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You can claim State Pension abroad if you鈥檝e paid enough UK National Insurance contributions to qualify.

You might also be eligible if you have lived or worked abroad.

Get a State Pension forecast if you need to find out how much State Pension you may get.

Make a claim

You must be within 4 months of your State Pension age to claim.

To claim your pension, you can either:

• contact the International Pension Centre
• send the international claim form to the International Pension Centre (the address is on the form)

If you also want to claim a state pension from another country

You might be able to make a single claim to the International Pension Centre or the country you鈥檙e living in. The state pension schemes in other countries you鈥檝e lived or worked in could then be told that you鈥檝e made a claim.

If they鈥檙e told, those other schemes will let you know if you鈥檙e eligible. You will not need to make separate claims to them.

This applies to state pension schemes in:

• the European Economic Area (EEA) 鈥� this includes any country in the EU as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
• Switzerland
• any country that has a social security agreement with the UK, apart from Canada and New Zealand

Read the State Pension annual increases guidance to check which countries the UK has a social security agreement with.

If you live in one of these countries and you鈥檙e eligible for the state pension there, make a claim to their state pension scheme. They鈥檒l pass your details on to:

• the UK
• other state pension schemes in the EEA or Switzerland, if you made a claim there

Otherwise, when you make a claim to the International Pension Centre, they鈥檒l pass on your details to all the state pension schemes on the list.

If you live part of the year abroad

You must choose which country you want your pension to be paid in. You cannot be paid in one country for part of the year and another for the rest of the year.

Bank accounts your pension can be paid into

Your State Pension can be paid into:

• a bank in the country you鈥檙e living in
• a bank or building society in the UK

You can use:

• an account in your name
• a joint account
• someone else鈥檚 account - if you have their permission and keep to the terms and conditions of the account

If you have an overseas account, you鈥檒l need the:

• international bank account number (IBAN)听
• Business Identifier Code (BIC), previously Bank Identifier Code

You鈥檒l be paid in local currency - the amount you get may change due to exchange rates.

When you鈥檒l get paid

You can choose to be paid every 4 or 13 weeks.

If your State Pension is under 拢5 per week, you鈥檒l be paid once a year in December.

Delays to payments around US federal holidays

If you live abroad and your payment is due in the same week as a , it could arrive one day late. This is because a US company processes these payments.

Your State Pension will only increase each year if you live in:

• the European Economic Area (EEA)
• Gibraltar
• Switzerland
• countries that have a social security agreement with the UK (but you cannot get increases in Canada or New Zealand)

You will not get yearly increases if you live outside these countries.

Your pension will go up to the current rate if you return to live in the UK.

Get advice

Contact the International Pension Centre if you want advice on how your pension might be affected if you鈥檝e already retired and are thinking of moving abroad.

How much tax you鈥檒l pay and where you pay it depends on where you鈥檙e considered to be a resident.

UK residents

You may have to pay UK tax on your State Pension if you live abroad but are classed as a UK resident for tax purposes. The amount you pay depends on your income.

Overseas residents

You may be taxed on your State Pension by the UK and the country where you live. If you pay tax twice, you can usually claim tax relief to get all or some of it back.

If the country you live in has a 鈥�double taxation agreement鈥� with the UK, you鈥檒l only pay tax on your pension once. This may be to the UK or the country where you live, depending on that country鈥檚 tax agreement.

Report changes (such as a change of address or bank details) to the International Pension Centre by phone or in writing - do not send changes by email.

If you鈥檙e asked to fill in a 鈥榣ife certificate鈥�

You may get a 鈥榣ife certificate鈥� form from the Department for Work and Pensions to check you鈥檙e still eligible for the State Pension.

You need to get the form signed by a witness. Check who can sign as a witness and follow the instructions on the form.

Your witness does not have to live in the UK or have a passport from any specific country.

Your payments may be suspended if you do not send the form back.

Returning to the UK

Contact the Pension Service - you need your return date and contact details, both abroad and in the UK.

Call HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to say you鈥檙e returning to the UK.