Work & residence abroad

• I am not yet retired
  • I live in Belgium, and I have worked abroad
  • I live abroad, and I have worked in Belgium
  • Particular cases: frontier and seasonal workers and expats
    • Frontier and seasonal workers
    • Expat
      
      
• I am retired
  • Am I entitled to my Belgian pension if I live abroad?
  • How will my pension be paid if I live abroad?
  • Pay dates abroad
  • My obligation when I live abroad: returning my life certificate
    • What should I do with my life certificate?
    • How can I be sure that my life certificate is valid?
    • Who can validate my life certificate?
  • I will move abroad, what should I do?
  • I live abroad, and my address abroad changes
  • I am temporarily living abroad
  • Deductions from the pension when I live abroad

I am not yet retired

I live in Belgium, and I have worked abroad

Did you work in 1 of the following countries?

• A country of the European Economic Area;
• The United Kingdom;
• Switzerland;
• A country with which Belgium has concluded a bilateral agreement on social security.

In this case, your foreign employment may influence:

1. Your pension date: we take the number of valid years during which you worked abroad into account at the time of your pension application. In this manner, we can determine the date on which you can retire in Belgium. More information on the calculation of the pensionable age.
2. Your pension amount:
• You receive a foreign pension on the basis of your career abroad.
• Your career abroad may positively influence your Belgian pension amount.

Therefore, inform us of your employment abroad when you apply for your Belgian pension:

• Through mypension.beOpens in a new window;
• Through the Pension phone line:
• 1765 from Belgium,
• +32 78 15 1765 from abroad (charges may apply);
• Through your municipality.

You already receive your Belgian pension, but not your foreign pension? In this case, you can file your foreign pension application in the same 4 ways.

Subsequently,

1. The Pensions Service will forward your pension application to the foreign pension institution;
2. The foreign pension institution will calculate your foreign pension on the basis of the legislation of their country.

Please note: if the European regulations or the bilateral agreements on social security are not of application, you should file your application with the foreign institution yourself.

Special rules exist for the accumulation of a foreign pension with:

• A Belgian retirement pension;
• A Belgian survivor's pension.
  
  

I live abroad, and I have worked in Belgium

Where you can apply for your pension depends on where you live and where you work or have worked.

• Do you live in the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, or Australia? Apply for your pension in the country you live in, even if you have never worked there.
  
  
• Do you live in a country of the European Economic Area (EEA) or in Switzerland?
  • If you have built up pension entitlements in the country you are living in, please file your Belgian pension application with the pension institution of said country. The foreign pension institution will forward us your application if you state that you have worked in Belgium.
  • Did you not build up pension entitlements in the country you are living in, but in other countries of the EEA, or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom? Please file your application for your Belgian pension in the last country of the EEA in which you built up pension entitlements (or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom if either was the last country in which you built up pension entitlements). Clearly state in the application that you are not entitled to a pension in the country you are living in. The foreign pension institution will forward us your application if you state that you have worked in Belgium.
    
    
• Do you live in a country with which Belgium has concluded a bilateral agreement? Please file your application for your Belgian pension with the pension institution of the country you live in. This institution will forward us your application if you state that you have worked in Belgium.
  
  
• Do you live in a country that has not concluded a bilateral agreement with Belgium, but did you pay contributions in a country of the EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom? Please file your application for your Belgian pension in the last country of the EEA in which you have paid social contributions (or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom if either was the last country in which you built up pension entitlements). The foreign pension institution will forward us your application if you state that you have worked in Belgium.

Does the foreign institution refuse your application? Let the Pensions Service know and state:

• your foreign affiliation number
  and
• the name of the foreign pension institution that refused your application.

In all other cases, you have to apply for your Belgian pension by means of a signed letter addressed to the Federal Pensions Service, stating your full official name, address, and Social Security Number (if known):

• Through the contact form on mypension.beOpens in a new window;
• By post to:
  Federal Pensions Service
  Tour du Midi
  International agreements office
  Europaesplanade 1
  1060 Brussels
  BELGIUM

Please note, you cannot receive your Belgian pension anywhere in the world if you are not a Belgian national.

