Do I lose my pension if I move to another country?

It depends on the country and on the benefit. Some systems keep paying wherever you live, some stop or limit payment after time abroad, and some move money out of a fund once you have left. Latvia shows the first kind: The right to the Latvian old-age pension is held by persons living in Latvia, in an EU member state or in a country with which Latvia has a social security agreement; since 17 June 2023 persons living in third countries also have the right (Source: vsaa.gov.lv, read 1 September 2026). Canada shows the second: OAS can be received while living abroad only if you lived in Canada at least 20 years after turning 18, or lived and worked in a social security agreement country with combined time of at least 20 years (Source: canada.ca, read 1 September 2026). The rules are set country by country, so the answer has to be read the same way, which is what our country hubs and our Cross-Border Pension Deadline Register do.

Which payments depend on where I live?

• United States. If you are not a US citizen there is a second clock: SSA generally cannot pay Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance benefits after your sixth calendar month outside the United States unless you fall within one of its specific exceptions, several of which turn on your exact nationality and country of residence (Source: ssa.gov Handbook 1513, ssa.gov international payments, and SSA POMS, read 3 October 2026).
• Norway. Separately, the guarantee pension is payable outside Norway only on at least 20 years of insurance time (Source: nav.no, regjeringen.no and stortinget.no, read 4 October 2026).
• South Africa. The older persons grant is means tested and requires you to live in South Africa, and it lapses when you are absent from the country (Source: fsca.co.za, gepf.co.za, gov.za, read 4 October 2026).
• Chile. Universal Guaranteed Pension ends after more than 180 days abroad in a calendar year (Source: previsionsocial.gob.cl, read 1 September 2026).

Does money in a fund stay where I left it?

Not always. Australia. Six months after the later of your departure and your visa ceasing to be in effect, the fund hands the balance to the Australian Taxation Office, and the fund that holds your records stops being the counterparty (Source: ato.gov.au, read 3 October 2026).

Do I have to tell anyone that I moved?

Some systems require it. Norway. A move from Norway to another country must be reported to Nav (Source: nav.no, read 1 September 2026).

Many systems also ask pensioners abroad for a yearly proof that they are alive. Our register holds 49 rows on it, across 29 countries, and our post on life certificates sets them out.

What can I check today?

Our deadline register holds 495 dated rules, each with its official source. The country hubs for the examples above: Latvia, Canada, United States, Norway, South Africa, Chile and Australia.

Our free pension checker and our free map start from your own work history. Our pension questions pages answer single country questions, our authority answers publish what national pension institutions told us in writing, and our monthly data release publishes our agreement routes and deadline rows as CSV, each with its source and read date.

Frequently asked questions

Does moving abroad stop a state pension in every country? No. The rules differ by country and by benefit, as the examples above show, and each of our country hubs sets them out with sources.

Can I find out which rules apply to my own years? Our free check reads your work history and says which countries are likely to hold something. Our reports name the scheme, who holds the record today and how to reach them. We identify and research; we do not give advice.

Sources

• Deadline register row lv-4, citing vsaa.gov.lv, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row ca-15, citing canada.ca, read 1 September 2026.
• United States, pension portals directory entry, citing ssa.gov Handbook 1513, ssa.gov international payments, and SSA POMS, read 3 October 2026.
• Norway, pension portals directory entry, citing nav.no, regjeringen.no and stortinget.no, read 4 October 2026.
• South Africa, pension portals directory entry, citing fsca.co.za, gepf.co.za, gov.za, read 4 October 2026.
• Deadline register row cl-1, citing previsionsocial.gob.cl, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row no-14, citing nav.no, read 1 September 2026.
• Australia, pension portals directory entry, citing ato.gov.au, read 3 October 2026.
• Our Cross-Border Pension Deadline Register, each row with its official source.