Before heading abroad, it is important to find out how your pension and other social security benefits will be arranged while you are working abroad.
Your social security and pension accrual depend on several factors, including:
- whether you are working abroad for a foreign employer, or temporarily working abroad for a Finnish employer; and
- whether the country in question is an EU or EEA country, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, or a country that has a social security agreement with Finland, or any other country (also referred to as a non-agreement country).
At the end of this page, you will find a list of EU and EEA countries, social security agreement countries, and non-agreement countries.
Accrue pension abroad for work abroad
If you work abroad, you are generally insured in the country where you work.
This means that your employer will pay all required social insurance contributions in that country. As a result, you get your social security benefits – including your pension – according to the rules of the country where you work. If you are self-employed, you are responsible for arranging and paying the statutory social insurance contributions yourself.
If your country of employment is an EU or EEA country, Switzerland or if it has a social security agreement with Finland, the pension you have accrued from working in that country is paid to Finland in due time.
However, pension accrued in non-agreement countries may not be paid abroad, or there may be specific restrictions on payments. As not all countries have a universal pension system, it’s important to check with each country in which you have worked to find out if you are entitled to a pension from them.
Temporary work abroad can count towards your Finnish pension
If you are employed by a Finnish employer or are self-employed and go to work abroad on a temporary basis, you may, under certain conditions, remain covered by the Finnish social security system. Temporary work abroad can include, for example, a work assignment, business trip or remote working. In such cases, you will need an A1 certificate or an equivalent document. This certificate confirms that you are covered by Finnish social security while working abroad. Apply for the certificate from the Finnish Centre for Pensions.
Read more on working abroad as an employee
Read more on working abroad as a self-employed person
EU countries’ refers to the following countries:
- EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
- EEA countries: Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway.
- Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Social security agreement countries:
- Australia, Canada, Chile, China, India, Israel, Japan, Quebec, South Korea, and the United States of America.
Non-agreement countries:
- Non-agreement countries are countries other than those listed above, such as Thailand, Brazil or South Africa.