To get the best help for your situation, first answer the questions on the guide's start page.
To get the best help for your situation, first answer the questions on the guide's start page.
If you have worked abroad, you may qualify for a pension also from the foreign country. However, not all countries pay pensions outside their borders.
Pensions in other countries are usually based on employment and pension insurance contributions paid in that country. As a rule, you must have worked in the other country for approximately 12 months to qualify for a pension. However, in some cases you may qualify for a pension also based on a shorter period of employment.
The requirements regarding the total number of years of employment to qualify for a pension also vary by country. Work done in Finland or other EU and EEA member states is usually also taken into account. This is the case when you are claiming for a pension from any of the following:
Check the country-specific pension rules at Työeläke.fi (in Finnish).Opens in a new window.
If you have worked in a country other than those mentioned above, you must investigate yourself whether you qualify for a pension and claim any pension you are entitled to. Contact details of pension providers are available on the website of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) under “Members by country”.Opens in a new window. You can also contact the customer service of the Finnish Centre for Pensions for advice.
Read more about pension schemes in different countries on the website of the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
You can accrue pension for studies completed abroad either via the pension scheme of the other country or in Finland. Your studies will accrue pension in Finland if both of the following are true:
You may accrue pension for periods of unemployment and social benefits in very different ways in different countries, and the accrual is always based on the country’s own legislation.
You can receive a pension based solely on residence from the Netherlands, Australia, Iceland, Israel, Canada, Norway and Denmark. Contact the pension authorities in the countries concerned for detailed information about your pension, as the conditions and amounts vary.
If you receive a pension from an EU/EEA member state and move to another EU/EEA member state, the payment of your pension will usually continue, but you should contact your pension provider and bank before moving. The move may affect your health insurance and healthcare, for example, and your bank may charge fees for transferring your pension abroad.
If you receive a pension from a non-EU/EEA member state and/or move to a non-EU/EEA member state, you should check this with the pension authority in the country paying your pension.
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.
Read more about the taxation of pensions from abroad in the Finnish Tas Administration's guide You live in Finland and receive a pension from a foreign countryOpens in a new window..