Have you worked abroad?
You may have accrued pension while working outside of Finland. It is good to note that pension accrues in accordance with the national legislation of the country in which you have been insured while working abroad. In international situations, employees are usually insured in accordance with the legislation of the country in which the work is being done and they fall within the social security sphere of that country as well. Therefore, the retirement age, types of pension and pension accrual may differ from those in Finland.
One exception to this general rule concerns posted employees that a company has sent abroad for a fixed period. Posted employees remain within the sphere of Finland’s social security scheme and their pension accrues in Finland.
Advance inquiries about foreign pensions
Foreign pension information cannot be seen in Finland’s employment register. For this reason, we cannot issue advance information about any pension accrual from work done abroad.
If you would like to inquire about the amount of your foreign pension in advance, you will need to request this information from the pension authority in the country in question. The website of the Finnish Centre for Pensions provides general information about the pension systems of more than 40 countries (in Finnish).
Applying for pension in international situations
In international pension situations, it is wise to note that the processing of foreign pensions takes longer than usual. Make sure that you apply for your foreign pension in good time! In terms of pensions from Finland, however, we can usually issue a provisional decision even if we do not have all the relevant information right away.
If you live in Finland and are applying for pension accrued from work abroad
If the country of employment has been an EU/EEA country, Great Britain or Switzerland:
- You can apply for pension accrued from work done outside of Finland by completing a Finnish pension application and providing the details of your work abroad on an Appendix U form. The most convenient way to do this is by using our online service. We recommend attaching work certificates for any work done abroad to the application as well.
- You can submit the application either to your pension provider or the Finnish Centre for Pensions. Your application will then be forwarded to the pension authority in the country of employment for processing and you will receive a separate decision regarding the pension from work done abroad.
If the country of employment has been a country with which Finland has a bilateral social security agreement (USA, Canada, Chile, India, Israel, Japan, Australia, Québec or South Korea):
- You can apply for pension accrued from work done outside of Finland by completing an application form that is in keeping with the social security agreement. The forms and additional information about pension applications from social security agreement countries are available from the Työeläke.fi service.
- You can submit the form either to us or directly to the Finnish Centre for Pensions. The information will be forwarded to the country of employment for processing.
- If you are applying for a Finnish pension for the same period of time, remember to apply for this separately. The most convenient way to do this is by using our online service.
- Note! Applying for a pension from China deviates from the practice for other social security agreement countries; pension must be applied for directly from China.
If your country of employment is not one of those previously mentioned:
Outside of the EU/EEA area and social security agreement countries, the legislation and practices for pension accrual and payment to other countries vary. It is a good idea to clarify your right to pension directly from your country of employment. The pension should also be applied for directly from the country of employment.
If you live abroad and are applying for a pension accrued from work in Finland
Any earnings-related pension accrued in Finland will be paid to the applicant abroad, regardless of the country of residence. Please note, however, that the pension will be granted as stipulated by Finnish pension legislation. This means that the requirements to receive the pension may be different from the granting bases for pension in your country of residence.
If your country of residence is an EU/EEA country, Great Britain, Switzerland or a country with which Finland has a bilateral social security agreement (USA, Canada, Chile, India, Israel, Japan, Australia or South Korea):
- You can apply for pension accrued from work in Finland through the pension authority in your country of residence. This enables you to arrange for your pension in a simple and centralised way. The local pension authority will forward your application to Finland for processing and communicate the information to you once a decision has been reached.
- Your local pension authority can provide you with further information about the application process and any documents that are necessary to submit with your application.
- Note! If you live in China, the procedure for pension applications deviates from the practice in other social security agreement countries; pension must be applied for directly from Finland.
If your country of residence is not one of those previously mentioned:
- Apply for pension from Finland by completing an application form. We will pay you any earnings-related pension accrued in Finland regardless of your country of residence.
How does a foreign pension affect your earnings-related pension from Finland?
A foreign pension can affect the pension you receive from Finland. You can enquire about your specific situation by calling our pension service.
A foreign pension can also affect other pensions and benefits you receive, such as an unemployment allowance. The amount of a foreign pension is also taken into account in the calculation of the national pension paid by Kela. Check the possible impacts by contacting the company providing your pension or benefit.