Your pensions rights if you have lived or worked in more than one European country.
Date: 2012-06-04
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Subjects: free movement of workers, pension scheme, retirement conditions, social security, transfer of pension rights

Have you worked 
in more than one 
European Union 
country*?

In general, when you retire, each country will pay you a separate 
state pension based on your insurance records.

Your contributions will not be reimbursed or transferred to 
another country when you move. However, your insurance 
records will be preserved in each EU country where you live and 
work until you reach retirement age.

Remember, the legal retirement age varies from country to 
country so please check before claiming your pension. 

* Social  security  coordination  rules  apply  within  the  27  countries  which  are 
members of the European Union, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway 
and Switzerland.

Contact Your Europe Advice to get specific guidance  
on your rights within a week:  
https://ec.europa.eu/citizensrights/

For general questions about the EU, contact Europe Direct on 
00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11

Find out more about social security coordination at:
http://ec.europa.eu/social-security-coordination

Use your smart phone to scan the QR code. 
It will take you to the European Commission’s 
web pages on social security coordination, 
including a section on your rights  
in each EU country.

Your pension 
rights if you have 
lived or worked 
in more than one  
European country

KE-32-11-980-EN-C • doi:10.2767/48530 • ISBN 978-92-79-21928-3 
© European Union, 2012 • Pictures: © Shutterstock

Social
Europe

How do I claim  
my old-age pension?

1

Start by making your claim to the pension authority in the coun-
try where you live. If you have never worked there, you should 
contact the pension authority in the country where you were last 
employed.

Tip Š Contact your pension authority before you retire to save 
time and to avoid delays in payment.

2

The pension authority managing your claim is known as your con-
tact institution. It will forward your claim and liaise with the 
authorities in the countries where you have worked previously in 
order to piece together your complete insurance history.

Tip Š Provide as much information as you can at this stage to 
ensure your claim runs smoothly.

3

Each country will check whether you meet their national require-
ments for an old-age pension. Remember that entitlement con-
ditions, retirement age and amounts paid differ from one country 
to another.

In one country, for example, contributing for 15 years may be 
enough to qualify for a pension – but in others you may be enti-
tled to a pension after more or less time. Retirement age varies 
across Europe as well – for instance, in some countries you can 
retire at 62, in others at 65, in others at 67.

4

EU rules require each EU country to take into account your insur-
ance history in other countries if this is necessary for you to meet 
the minimum number of years required to get a pension there. 
For example, if 15 years are required in one country, but you only 
have 10, the authorities will add the years worked in other coun-
tries to meet the 15-year requirement. 

5

Each country in which you meet entitlement conditions will 
pay you a separate old-age pension proportionate to the 
years you have worked there.

For example, if you have 21 years of contributions in France, 
14 years in Germany and 6 years in Austria – making a total of 
41 years – you will receive three separate pensions based on the 
length of your insurance history in each country.

6

Each national authority will tell you about the decisions they 
have made regarding your pension entitlements. Finally, your 
contact institution will send you a P1 document, which sum-
marises the decisions made about your case by all the coun-
tries involved in the process.

Tip Š Check the paperwork carefully and be sure to make 
a note of any national deadlines in case you need to appeal.