pension applications’ page
  • fill in an Appendix U (Residence and employent abroad)on the ‘Pension applications’ page
  • see which processing phase your application is in
  • see Varma’s decision
  • use the services for pensioners once you have received a decision
  • send and receive messages and attachments.
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