Special rules exist for the accumulation of a foreign pension with:

• a Belgian retirement pension;
• a Belgian survivor's pension.
  
  

Particular cases: frontier and seasonal workers and expats

Frontier and seasonal workers

You are considered to be a frontier worker if you:

1. Work in France, Luxembourg, Germany, or the Netherlands;
   and
2. Maintain your main place of residence in Belgium and return to your main place of residence after work every day.

You are considered to be a seasonal worker working abroad if you:

1. Perform seasonal labor abroad for a foreign employer during a period of less than one year;
   and
2. Maintain your main place of residence in Belgium and your family remains in Belgium.

As a frontier or seasonal worker, you are subject to the pension legislation of the country in which you have worked. For the periods during which you worked as a frontier or seasonal worker, you may be entitled to a foreign pension.

Supplement for frontier or seasonal workers

You can claim a supplement if you have worked as a frontier or seasonal worker:

1. Could you retire early before 2016? In this case, we will automatically check whether you are entitled to a supplement.
2. Could you only retire early in 2016 or later and did you work as a frontier or seasonal worker before 2015? In this case, we will check whether you are entitled to a supplement on the date of implementation of your statutory foreign pension. Your frontier or seasonal work from 2015 will also count towards this calculation.
3. Could you only retire early in 2016 or later and did you not work as a frontier or seasonal worker before 2015? In this case, you are not entitled to a supplement.

We only calculate the supplement once the foreign pension has been established. You should file an application for your foreign pension with the Pensions Service if your Belgian pension can take effect more than 12 months before your foreign pension.

You are the surviving spouse of a frontier or seasonal worker? In this case, you have the same rights.

Expat

You are considered to be an expat if you:

1. Have the Belgian nationality;
2. Work outside the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland.

In this case, you are registered with the Belgian embassy of the country in which you work and affiliated with the insurance of the Overseas Social SecurityOpens in a new window for the reimbursement of your health care and for your social contributions.

In order to determine your pension rights and which steps you should take, you should first describe your situation:

• You have a career as an expat and you have never paid pension contributions to any other institution than the Overseas Social Security (former OSSO)?
  • In this case, you should file your pension application with the Overseas Social Security (National Social Security Office - NSSOOpens in a new window).
    
    
• You have a career as an employee, civil servant, or self-employed worker in Belgium but worked abroad as an expat during certain periods? If you paid contributions to the Overseas Social Security during these periods, these foreign periods will count towards a possible early retirement. These periods may also influence the calculation of your pension as an employee.
  Inform the Pensions Service through:
  • Your file manager when your career is being investigated; or
  • mypension.beOpens in a new window, in your career overview.
    
    

I am retired

Am I entitled to my Belgian pension if I live abroad?

You receive a Belgian civil service pension? In this case, this pension can be paid anywhere in the world, regardless of your nationality.

You receive a Belgian pension for employees or the self-employed? In this case, you can receive your pension in most countries. Discover your situation in the table below.

If you want to know your social rights when:

• Leaving Belgium, go to leavingbelgium.beOpens in a new window;
• Moving to Belgium, go to coming2belgium.beOpens in a new window.
  
  

How will my pension be paid if I live abroad?

You are a Belgian, subject of a country of the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom, Switzerland, a displaced person, or UN refugee?
In this case, your pension can be paid:

• By transfer:
• Into an account that has been opened in Belgium;
• Into an account that has been opened in another country of the EEA;
• Into an account that has been opened in your country of residence;
• By means of an international evidence of payment at your address.
  
  

You are neither a Belgian nor a subject of a member State of the EEA?
In that case, your pension can be paid:

• By bank transfer in your country of residence;
• By means of an international evidence of payment at your address.
  
  

How can I communicate or change my bank account number?

If you want to receive your pension by bank transfer into your foreign bank account, we will send you a form that you should have filled out by your bank institution of the country where you opened the account.

