Ukrainian citizens now have the opportunity to apply for a pension entirely in electronic format, without visiting a service center of the Pension Fund of Ukraine. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the official instructions of the Pension Fund dated August 31, 2026. The pension application can now be submitted through the electronic services web portal of the PFU using electronic identification. To submit an application, you must have a qualified electronic signature (QES), BankID, or Diia.Pidpys, as well as documents confirming identity and insurance record.
Six Steps from Portal Login to Application Submission
The application procedure is structured and includes six consecutive stages. In the first step, the applicant opens the website portal.pfu.gov.ua and logs in via an available electronic identification service. Next, in the personal account, you need to go to the "Pension Provision" section and select "Pension Application". The application form specifies the type of pension (for example, old-age), personal, address, and contact details. The fourth stage is filling out a questionnaire about employment history and other circumstances, which helps the system determine which exact documents will be needed in a particular case. In the fifth step, scanned copies of documents are uploaded, and it is important to ensure that all pages are clearly readable and the information matches the originals. The final sixth step is checking the entered data, correcting possible errors, signing the application in an available way, and sending it to the Pension Fund.
Which Documents to Prepare and Why the List is Not Universal
The list of required documents depends on the type of pension, the data already contained in state registers, and the applicant's specific situation. The Pension Fund emphasizes that there is no single universal list: the final set is determined by the requirements of the electronic form and the agency's clarifications. Before submitting the application, it is recommended to check whether the information on the insurance record is correctly reflected and whether there are discrepancies in personal data. If certain periods of work are not confirmed or information about them is missing in the registers, additional documentary confirmation may be required.
How to Track Status and What Happens After Submission
After submitting the application, its status can be tracked in your personal account on the portal. To do this, you need to enter the "My Requests" section, find your application, and see which stage it is at. The Pension Fund also sends a notification with the decision made. If the agency reports the need for additional documents, they should be submitted in the prescribed manner. It is important to understand that submitting the application does not mean automatic assignment of the pension — a decision is made only after reviewing the documents and verifying the person's right to the payment.
Deferral of Processing and Exclusion of Months with Low Salary
Ukrainian pension legislation provides two important mechanisms that you should know about before submitting an application. First, when calculating a pension, months with a low salary can be excluded: up to 60 consecutive calendar months of service can be excluded, provided they do not exceed 10% of the total insurance record. Second, citizens who already have the right to an old-age pension can postpone its processing and receive a bonus: for each full month of deferral, the payment increases by 0.5%, and after six years of waiting — by 54%. If you encounter difficulties when filling out the application or uploading documents, the Pension Fund recommends using the explanations on the web portal or contacting a service center. You can still apply in person by preparing documents and visiting a service center personally.
