Claiming a pension earned abroad

To receive a pension you have earned in another country, you must claim it. The manner in which you claim a pension from abroad depends on the country in which you earned the pension. Please note that the retirement age varies by country, and pensions are not necessarily paid outside the country’s borders. In other words, you may receive a negative pension decision from one country even if another one grants you a pension.

Claiming a pension from an EU/EEA member state, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and countries with a social security agreement with Finland

Submit your pension application to your pension provider in Finland. The Finnish Centre for Pensions will forward your application from Finland to abroad if you live in Finland and are applying for a pension from one or several of the following countries:

• EU and EEA member states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway)
• United Kingdom and Switzerland
• Any country with which Finland has a social security agreement: Australia, Chile, South Korea, India, Israel, Japan, Canada and the United States.

To claim a pension you have earned in another country, use the same electronic or paper form as for Finnish pensions. Include information about your employment and residence abroad using the Appendix U form (7110 Residence and employment abroad).

You can print the Appendix U form from:

• Forms – Finnish Centre for PensionsOpens in a new window.
• Forms | Private customers | KelaOpens in a new window.
• Forms – Työeläke.fiOpens in a new window.

If you are claiming a pension from a country that has a social security agreement with Finland, you must also complete the country-specific application form.Opens in a new window. The Finnish Centre for Pensions will post it to you once it has received your application. You can also print the country-specific application form from Työeläke.fiOpens in a new window. yourself if you want to speed up the processing of your pension application.

The processing of an application will take longer abroad, so you should submit your pension application approximately three to six months before your desired pension start date, and at the latest during the month in which you want to start receiving your pension from abroad. You can claim your pension from abroad simultaneously with your Finnish pension, or separately.

Claiming your pension from China

Claim your pension directly from the Chinese pension authority. China and Finland have a social security agreement based on which pensions will be paid from one country to the other, but the agreement does not cover cooperation between the pension authorities regarding the claiming of pensions. For additional information and contact details of the Chinese pension authority, see Työeläke.fi (in Finnish).Opens in a new window.

Claiming your pension from another country

Claim your pension directly from the other country. If necessary, you can contact the country’s Finnish mission for additional information. Contact details for pension authorities in various countries are available on the website of the International Social Security Association (ISSA).Opens in a new window.

If you live in Finland and receive a pension from abroad, you must declare your pension in Finnish taxation. In many cases, you will have to pay tax on pensions received from abroad both in Finland and abroad. Such double taxation is usually eliminated under tax treaties by deducting taxes paid abroad from Finnish taxes.