Pension insurance in the EU and abroad

Table of contents

Assessment of the pension entitlement

In order to be entitled to a pension from the pension insurance of the Slovak Republic, citizenship of the Slovak Republic is not required. In contrast to the legal status effective before 1^st January 2004, it is no longer necessary for the pension claimant to have a permanent residence in the territory of the Slovak Republic.

If the insuree was pension insured in a country other than the Slovak Republic, the assessment of their pension entitlement will depend on whether they were pension insured:

• in a Member State of the European Union, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein or the Swiss Confederation (hereinafter referred to as "the State to which the coordination regulations of the European Union apply") or
• in a State with which the Slovak Republic has concluded an international agreement on social security (hereinafter referred to as the "contracting State").

If the Slovak Republic has concluded an international agreement on social security with a State to which coordination regulations of the European Union also apply, in the mutual relations of the Slovak Republic and this State, after the accession of the Slovak Republic or another contracting State to the European Union, the provisions of the international agreement on social security no longer apply, instead the procedure following from the coordination regulations of the European Union is applicable.

In accordance with the coordination in the European Union, the following regulations apply:

• the Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1408/71 and Council Regulation (EEC) No. 574/72 from:
  • 1^st May 2004 by the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Finland, the Republic of France, the Greek Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ireland, the Republic of Iceland, the Republic of Lithuania, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Republic of Latvia, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Poland, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Slovenia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Republic of Italy,
  • 1^st April, 2006 by the Swiss Confederation,
  • 1^st January, 2007 by the Republic of Bulgaria and Romania.
     
• in accordance with the Regulation (EC) of the European Parliament and the Council no. 883/2004 and Regulation of the European Parliament and Council (EC) no. 987/2009 from:
  • 1^st May 2010 by the Kingdom of Belgium, the Republic of Bulgaria, the Republic of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Finland, the French Republic, the Greek Republic, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ireland, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Latvia, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta Republic, the Republic of Poland, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Austria, Romania, the Republic of Slovenia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Sweden and the Republic of Italy,
  • 1^st April 2012 by the Swiss Confederation,
  • 1^st June 2012 by the Republic of Iceland, the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Kingdom of Norway,
  • 1^st July, 2013 by the Republic of Croatia.

From the international agreements on social security concluded with States to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply, only those provisions listed in the relevant annex of the coordination regulation may continue to be applied. Namely:

• articles 12, 20 and 33 of the Agreement between the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic on Social Security,
• articles 29 para 1, (2) and (3) of the Agreement between the Slovak Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany on Social Security,
• article 34 para 3 of the Agreement between the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Austria on Social Security,
• Article 50 para 5 Agreement between the Slovak Republic and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on Social Security, and
• article 34 para 1 of the Convention between the Czechoslovak Republic and the Hungarian People's Republic on Cooperation in the Field of Social Policy.

More information can be found here:

• Information on the conditions of entitlement to pensions in individual Member States
• International Agreements (SK)
• Information on pensions from the Czech Republic (CZ)

If the insuree did not complete the necessary number of years of the pension insurance period under the legislation of the Slovak Republic, but completed the insurance period in another country to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply, or in a contracting State, when assessing the pension right, those insurance periods will be taken into account, which are accountable for pension purposes under the legislation of the other State.

If, after taking into account the insurance periods completed in another country to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply, or in a contracting State, the right to a pension commences, each State will pay the amount of the pension corresponding to the period of insurance completed under its legal regulations (Social Insurance Agency will award the pension and will pay out an amount corresponding only to the period of pension insurance and earnings in the Slovak Republic). However, if the insuree in a certain State completed an insurance period of less than one year, the relevant State will not award the pension. In such a case, the insurance period of less than one year will be taken into account by the State, which awards the pension.

A different legal regime applies to international agreements on social security based on the principle of territoriality, according to which the pension is awarded and paid by the contracting State in whose territory the insuree has permanent residence (see International Agreements (SK)).

Certification of insurance periods completed in another State

If the insuree was pension insured (secured) in the country to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply

or in a contracting State, it is not necessary to submit any confirmation to the Social Insurance Agency after returning to the Slovak Republic for the purpose of claiming a pension benefit from the pension insurance of the Slovak Republic, because the Social Insurance Agency does not keep the record of insurance periods completed under the legislation of another State.

The evaluation of these periods comes into consideration only in the pension claim proceedings from the pension insurance of the Slovak Republic, which begins with the submission of an application for the award of a pension benefit, in case the insuree has not completed the required number of years of the pension insurance period under the legislation of the Slovak Republic. In such a case, the Social Insurance Agency will ask the provider of the social insurance of the given State to certify the insurance periods completed under the legislation of that State. For these purposes, however, it is necessary for the insuree, when submitting an application for a pension benefit from the pension insurance of the Slovak Republic, to mention that they were also pension insured in another State to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply, or in a contracting State, and also present their social security number insurance in this State.

