Is Foreign Work Experience Counted Towards Ukrainian Pensions?
Ukrainians continue to receive pensions and social benefits, but the question of whether work experience gained abroad is recognized remains highly relevant.
According to recent legislative updates introduced in 2024, along with the revised Procedure for verifying periods of employment outside Ukraine, there is now an opportunity to include periods of work in countries with which Ukraine has established international pension agreements.
This means that Ukrainian citizens who worked abroad before 1992 may have their work periods credited towards their insurance record.
An essential part of this process involves verifying these work periods, either through submitting supporting documents or through requests sent via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Additionally, if there are no agreements with certain countries, the Pension Fund of Ukraine can request confirmation of employment periods from relevant foreign authorities to determine pension rights.
It is also noteworthy that periods of work in Russia and Belarus can be declaratively confirmed, despite the suspension of pension cooperation with these countries, due to the absence of mutual pension agreements.
Overall, Ukrainian legislation is actively evolving to better incorporate foreign employment periods into pension calculations, which is crucial for many Ukrainians with international work experience.