Do I have to tell a foreign pension office when I move or my situation changes?

In many systems, yes, and some set the time limit in days or weeks. Austria: A pensioner abroad must report a change of residence to the Austrian Pensionsversicherung within 2 weeks and send a registration or deregistration confirmation (Source: pv.at, read 1 September 2026). Spain: A Spanish pensioner must notify the managing entity within 30 days of any change of habitual or tax address, start of work activity, change in economic situation (including receipt of other national or foreign pensions), or change in family situation (Source: seg-social.es, read 1 September 2026). The duty sits with the pensioner and is set by the country that pays, so each country you receive a pension from has its own rule.

Which countries ask for notice before a move?

Belgium. A pensioner moving abroad must notify the Federal Pensions Service by signed letter two months before departure (Source: sfpd.fgov.be, read 1 September 2026). Our post on bank accounts abroad covers the notice some institutions ask for when the account changes.

Which other changes must be reported?

• United Arab Emirates. A GPSSA pensioner or beneficiary must report marriage, divorce, a death, taking up employment, or enrolling in education to GPSSA immediately, because each of these directly affects pension entitlement (Source: gpssa.gov.ae, read 1 September 2026).
• Turkey. Start work abroad again, or take a residence based benefit, and the pension is cut from that date (Source: sgk.gov.tr, read 4 October 2026).

Which reports come every year, or more often?

• Canada. A non-resident receiving Old Age Security must file the Old Age Security Return of Income with the CRA by 30 April each year or the OAS pension is suspended in July (Source: canada.ca, read 1 September 2026).
• Turkey. The Yoklama Belgesi (attestation form) must be submitted to SGK within 3 months after completing each six month period living abroad, or the pension is suspended (Source: sgk.gov.tr, read 1 September 2026).
• Philippines. Failure to comply with ACOP on the right schedule will result in the suspension of the monthly pension (Source: sss.gov.ph, read 1 September 2026).

Many systems also ask for a yearly proof that the pensioner is alive, which our post on life certificates sets out.

What can I check today?

Our post on moving to another country covers what a move can do to a pension. The country hubs for the examples above: Austria, Spain, Belgium, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Canada and Philippines.

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

Is reporting a change the same as a life certificate? No. A life certificate proves that the pensioner is alive; the rows above concern changes of address, work, family or income.

Does PensionHunter report changes for me? No. We identify and research, and set out each rule with its source and read date.

Sources

• Deadline register row at-10, citing pv.at, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row be-9, citing sfpd.fgov.be, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row es-15, citing seg-social.es, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row ca-16, citing canada.ca, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row tr-6, citing sgk.gov.tr, read 1 September 2026.
• Deadline register row ae-10, citing gpssa.gov.ae, read 1 September 2026.
• Turkey, pension portals directory entry, citing sgk.gov.tr, read 4 October 2026.
• Deadline register row ph-4, citing sss.gov.ph, read 1 September 2026.