If the insuree was pension insured in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

when applying for a pension benefit, it is also necessary to provide information about the national social insurance number assigned to the insuree in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland by the Department for Work and Pensions.

If the insuree in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has not been assigned such a number or has only been assigned a temporary number, they can apply for a national social insurance number before applying for a pension benefit at the address:

Department for Work and Pensions, Glasgow Benefit Centre, Ms A. Veldhoven or Ms K. Jeffries, Central Control Unit, Admin Team, 5^th Floor, Portcullis House, 21 India Street, G2 4PA Glasgow, or by phone: 00 44 141 207 3648/3649.

In addition to the national social insurance number, in the application for a pension benefit it is also necessary to provide details on the date of arrival and departure from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, details on all residential addresses in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, details on salary or wages earned in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and if the insuree used a different name or surname in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland than stated in the identity card, also information about this name or surname. The relevant social insurance institution in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland requests all of the above details from the insuree. Providing them already in the application for a pension benefit will considerably speed up the procedure.

If the insuree or pension applicant applies for a pension from the pension insurance of the Republic of Poland

when applying for a pension benefit, it is also necessary to provide information about the insuree’s personal Polish identification number. When applying for a survivor's pension, it is always necessary to state the Polish identification number of both the pension applicant and the deceased person. This number is the PESEL number (birth number). If the insuree has not been assigned such a number, for the purposes of identifying the insuree, it is necessary to indicate the identity card number (identity card or passport number) valid at the time of the insuree’s participation in the pension insurance system of the Republic of Poland.

If, for the purposes of entitlement to a pension benefit from the pension insurance of the Slovak Republic, it is also necessary to take into account insurance periods completed in another country to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply, or in a contracting State, these periods can only be accounted on the basis of the certification from the social insurance provider of this State, which assesses the completed insurance periods under the legislation of the given State and certifies their acquisition to the Social Insurance Agency. If it is a State to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply, this certification is given via the form E 205. For these purposes, it is therefore not necessary for the insuree to submit, for example, a confirmation from the employer to the Social Insurance Agency after returning to the Slovak Republic. However, if the insuree has a certification from the social insurance provider of the State to which the coordination regulations of the European Union apply, or of a contracting State, about the insurance periods completed under the legislation of that State, they can present it to the Social Insurance Agency in the procedure for claiming a pension benefit from the pension insurance of the Slovak Republic. Doing so can contribute to speeding up this procedure.

Exercising the pension right

If the insuree completed insurance periods in the Slovak Republic and also in another country to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply, or in a contracting State, then it is sufficient for them to submit only one application for a pension. This application is then considered a pension application also for a pension from the pension insurance of another country.

If the applicant resides on the territory of the Slovak Republic

the application for a pension from the pension insurance of another State, to which the coordination regulations of the European Union apply, or of a contracting State, is filed in the relevant branch of the Social Insurance Agency (see details for individual pension benefits).

If the applicant resides in the territory of another State to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply or

in the territory of a contracting State, the application for a pension from the pension insurance of the Slovak Republic is generally submitted through the social insurance provider of this State, even if they do not apply for a pension from the pension insurance of the State in whose territory they reside.

How to apply for a pension from abroad electronically:

• the applicant fills out the electronic application here: Electronic pension application (SK)
• as an attachment to the application, we recommend attaching e.g. documents proving insurance periods under the legislation of another State; a document proving that you are the bank account owner (if you request to transfer the pension to a bank account).

The Social Insurance Agency will assess the pension application, in case of missing documents, the applicant will be requested to supply additional necessary information, and issue a decision on the pension.

You can fill in and send the eForm Electronic pension application (SK) with an electronic ID card with an activated chip (Application/Login eID) or with another European document (https://www.slovensko.sk/en/eidas/information-about-login-via-ei). Submitting an application requires signing with a qualified electronic signature (KEP).

If the applicant resides in the territory of a State that is not a State, to which coordination regulations of the European Union apply

or a contracting State, they submit a pension application from the pension insurance of the Slovak Republic at the headquarters of the Social Insurance Agency in Bratislava or can submit it via the form "Pension application submitted abroad" (see Forms (SK)).

Remittance of a pension

Since January 1^st, 2004, pensions have been transferred abroad, including countries with which the Slovak Republic does not have an international agreement on social security.

To a foreign country that is not a country covered by the coordination regulations of the European Union, pensions are paid in arrears in three-month periods only after presenting a Certificate of Living of the pension recipient.

Pensions are paid in advance in regular monthly periods, always in regularly recurring payment dates, to the States to which the coordination regulations of the European Union apply.

More information

More information on your social security in Europe is available here:

EC - Employment - Social Affairs

EC - EU legislation

Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic