INPS Pension in Italy for Ukrainians: Translating Work Documents

Darya, 79, worked as a live-in caregiver in Italy for 8 years, then returned to Ukraine due to illness. She had no idea about INPS pension. Five years after returning, someone helped her file a claim — and she received a lump-sum back payment of about €4,000 covering all the years she’d missed, plus €70 every month for the rest of her life. If you or your relatives worked officially in Italy, this guide is for you.

What INPS is and why you have a right to it¶

INPS (Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale) is Italy’s national social insurance system — the equivalent of Ukraine’s Pension Fund. Every month you worked officially in Italy, both you and your employer were paying contributions into it. That money doesn’t disappear — it waits for you.

Around 6,000 Ukrainians currently receive INPS pension payments. Most are former caregivers (badanti), domestic workers (colf), and seasonal workers. But due to bureaucratic complexity, thousands of people still don’t know about their entitlement and haven’t filed a claim.

One key difference from Spain or Poland: there is no bilateral social security agreement between Ukraine and Italy. Negotiations started in January 2021 — Ukraine’s Ambassador Yaroslav Melnyk met with INPS President Pasquale Tridico and both sides agreed to begin drafting a treaty. But as of 2025, no agreement has been signed.

The practical consequence: ACLI formally proposed to the Italian government that a convention with Ukraine be concluded to allow combining Ukrainian and Italian work periods for pension eligibility. Until that happens, each country calculates its own pension independently. The silver lining: you can receive both pensions simultaneously — from INPS and from Ukraine’s Pension Fund — without one reducing the other.

Who can claim an INPS pension¶

Since Ukraine has no convention with Italy, Ukrainians fall under the rules for non-EU non-convention foreign workers — specifically, the “repatriated worker” category.

The core requirement: official employment in Italy with contributions paid to INPS.

The amount and eligibility conditions depend on when you first started working officially in Italy:

Situation	Requirements
First job after January 1, 1996	Pension at age 67, even with just a few weeks of contributions
First job before January 1, 1996	Minimum 20 years of contributions required

If you started working in Italy after 1996 — any amount of contributions gives you a pension right. Even 3 months counts. The amount will be modest, but it’s yours for life.

Current Italian retirement age: 67 years (reviewed annually based on life expectancy statistics).

As stated on the INPS page for repatriated foreign workers:

I lavoratori stranieri che hanno lavorato in Italia e sono tornati nel paese di origine possono richiedere la pensione INPS maturata in Italia, indipendentemente dal paese di residenza.

In plain language: going back to Ukraine doesn’t cancel your right to an Italian pension. You can live in Ukraine and receive monthly Italian payments.

The special post-2022 situation¶

After Russia’s full-scale invasion, INPS issued Message n. 1515 on April 5, 2022, which created two important exceptions:

First: Ukrainians who were already receiving the “repatriated pension” (meaning they had returned to Ukraine and were getting pension payments conditional on living there) can keep receiving payments even while staying in Italy due to the war. Normally, a repatriated pensioner who returns to Italy would have payments suspended. For Ukrainians, this is waived until conditions allow safe return.

Second: New applicants who came to Italy because of the full-scale invasion and hold Temporary Protection (Protezione Temporanea) status can file pension claims directly from Italy — no need to return to Ukraine to do so.

Worth noting: Temporary Protection status allows working officially in Italy and accumulating new INPS contributions. So even people who arrived in 2022 with nothing can, over the years, build their own INPS pension entitlement.

What Ukrainian work documents you need¶

For an INPS pension claim, you need to prove your identity and your residence status (either in Ukraine or legally in Italy). That’s where the translations come in.

Core document package:

• Valid passport - new format only (biometric ID card or international passport). ⚠️ The old Soviet-style booklet passport is rejected by INPS — this is one of the most common reasons applications fail.
• Residence registration certificate (Form No. 13 in Ukraine) — with official seal — to confirm your address
• Work record book (трудова книжка / trudova knizhka) — if you need to document Ukrainian employment history as part of your personal file
• Certificate from Ukraine’s Pension Fund — confirms Ukrainian insurance years if INPS requests them
• Marriage / divorce certificate — if your surname differs across documents
• Bank details (IBAN) — for receiving payments

If you need to document your Italian work history, the main source is INPS itself. Through inps.it (with SPID or PIN) you can get your estratto contributivo — a full record of all contributions, when and how much. It’s free and doesn’t need to be translated.

The Ukrainian work record book (trudova knizhka) isn’t always required — but if there are questions about identity or confirming additional work history, INPS may ask for it.

Apostille + traduzione giurata: the correct order¶

All documents from Ukraine go through a mandatory two-step procedure:

Step 1. Apostille in Ukraine

Ukraine joined the Hague Convention in 2003 (effective 2004). This means Ukrainian documents need an apostille for use in Italy — not a consular legalisation.

Where to get the apostille depends on the document type: - Civil registry certificates (birth, marriage, death) — through the state registration departments - Notarially certified documents — through the Ministry of Justice or regional offices - Diplomas, school certificates — through the Ministry of Education

The apostille can now be arranged through the Diia portal online — currently the fastest option for most documents.

Cost in Ukraine: 330 to 1,500 UAH depending on document type and method.

Step 2. Traduzione giurata (or asseverata) in Italy

This is a mandatory requirement for documents submitted to INPS. A standard translation from a language agency won’t be accepted.

Traduzione giurata means the translator physically appears before an Italian court (tribunale), takes an oath that the translation accurately corresponds to the original, and the court registers that oath. After that, the document has full legal force in Italy.

As stated in the official INPS requirements for the riscatto (buyback of foreign work periods):

Le dichiarazioni redatte in lingua straniera devono essere accompagnate dalla traduzione in italiano: validata dall’autorità diplomatica o consolare del Paese di origine; ovvero eseguita da un traduttore legalmente autorizzato.

