How to Count Ukrainian Work Experience Toward an EU Pension: Bilateral Agreements, Documents, and Translation

You worked 20 years in Ukraine, then moved to Poland and have been working there officially for 7 years. You’re 58 and want to know: do these two chunks of work history add up? Do you have to pick one pension over the other? And is there any point gathering documents now?

The answer depends on the specific EU country. For nine EU countries - yes, your work records combine and you can receive pensions from both countries simultaneously. For most others - no, each country counts its own years independently.

Which EU Countries Have Agreements with Ukraine for Counting Work Experience¶

As of 2026, Ukraine has signed bilateral social security agreements with nine EU member states. All of them operate on the proportional principle: each country calculates and pays a pension only for the insurance period accumulated on its own territory - but when checking eligibility, work periods from both countries are totalled together.

The full list of all international agreements, including texts and request forms, is available on the official website of the Pension Fund of Ukraine.

In addition to pension agreements, several of these countries also have mutual legal assistance treaties with Ukraine - these exempt documents from legalization and apostille requirements. That applies to Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia. For Spain and Portugal, only the pension agreement exists, without the apostille exemption.

How the Proportional Principle Works¶

This is the most important concept - and the one that confuses most people.

Totalling for eligibility check. If you don’t have enough work experience in either country alone to qualify for a pension, the periods are added together. But only to check whether you have a right to a payment at all.

Proportional payment. Each country pays only for the period accumulated on its own territory. Not for the total combined history - just its own share.

A concrete example. Vasyl worked 14 years in Ukraine and 9 years in Poland. He is now 60.

In Ukraine, the minimum insurance period for a pension in 2025 is 32 years (this figure increases by 1 year each year: 33 in 2026, 35 in 2028). 14 Ukrainian years - not enough.

In Poland, men need at least 25 years of contributions to retire at 65. 9 Polish years - also not enough.

But under the bilateral agreement: - For checking the right to a Ukrainian pension: 14 + 9 = 23 years. Less than 32 - no entitlement yet. - For checking the right to a Polish pension (at age 65 for men): 9 + 14 = 23 years. Still less than 25 - no entitlement at 65 either.

Now change the numbers: 25 Ukrainian years + 9 Polish = 34 combined. Ukraine can now pay for 25 years, Poland for 9. Both simultaneously.

As the Pension Fund of Ukraine states:

The totalling of insurance periods acquired under the laws of both countries is applied in cases where the insurance period acquired under the laws of one country alone is insufficient to establish entitlement to a pension.

The key: totalling only kicks in when one country’s records alone aren’t enough. If you already have enough years in each country separately, each simply calculates and pays its own share without any combining.

Where Ukrainian Work Experience Doesn’t Count: Germany, Austria, and Most of the EU¶

This is the most common misunderstanding among Ukrainians who moved to Germany.

Germany. A bilateral social security agreement between Ukraine and Germany was signed in 2018 and ratified by the Bundestag in 2020. But the Ukrainian side has still not ratified it through the Verkhovna Rada. So officially the agreement is not in force.

The Deutsche Rentenversicherung website states directly:

Наразі між Німеччиною та Україною немає домовленостей щодо застосування закону про соціальне забезпечення. (Currently there are no agreements between Germany and Ukraine regarding the application of social security law.)

In practice this means: years worked in Ukraine do not count toward the German pension. To receive any payment from Deutsche Rentenversicherung, you need to have worked in Germany for at least 5 years and paid contributions there. Even 25 years of Ukrainian work history won’t help you reach those 5 minimum years.

Austria - same situation: no bilateral agreement with Ukraine. Each country counts its own years independently.

France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Sweden - no stazh-counting agreements with Ukraine either.

There is one important nuance though: the absence of an agreement doesn’t mean you lose your right to a Ukrainian pension. If you have enough Ukrainian work history and have reached age 60, the Pension Fund of Ukraine will assign and pay your pension regardless of where you live. The years worked in Germany or Austria simply won’t be added to your Ukrainian total.

A common story among Ukrainians in Germany: “I worked 22 years in Kharkiv, and now 4 years officially in Munich. Turns out those four years add nothing to my 22, and to get anything from Rentenversicherung I need one more year here. Meanwhile my Ukrainian pension is almost ready.”

The Pension Age Gap: Plan for It¶

Pension ages across EU countries vary significantly - which affects when you’ll actually start receiving each payment.

What this means in practice: if you turn 60 and have enough Ukrainian stazh, you can start your Ukrainian pension right away. But the Polish or Czech portion only becomes accessible once you reach the retirement age in that country. There may be a gap of 3 to 7 years between the two payments.

If you’re 55 and working in the Czech Republic now - plan accordingly: Ukrainian pension from 60, Czech pension from 63-64.

Documents: What to Collect¶

What pension authorities exchange between themselves¶

When you file a claim with the Ukrainian Pension Fund or an EU country’s pension authority, they send requests to each other directly. This inter-governmental correspondence requires neither translation nor legalization - that’s built into the bilateral agreements.

Each agreement has standard forms: for example, UA/PL-1 is the exchange form between Poland’s ZUS (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych) and the Ukrainian Pension Fund. Similar forms exist for each of the nine countries.

You don’t need to go to Warsaw, collect papers from ZUS, and bring them to Kyiv. The Pension Fund of Ukraine handles the request itself.

