Pension from Finland to another country

An earnings-related pension earned in Finland will be paid to you regardless of your country of residence or citizenship. Please note that the retirement age in Finland may not be the same as the retirement age in your country of residence, which means that you may have to claim your pensions at different times.  

National or guarantee pensions are usually only paid to persons permanently resident in Finland. You can only receive these pensions, like other social benefits, if you temporarily live abroad. If you plan to work abroad, you will not receive these pensions. See the instructions on Kela website Pension from Finland to another countryOpens in a new window.. 

If your earnings-related pension is very small or you do not receive any earnings-related pension at all, you can contact the pension provider in your country of residence to check whether they will pay you any basic social security equivalent to the Finnish national or guarantee pension. 

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. 

When you receive a pension from Finland, you usually have to pay taxes on it to Finland. Even if you live abroad, Finland’s bilateral tax treaties with other countries do not usually prevent Finland from collecting tax on a pension from Finland. 

When you live abroad, your pension income from Finland will be taxed in Finland just like the pensions of people resident in Finland. The amount of income will affect your tax rate, and you will get a tax deduction on your pension income, for example.   

Read more about the taxation of pensions received from Finland in the Finnish Tax Administration’s guide You live in a foreign country and you receive a pension from Finland.Opens in a new window.  

You can only receive social benefits from Finland if you move abroad temporarily, i.e. you will stay abroad for at most six months, and you have certain ties to Finland. A housing allowance for pensioners from KelaOpens in a new window. will only be paid for the costs of a permanent residence in Finland.  

If you move abroad for good, the payment of your benefits will usually cease. In addition to the length of your residence, the country where you move and your reason for leaving Finland will also affect your right to receive social benefits. If you start work abroad, you will usually no longer be entitled to receive benefits from Kela. In such a case, the country of work will be responsible for your social security. 

The effect of temporary residence on social benefits will depend on the reason why you leave Finland, the country to which you move and the length of your residence.   

If you are receiving any Kela benefits or you have a European Health Insurance Card issued by KelaOpens in a new window., you will have to inform Kela of your move abroad so that Kela can assess whether the payment of your benefits can continue. 

For more specific instructions, see the instructions on whether a pensioner may receive Kela’s benefits abroadOpens in a new window..