Ukrainians who have worked abroad can include periods of work outside the country in their insurance record for pension eligibility in Ukraine. This is particularly relevant for those who lack a few years of service to qualify for retirement benefits.
This is reported by Finway
Conditions for Counting Foreign Work Experience
Counting foreign work experience is based on international agreements on social security between Ukraine and the country where the citizen worked. If such an agreement is in place, the procedure follows its provisions. In the absence of an international agreement, the experience can still be considered if documents are submitted that confirm the fact of official employment and payment of social contributions abroad.
A separate procedure applies to individuals who worked in the republics of the former USSR before 1992. A special mechanism for confirming and accounting for work experience is provided for them.
Documents Required to Confirm Work Experience
To confirm work abroad, a set of documents must be submitted to the Ukrainian Pension Fund. These may include official certificates or extracts from tax or pension authorities of another country, employment contracts, references from employers, pay slips, or documents regarding participation in the social insurance system. All these documents must be translated into Ukrainian and, in some cases, notarized. Depending on the requirements of the country, an apostille or consular legalization may be necessary.
After preparing the documents and application, they are submitted to the Pension Fund of Ukraine. If the provided evidence is insufficient, the fund may request additional information from the competent authorities of the foreign state.
“The Pension Fund warned that after this date, the main source of data on work experience will be the electronic register, and paper documents will only be used as confirmation.”
If a Ukrainian is already receiving a pension in another country, the payment procedure is determined by international agreements. In some cases, it is possible to receive part of the pension from the foreign state and the remainder in Ukraine.
It is worth noting that in Ukraine, the transition period for digitizing paper employment records is coming to an end on June 10. After that, the main source of information regarding work experience will be the electronic register, and paper documents will only be used to confirm specific data.