--- title: "Foreign work experience will count towards the Ukrainian pension: new rules and instructions for collecting documents" description: "Ukrainians can now count years of work abroad towards their pension service in Ukraine. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved new rules: foreign experience will help accumulate the necessary minimum number of years to retire, although the payment amount will be calculated only based on local contributions. πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ“„" date: 2026-08-01T03:34:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/foreign-work-experience-counts-towards-ukrainian-pension-new-rules tags: [ukraine, pension, social-security, cabinet-of-ministers] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Foreign work experience will count towards the Ukrainian pension: new rules and instructions for collecting documents ![Retirees discussing documents over the phone, planning pension application considering foreign work experience](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/01/zagrubizhny-stazh-v-ukrainskuyu-pensiyu-novie-pravila/zagrubizhny-stazh-v-ukrainskuyu-pensiyu-novie-pravila-1.webp) For millions of Ukrainians who have worked abroad for years, a new path to social protection is opening up. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved Resolution No. 562 dated May 16, 2025, which allows years of work in other countries to be officially counted towards pension service in Ukraine. This decision radically changes the situation for those who previously could not retire due to a lack of sufficient years of service in the national system. ### How the new service accounting system works Previously, the absence of bilateral agreements between states was an insurmountable barrier: contributions paid abroad simply "disappeared" when calculating pension rights in Ukraine. The situation began to change in June 2024, when amendments were made to the Law "On Mandatory State Pension Insurance" (Articles 24-1 and 26-1). They allowed for the accounting of periods of foreign work even without an international agreement. It is important to understand the key nuance: counted foreign years affect the **right** to receive a pension, not its amount. These periods help accumulate the necessary minimum number of years to retire at the age of 60. For example, if a citizen has 25 years of service in Ukraine and confirmed 7 years of work abroad, their total service will be 32 years. This gives the right to appoint a pension. However, the payment amount itself will be calculated exclusively based on contributions paid into the Ukrainian system, unless a special international agreement is in force with a specific country. ### Who will not get credited service The new rules have clear exceptions. Periods of service in the law enforcement agencies of the aggressor state, as well as work in illegal authorities on occupied territories after February 19, 2014, will not be counted towards service. ### Instructions: how to confirm service abroad The mere fact of work is not enough β€” it must be documented. The process begins with obtaining an official document in the country of employment. This can be an extract from the registry, a certificate, or confirmation of payment of insurance contributions. The form of the document depends on the legislation of the specific country: in Germany, such a document is issued by Deutsche Rentenversicherung, in Italy β€” by the National Institute for Social Security INPS. If the applicant is in Ukraine and cannot personally apply abroad, they can submit an application to the territorial Pension Fund office. It will forward the request through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, this process takes significantly longer. Experts from the Ministry of Social Policy recommend starting to collect documents six months before reaching retirement age. In some cases, especially if it concerns periods before the emergence of electronic registries, the foreign pension service may not have complete information. Then additional archival certificates may be required. ### Legalization and translation of documents Not all certificates can be submitted to the Pension Fund of Ukraine immediately β€” some of them require additional certification. - **Without apostille:** Documents are accepted without legalization if there is an agreement on legal assistance between Ukraine and the state. This list includes Poland, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. - **Apostille:** For countries participating in the 1961 Hague Convention, placing an apostille is usually sufficient. - **Consular legalization:** In other cases, the document must undergo the procedure of consular legalization. - **CIS specifics:** For CIS countries, a separate legalization procedure is in effect, which is valid during martial law and for six months after its completion. All documents in foreign languages must be translated into Ukrainian with a notarized translation. Only after this is the full package submitted to the Pension Fund for consideration. ### Context of the pension reform These changes fit into the general line of simplifying procedures. Previously, the issue of confirming service without a work book was more difficult: the Pension Fund did not accept notarized witness statements, and service could only be proven through the court or archives. From August 2, 2026, new rules for appointing pensions will come into force in Ukraine, which will further simplify the collection of documents and allow certain periods of work to be attributed to service even without employer contributions. Along with this, citizens can count on age supplements, bonuses for overtime service, and state guarantees of the minimum pension size.