You can communicate or change your bank account number:

• Through the Pension phone line:
• 1765 from Belgium 
• +32 78 15 1765 from abroad (charges may apply);
• By email: overschrijvingen@sfpd.fgov.be;
• By fax: +32 02 529 23 15;
• By letter:
  Federal Pensions Service
  Tour du Midi
  Europaesplanade 1
  1060 Brussels
  BELGIUM.

Please note: if you change your bank account number, please wait until you have received the first payment in your new account before you close the old account. In this way, you avoid any interruptions in the payment of your pension.

Pay dates abroad

The date on which you are paid depends on the country where you are paid and on your payment method:

• If you are paid in a Belgian bank account, the same pay dates are of application to you as to pensioners who live in Belgium.
• Transfer into a non-Belgian account: the calendar below shows the date on which the money leaves our account. The processing time differs from bank to bank and from country to country.
• By means of an international evidence of payment: the calendar below shows the date on which the payment leaves on our side. Because we collaborate with external partners, we cannot give the exact date on which you will receive the money.
  
  

 

My obligation when I live abroad: returning my life certificate

When living abroad, you have to report all changes in your family circumstances or tax situation.

If you live in a country with which we have not yet concluded an agreement concerning the electronic exchange of details, we will regularly send you a life certificate. In order to avoid interruptions in the payment of your pension, you should fill out the certificate and return it within 30 days.

What should I do with my life certificate?

Upon receipt, you have 30 days to fill out and return the life certificate to us.

1. On the front: your personal undertaking to:
   • Inform us of any changes in your situation; and
   • Pay us back if you do not observe the obligations or make incorrect or incomplete declarations.
2. On the back: you should have the competent foreign authorities fill out and sign (authenticate) this section.

If we do not receive your answer within 30 days, we will suspend all your payments.

You have lost the form? Download a new life certificate.

How can I be sure that my life certificate is valid?

In order to be valid, your life certificate should meet the 3 following conditions:

1. It has to be signed by you. If you receive a pension as an employee at the household rate, your spouse should sign too.
2. It should mention your personal details on the back.
3. It has to be authenticated by means of the stamp of a competent local authority.

If the life certificate you return to us does not meet these three conditions, we will:

1. Refuse the life certificate; and
2. Suspend the payment of your pension.

If you are incapable of signing the life certificate, we accept the following solutions:

• A stamp of the local authority;
• The signature of the administrator who has been registered in our database;
• The signature of the administrator if a proof of appointment has been added to the certificate;
• A medical certificate testifying that the pensioner is no longer capable of signing the document himself;
• A copy of the identity card carrying the mention 'exempt from signature';
• The pensioner's thumbprint;
• A cross signed by an illiterate person.
  
  

Who can validate my life certificate?

In order to be valid, your life certificate should be signed and authorized by a competent local authority (stamp). The list below shows the authorities who can validate your life certificate:

• The city or municipality where you live;
• Your embassy (in the entire world)Opens in a new window;
• Your consulate (in the entire world)Opens in a new window;
• The police (in the entire world);
• The justice of the peace;
• The commissioner of oaths (in the entire world);
• Centrelink in Canada;
• Notary Public in the USA;
• Town/Borough Council in the United Kingdom;
• The Alcalde in Spain;
• Ayuntamiento in Spain;
• Gemeinde Amt in Germany;
• Swedish Tax Agency in Sweden;
• Försäkringskassan in the Scandinavian countries;
• Sociale verzekeringsbank in the Netherlands;
• Canada service centre in Canada;
• Job centers in the United Kingdom;
• Solicitors in Canada and the United Kingdom.

The following authorities may not validate your life certificate:

• Bank;
• Post office;
• Doctor;
• Lawyer (except for a 'solicitor' in Canada and the United Kingdom);
• Pharmacist;
• ...
  
  

I will move abroad, what should I do?

If you move abroad, you need to take steps to ensure that you can keep receiving your pension abroad without any interruptions. You should notify us of your move 2 months before your departure. To this end, you should send us a signed letter. In this letter, you state:

• The date of your departure;
• Your new address;
• Whether you choose to take on a diplomatic address (at a Belgian embassy or consulateOpens in a new window);
• Whether you choose another payment method.