In short: either a consular-certified translation or a sworn translator. Consular certification is practical only if you’re still in Ukraine. If you’re already in Italy, traduzione giurata is the standard route.

Critical: order matters. Apostille the original document in Ukraine first, then get the sworn translation in Italy. If the translation was done before the apostille, INPS can reject it.

How much does translating work documents for INPS cost¶

Traduzione giurata pricing in Italy has three components:

Component	Cost
Translation (per page)	€28-30 (standard); €50-100+ for rare languages (Ukrainian)
Asseverazione (court oath)	~€80 + VAT per document up to ~7 pages
Marca da bollo (stamp duty)	€16 per every 4 pages of translation

Real costs for typical documents:

Document	Approximate price
Residence certificate (1 page)	€70-120
Birth certificate (1 page)	€80-130
Marriage certificate (1-2 pages)	€80-150
Ukrainian Pension Fund certificate (1-2 pages)	€90-160
Work record book (15-25 pages)	€350-700+
Full pension application package	€400-800+

The work record book is the most expensive document because of its length — typically 10-25 filled pages at €50-80+ each for Ukrainian-language text.

Exception for war refugees: several translation agencies in Italy have confirmed that for Ukrainian citizens with Temporary Protection or refugee status, certain government fees may be waived or reduced. But this applies to specific document categories — always confirm in advance with the specific agency.

If you want to check the contents of a work record book before taking it to a sworn translator (for example, to verify all dates and employer names are correct) — ChatsControl delivers an AI translation in minutes. Perfect for understanding what’s there. For official submission to INPS, you’ll still need the traduzione giurata.

Where and how to file: form AP50¶

The pension application for Ukrainians (as citizens of a non-convention country) follows a specific procedure. Here’s the step-by-step:

Step 1. Get your estratto contributivo This is your INPS contribution statement — your personal “pension account.” Get it free through inps.it with SPID or PIN, or through a Patronato. Check how many years of contributions you have, which years, and which employers.

Step 2. Gather your documents Package: new-format passport + residence certificate (apostilled and translated) + bank details (IBAN — either Italian or Ukrainian) + birth/marriage certificates if needed

Step 3. Apostille and translate Ukrainian documents Order: apostille in Ukraine → traduzione giurata in Italy. Don’t reverse this.

Step 4. Fill in form AP50 This is the official repatriated worker pension application. Submit it via: - Online at inps.it (with SPID) - Through a Patronato (free assistance — recommended) - At any INPS office

Step 5. Send documents to INPS Perugia All paper documents must be mailed to the designated specialist office: INPS Direzione Provinciale di Perugia, Via Canali, 5 - 06122 Perugia

This Perugia office handles all repatriated foreign worker pensions from non-convention countries — not your regular local INPS office.

Timeline: about 2-3 months from receipt of the complete document package to first payment. If there’s a delay and you reached pension age earlier without filing — payments are calculated retroactively from when the right arose.

Step 6. Annual RED Est procedure Once you’re receiving pension payments, every year you need to submit form RED Est (income declaration). This confirms you’re alive and still entitled to payments. Patronato handles this for free.

Patronato ACLI: free help for Ukrainians¶

Navigating INPS on your own is possible but genuinely complicated. For most Ukrainians, the best route is through a Patronato.

Patronato is a network of state-accredited organisations that help people with social welfare matters for free. They’re funded by the system itself, so for applicants — it’s always free.

The largest network for Ukrainians is ACLI Patronato. They have an office in Lviv (damoradu.org) — the only permanent foreign patronato office on Ukrainian soil — plus dozens of offices across Italy.

More than 5,000 Ukrainian pension cases have gone through them. Go to them — they know every detail of the process, help you gather documents correctly, and prevent costly mistakes.

The “Damo Radu” agency in Lviv is another free-help option specifically for Ukrainian return migrants.

As documented in cedem.org.ua’s report on ACLI’s work:

Around 5,000 INPS pension cases for Ukrainians are handled through ACLI. Many people didn’t know about their entitlement for years — losing money that was already theirs.

FAQ¶

Is traduzione giurata required for a work record book submitted to INPS?¶

Yes. If the Ukrainian work record book (trudova knizhka) is part of your INPS document package, a traduzione giurata (sworn translation) is mandatory. It’s the required format for all foreign-language documents submitted to Italian government bodies. A standard translation without a court oath is not accepted.

Can you receive INPS pension while living in Ukraine?¶

Yes. The “repatriated worker” pension is specifically designed for people who’ve returned from Italy. Payments are sent to a bank account — you can use a Ukrainian IBAN. You’ll need to submit form RED Est annually (confirming your status and income) — this can be done through Patronato or online.

What if I only worked officially for a few months? Is it worth filing?¶

If your first official job in Italy was after January 1, 1996 — yes, even a few months give you pension rights from age 67. The amount will be small, but it’s paid for life, plus retroactive back-payments may apply. Patronato ACLI can calculate your exact entitlement for free.

Why does INPS reject the old booklet-style passport?¶

It’s a technical INPS verification requirement — the old passport format doesn’t match their identity verification system. You need either the new biometric ID card or an international passport. If you only have the old one, get a new document first, either in Ukraine or through the Italian consulate.

How long does an INPS pension claim take?¶

About 2-3 months from receipt of the complete document package to first payment. If documents are incomplete or there are questions, it can take longer. If you passed pension age earlier without filing, payments are calculated retroactively from when the entitlement arose.

Can you receive both INPS and Ukrainian pension at the same time?¶

Yes. Since there’s no bilateral social security agreement between Ukraine and Italy, the pensions don’t coordinate and don’t reduce each other. You can receive both the Ukrainian and Italian pension in full — completely independently.