Do I need to speak the language to apply for a pension abroad?

Not always, but websites, forms and documents follow each country's own rules on language. Sweden publishes its application page in English: The English application page, updated 17 July 2026, puts it plainly: you apply on the Agency's website with an e-ID approved in Sweden (Source: pensionsmyndigheten.se and minpension.se, read 4 October 2026). Vietnam does not: There is no English version of the authority's site (Source: baohiemxahoi.gov.vn, read 4 October 2026). Where documents go in, some countries ask for a translation, a notarisation or an apostille, as the rows below show.

Which countries ask for a translation?

• New Zealand. Documents not in English need an approved translator (Source: ird.govt.nz, workandincome.govt.nz, read 4 October 2026).
• Vietnam. Decree 143/2018/ND-CP sets the window for a foreign employee's one-off social insurance payment at ten days counted to the end of the labour contract or the expiry of the work permit, and the dossier must already be translated into Vietnamese and certified under Vietnamese law (Source: baohiemxahoi.gov.vn, read 4 October 2026).

Which ask for notarisation, attestation or an apostille?

• South Korea. Application is in person by default, and documents signed abroad need notarisation plus Korean consular attestation (Source: nps.or.kr, read 4 October 2026).
• Brazil. INSS states the documents are valid for 90 days from signature, notarisation or apostille, that the apostille must follow the notarisation within 30 days, that it cannot be sent by email, and that failing to send it blocks payment and suspends the benefit (Source: planalto.gov.br and gov.br/inss, read 4 October 2026).
• Singapore. CPF Board states that a member outside Singapore who does not have Singpass must have their documents witnessed and certified true either by an official from a Singapore Overseas Mission, with the official seal or stamp affixed, or, in Apostille Convention countries, first witnessed and certified true by a Notary Public and then certified by the country's designated Competent Authority via an apostille certificate (Source: cpf.gov.sg, read 1 September 2026).
• Switzerland. Once payment starts abroad, an annual life and civil status certificate must be officially attested and returned within 90 days or the pension can be suspended (Source: ahv-iv.ch, ch.ch, eda.admin.ch and aeis.ch, read 3 October 2026).

What do the forms themselves ask for?

• Germany. Pensioners resident outside Germany receive a written Life Certificate that must be confirmed and returned immediately (English-language DRV statement of the same annual duty) (Source: deutsche-rentenversicherung.de, read 1 September 2026).
• Denmark. Folkepension from abroad is a PDF form posted to Hillerod, and it asks for the Danish personnummer and every former Danish address (Source: borger.dk, mitid.dk, pensionsinfo.dk, retsinformation.dk, read 4 October 2026).

Can I ask about my pensions in my own language?

Our post on asking in your own language explains how our free connector answers in the language you write in. The country hubs for the examples above: Sweden, Vietnam, New Zealand, South Korea, Brazil, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark.

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 PensionHunter translate documents? No. We identify and research: our reports name the scheme, who holds the record today and how to reach them.

Is an apostille needed in every country? No. The rows above show where an institution states it, and each country's hub names the institution and its route from abroad.

Sources

• Sweden, pension portals directory entry, citing pensionsmyndigheten.se and minpension.se, read 4 October 2026.
• Vietnam, pension portals directory entry, citing baohiemxahoi.gov.vn, read 4 October 2026.
• New Zealand, pension portals directory entry, citing ird.govt.nz, workandincome.govt.nz, read 4 October 2026.
• Deadline register row de-13, citing deutsche-rentenversicherung.de, read 1 September 2026.
• South Korea, pension portals directory entry, citing nps.or.kr, read 4 October 2026.
• Brazil, pension portals directory entry, citing planalto.gov.br and gov.br/inss, read 4 October 2026.
• Deadline register row sg-4, citing cpf.gov.sg, read 1 September 2026.
• Switzerland, pension portals directory entry, citing ahv-iv.ch, ch.ch, eda.admin.ch and aeis.ch, read 3 October 2026.
• Denmark, pension portals directory entry, citing borger.dk, mitid.dk, pensionsinfo.dk, retsinformation.dk, read 4 October 2026.