Send the letter to:

Federal Pensions Service
Tour du Midi
Europaesplanade 1
1060 Brussels
Belgium

For security reasons, you may not inform the Pensions Service of your move by phone or email. You may, however, after having signed the letter:

1. Scan said letter;
2. Send it as an attachment to the contact form.
   
   

I live abroad, and my address abroad changes

If your address abroad changes, you should notify us by means of a signed letter.

Send the letter to:

Federal Pensions Service
Tour du Midi
Europaesplanade 1
1060 Brussels
Belgium

For security reasons, you may not inform the Pensions Service of your move by phone or email. You may, however, after having signed the letter:

1. scan said letter;
   and
2. send it as an attachment to the contact form.
   
   

I am temporarily living abroad

If you receive your payment by bank transfer and stay at another address abroad for longer than one month, you should inform the Pensions Service at least one month before your departure.

Your payment will not be interrupted because we will continue to pay your pension into your bank account. We kindly request you to inform us of your temporary place of residence so that we can send your correspondence to this temporary address.

How?

1. Send us a signed letter, at least 1 month before your departure, stating the following:
   • Your departure date and the date on which you will return to Belgium; and
   • The address of your temporary place of residence.
2. Send this letter:
   • By post to:
     Federal Pensions Service
     Tour du Midi
     Europaesplanade 1 
     1060 Brussels
     BELGIUM
   • By scanning your signed letter and attaching it to the contact form.
   • Through the contact form at mypension.beOpens in a new window

For security reasons, you may not inform the Pensions Service of your temporary address by phone or email.

Deductions from the pension when I live abroad

When you live abroad, your social and fiscal deductions may change.

SDI contribution (Sickness and disability insurance contribution)

If your pension (and other allowances) exceeds a certain limit, we deduct an SDI contribution (Sickness and disability insurance contribution) of 3.55% from it. You can only be exempted from the SDI contribution if you live in an EEA country (other than Belgium), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland and you are subject to the health care insurance in this country of residence, on the basis of:

• A pension;
  or
• An employment;
  or
• An activity as a self-employed worker.

Is this the case? Provide us with evidence (copy insurance contract of the country you are living in and/or a copy of the decision of the amount of your foreign pension) by:

• Mail to:
  Federal Pensions Service
  Tour du Midi
  Europaesplanade 1
  1060 Brussels
  BELGIUM
• Email: socfis@sfpd.fgov.be
  
  

Solidarity contribution

You are exempt from the solidarity contribution if you live in an EEA country (other than Belgium), the United Kingdom, or Switzerland. As soon as we are informed of your new foreign address, we will automatically apply the exemption from the following month onwards.

Withholding tax

When you live abroad, you may be exempted from the withholding tax in certain countries. Belgium has concluded a double taxation convention with several countries. This convention lays down the rules regarding which country is allowed to tax the several types of revenue. In this way, you avoid double taxation.

Find out more on the website of the Federal Public Service Finance.Opens in a new window

If you live in a country where an exemption is possible and:

• You receive a pension as an employee and/or self-employed worker: we, in principle, apply this exemption automatically as soon as we have received your new address abroad.
• You receive a civil service pension: in this case, the exemption from the withholding tax is only possible if you meet a number of specific conditions. We, therefore, do not apply this exemption automatically!

Send your request to be exempted to the Federal Public Service Finance:

• Email: belintax@minfin.fed.be
• Post:
  Federal Public Service FINANCE
  Belintax
  North Galaxy - Tower A - 15th floor
  Koning Albert II laan 33 - box 26
  1030 Brussels
  BELGIUM
• Fax: +32 (0)2 579 5261
• Tel: +32 (0)2 576 3470

The Federal Public Service Finance (International agreements service) will investigate whether you can be exempted from the withholding tax and will inform us of their decision:

1. If you are entitled to an exemption, we will discontinue the deduction of the withholding tax on your pension, which may be done with retroactive effect.
2. If you are not entitled to an exemption, we will continue to deduct the withholding tax from your pension. Consequently, your civil service pension remains taxable in Belgium.

Deduction funeral expenses

Your funeral allowance does not alter when you move abroad.