What you submit personally (if you live in Ukraine and want to count stazh from an EU country)¶

• application for pension assignment
• passport and RNOKPP (Ukrainian tax identification number)
• employment record book (trudova knyzhka) or work history certificates from Ukraine
• your social insurance number in the EU country: PESEL (Poland), NISS (Portugal), rodné číslo (Czech Republic), isikukood (Estonia), asmens kodas (Lithuania)
• exact name and address of your employer(s) abroad

The Pension Fund requests the foreign records itself - you generally don’t need to collect Polish or Czech certificates on your own.

If you live in an EU country and want to count Ukrainian stazh¶

Go to the local pension authority (ZUS in Poland, ČSSZ in Czech Republic, etc.). File your application there and they’ll send a request to the Ukrainian Pension Fund.

Important: work history before 1 July 2000 in Ukraine is not in the Pension Fund’s electronic database. It can only be confirmed by a trudova knyzhka (employment record book) or archive certificates. If you have a record book with pre-2000 entries, keep it safe and consider getting notarially certified copies.

If there’s no agreement with Ukraine¶

If the EU country where you worked has no agreement with Ukraine (Germany, Austria, etc.), the pension authorities have no automatic exchange channel. If you need a document from Rentenversicherung for some other purpose, you’ll have to: 1. Request the statement yourself (Rentenauskunft in Germany) 2. Get an apostille on it in the country of issue 3. Translate it into Ukrainian 4. Have the translation notarially certified

Keep in mind: this document still won’t add anything to your Ukrainian pension stazh - there’s no agreement to make that possible.

What Needs Translation and How¶

Here’s the practical reference table:

Key point: for Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia - you do not need an apostille on Ukrainian documents. These countries have mutual legal assistance treaties with Ukraine that exempt documents from additional legalization. But translation into the local language may still be required for personal submission.

What kind of translation is accepted¶

Not Google Translate, and not a plain text translation. Pension authorities accept:

In Ukraine: notarially certified translation. A translator translates the document, a notary certifies the translator’s signature. Approximate cost: 400-700 UAH per page (translation + notarial certification), depending on city and office.

In Poland: translation by a tłumacz przysięgły (sworn translator). From 30-60 PLN per page.

In Czech Republic: translation by a soudní tlumočník. From 400-800 CZK per page.

In Germany: translation by a vereidigter Übersetzer (sworn translator). From 40-80 EUR per page.

The employment record book is a tricky document. It often spans several decades, written in Cyrillic, with entries from multiple employers, various stamps, and Soviet-era job title formulations. A good translator knows how to handle “senior process engineer,” “planning and economics department,” or “production preparation shop” - it’s not straightforward.

If you need a certified translation of your employment record book or other documents for a pension authority abroad, this is standard work that takes 1-3 days.

Step-by-Step Process¶

If you have stazh in Ukraine and in one of the nine agreement countries in the EU, here’s what to do:

Step 1. Confirm your EU country has a bilateral agreement with Ukraine (see table above).

Step 2. Calculate your total combined stazh. Check how many years you still need to hit the minimum in each country.

Step 3. Start the process 6-12 months before you want to retire. Go to the Pension Fund of Ukraine office at your place of registration (if in Ukraine) or contact the Ukrainian consulate abroad. Also contact the EU country’s pension authority at the same time.

Step 4. Submit your application and documents. The Pension Fund and the foreign authority will exchange requests themselves - expect to wait 3 to 6 months.

Step 5. Receive pension assignments from both authorities. Payments come independently - you can direct them to one account or different ones.

Important: if you already receive a Ukrainian pension and live abroad, you must confirm you’re still alive annually before December 31 (a certificate of life/residence). This is done at the Ukrainian consulate or with a local notary. Without this, the Pension Fund may suspend payments.

FAQ¶

If I have work history in Germany, does it count anywhere?¶

Toward the German pension - only official work in Germany counts, minimum 5 complete years. Ukrainian years don’t add to that. Toward the Ukrainian pension - work history in Germany also doesn’t count, because there’s no agreement. If you worked 24 years in Ukraine and 4 in Germany, you’re entitled to a Ukrainian pension (if age and stazh qualify), but Germany pays nothing - no minimum 5 years reached.

Do I need an apostille on my employment record book to submit to Polish ZUS?¶

No. The Ukraine-Poland mutual legal assistance treaty exempts documents from apostille and consular legalization. But translation into Polish by a sworn translator (tłumacz przysięgły) is still required.

How long does it take to process a pension through a bilateral agreement?¶

Realistically 4 to 9 months, accounting for inter-governmental document exchange. Start the process well in advance - not in the month you turn retirement age.

How do I confirm work history before 2000 in Ukraine?¶

Periods before 1 July 2000 are not in the Pension Fund’s electronic database - they can only be confirmed by the employment record book or archive certificates. If the book is lost, you need to approach the archive of the former employer or the regional state archive. This is a long process, so if you have the book, keep it somewhere safe.

Can I receive pensions from both countries at the same time?¶

Yes. Bilateral agreements explicitly provide that each country pays its share independently. There are no restrictions on receiving payments from both countries simultaneously. The amounts are calculated separately and arrive independently.

What if I have work history in three countries - Ukraine, Poland, and Czech Republic?¶

Each of these three countries has a separate bilateral agreement with Ukraine. For determining pension entitlement in each country, the stazh from all three is totalled. Each country then pays only for its own portion. You could potentially receive three separate pension payments.

Where can I find current information and request forms?¶

Pension Fund of Ukraine - the “International Agreements” section has treaty texts and forms. For Poland - ZUS, Czech Republic - ČSSZ, Lithuania - SODRA, Estonia - Sotsiaalkindlustusamet, Bulgaria - NSSI, Portugal - Segurança Social, Spain - Seguridad Social, Slovakia - Sociálna poisťovňa.