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Ukrainians who have worked officially abroad for several years may be able to have those periods included in their Ukrainian pension record, even if Ukraine does not have a social security agreement with the country where they were employed.
The procedure is based on Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 562, adopted on May 16, 2025. The new rules make it possible to recognize certain periods of employment abroad when the person can provide official documents confirming their work and social insurance contributions.
Foreign employment periods can help a person qualify for retirement by increasing their total insurance record. However, in most cases, they do not directly increase the amount of the Ukrainian pension. The pension payment is calculated based on insurance contributions made to Ukraine's pension system, unless a separate international agreement provides for a different calculation procedure.
What foreign employment periods can be counted
Ukrainian legislation distinguishes between two groups of countries:
- countries that have a social security or pension agreement with Ukraine, where the terms of the relevant agreement apply;
- countries without such agreements, for which the new government procedure allows certain periods of employment to be recognized.
There are also restrictions. Periods of service in the security or military structures of an aggressor state, as well as employment in illegal authorities in temporarily occupied territories after February 19, 2014, cannot be included in the pension record.
How to confirm work experience abroad
Simply having worked in another country is not enough. The employment period must be officially documented.
A person should obtain confirmation from the relevant institution in the country where they worked. Depending on the country, this could be an extract from an official register, a certificate of employment or evidence of social insurance contributions.
For example, documents in Germany may be issued by Deutsche Rentenversicherung, while in Italy the relevant information can be obtained from the National Institute for Social Security (INPS).
If a person is in Ukraine and cannot contact the foreign authorities directly, they can apply to a territorial office of the Pension Fund of Ukraine. The Pension Fund may send a request through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although this process can take considerably longer.
For this reason, the Ministry of Social Policy recommends starting to collect the necessary documents six months to a year before reaching retirement age.
What documents may be required
If the foreign pension authority does not have complete information about a person's employment history, additional documents may be required, particularly for periods before electronic registers were introduced.
These may include employment contracts, certificates from employers, salary statements, income declarations, proof of social insurance contributions and other official documents confirming employment.
The final list of required documents is determined by the pension authority of the country where the person worked.
Do foreign documents need legalization?
Some documents issued abroad must undergo additional certification before they can be submitted to the Ukrainian Pension Fund.
Documents generally do not require legalization or an apostille if Ukraine has a legal assistance agreement with the relevant country. This applies, among others, to Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
For countries covered by the Hague Convention of 1961, an apostille is generally sufficient. In other cases, consular legalization may be required.
Documents issued in a foreign language must also be translated into Ukrainian, with the translation notarized. The complete set of documents can then be submitted to the Pension Fund for consideration.
The new procedure is intended to help Ukrainians who have built up part of their employment history abroad meet the insurance record requirements for retirement in Ukraine, while ensuring that the amount of their Ukrainian pension is generally calculated based on contributions made within Ukraine.
