Claiming a Pension from Abroad
If you reside in Finland and claim a pension from an EU/EEA country, UK, Switzerland or a country with which Finland has signed a social security agreement (Australia, Canada, Chile, India, Israel, Japan, Quebec, South Korea and the United States), we (Finnish Centre for Pensions) will pass on your claim abroad.
Claiming a pension from abroad when you reside in Finland
Your pension takes a different route depending on from which country you are claiming a pension. If you claim a pension from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, the EU regulations apply. As for the United Kingdom, the Withdrawal Agreement or the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement is applied.
If you reside in Finland, we will pass on your claim to the other country. Claim a pension from Finland and abroad on the same form.
When you claim a pension from a social security agreement country, the rules of the Social Security Agreement of the country in question apply. The content of the agreements varies between the countries, and each social security agreement country has its own claim form. If you reside in Finland, we will pass on your claim to any social security agreement country (except China). Claim your pension on a separate form of the social security agreement country. You must claim a pension from China directly from China.
If you are claiming a pension from a country with which Finland does not have a social security agreement (a non-agreement country), the national pension legislation of the country in question applies. You must claim the pension yourself directly from that country.
We get the pension claims from abroad either straight from you, a Finnish earnings-related pension insurance company or Kela. We compile the required information and pass on your claim for a pension from abroad to the country in question.
The foreign pension authority sends its decision to you, to us, to the relevant pension company and Kela. We register the information on the decision (excluding the pension amount).
Read more on Etk.fi:
More on other sites:
- Pension from abroad to Finland (Työeläke.fi)
- How do I claim a pension from abroad? (Työeläke.fi)
- Apply for an earnings-related pension (online application service, in Finnish only)
Note! The postal traffic to Israel is temporarily interrupted. This affects pension claims to and from Israel. For the time being, pension claims, requests for additional information, replies and pension decisions are not transmitted between the countries. Read more on Posti’s website: Transport connections to Israel have been cut for the time being (Posti.fi)
Handling times of pension claims abroad
The handling times of pension claims can last from six months to several years. We recommend that you claim your pension from abroad around six months before you wish to start getting your pension. Contact the pension authorities of the different countries to find out more detailed information on their handling times.
Claiming a pension from Finland when you live abroad
The claim process varies depending on in which country you reside. As a rule, if you reside outside Finland, you must claim your pension from Finland through the pension authority of the country in which you reside. The pension authority will forward your claim to Finland. In Finland, your claim will be forwarded to your earnings-related pension provider and/or Kela, depending on which pension benefit you are claiming.
More on other sites: