How to confirm your work experience gained abroad
At a time when a significant number of Ukrainians are forced to seek temporary protection abroad, the Government of Ukraine continues to create the conditions for their return. An important novelty is the simplified procedure to calculate the periods of work abroad for determining the right to a pension. From now on, even if there are no bilateral agreements between the countries, the period of work abroad can still be confirmed.
! Important: the period of work abroad is only considered for determining the right to an old-age pension, but does not affect the amount of the pension, as no taxes were paid to the Ukrainian budget. At the same time, the length of service in countries with which there are special agreements will affect the amount of the pension.
Why length of service is so important for pension calculation?
In Ukraine, the pension system operates in such a way that retirement benefits are available only if two conditions are met: reaching a certain age and having a certain number of years of service.
For example, in 2025, the following categories of people may retire:
At the age of 60 ➡ With at least 32 years of work experience.
At the age of 63 ➡ With 22 to 32 years of work experience.
At the age of 65 ➡ With 15 to 22 years of work experience.
If the length of service in Ukraine is not sufficient for retirement, periods of work in another state are included in determining eligibility for an old-age pension.
For example, a person aged 56 worked in Ukraine for 28 years. In 2022 this person was forced to go abroad and received temporary protection, and has been working abroad ever since. In 2025, this person will turn 60. With only 28 years of service in Ukraine, it will not be possible to receive a pension. But having official working experience abroad, all you need to do is collect documents confirming that you have four more years of work experience abroad and submit them to the Pension Fund.
Note: if a person works abroad unofficially, it will not be possible to confirm the length of service.
What documents will be needed?
All documents that can confirm the fact and duration of work abroad will be useful, these may include
- passport with visas affixed;
Important: when replacing such a passport, be sure to make copies of all pages, or ask to keep an invalid passport;
- work permit or temporary residence permit in connection with work;
- the contract under which you performed your work;
- confirmation of length of service from the competent authority of the state where you worked, etc.
Note: It is better to start preparing documents in advance, as it may take a certain amount of time.
How to prepare documents: step-by-step instructions
1. Ensure that you are working officially (you have an appropriate permit to live and work in the country, such as temporary protection or a work visa).
2. Obtain an official document about your pensionable service in the country where you worked. This can be done by contacting your local pension authority.
! Please note: If you are unable to obtain the document in person, please contact the territorial office of the Pension Fund of Ukraine. The Pension Fund of Ukraine will be able to send such a request officially.
3. Legalise the document to make it valid in Ukraine. To do this, you need to contact a consulate to affix an apostille or legalise the document.
4. Obtain an official translation (notarised or certified by a consul) of all foreign documents.
5. Submit the legalised documents to the Pension Fund of Ukraine for the purpose of pensionable service.
We remind you that you can apply to the Pension Fund of Ukraine for an old-age pension in person, by postal services, or online in your personal account on the Pension Fund portal (using Diia.Signature).
