Norway pension questions

English

• Can I get my Norwegian pension if I live abroad?

  Born 1963 or later, earned inntektspensjon is paid abroad regardless, but garantipensjon is kept only with at least 20 years' residence between 16 and 67. Separately, the guarantee pension is payable outside Norway only on at least 20 years of insurance time.

  • Source: nav.no, read 1 September 2026
  • Source: nav.no, regjeringen.no and stortinget.no, read 4 October 2026

• How long do you have to work in Norway to get a pension?

  Five years of insurance time opens the right, and NAV states that years lived or worked in an EEA country, or in a country Norway has an agreement with, are added to your Norwegian years to reach it. So a few Norwegian years produce a real lifelong payment rather than nothing.

  • Source: nav.no and regjeringen.no, read 4 October 2026

• How do I apply for my Norwegian pension from abroad?

  NAV states you must apply four months before the date you want payment to start, and that old-age pension from NAV is paid at the earliest from the month after it receives your application. Its page for people living outside Norway states plainly that you cannot apply backwards in time.

  • Source: nav.no and skatteetaten.no, read 4 October 2026

• Do Norwegian pensioners abroad need a life certificate?

  A person who lives abroad and receives a pension from Nav must return the life certificate Nav posts to them within 2 months of the date on Nav's letter, signed by them and attested either by two adult witnesses or by a public authority where they live, and sent by ordinary letter post (Nav states there is no digital solution and it cannot accept registered post, courier or email). Forms go out at the start of April; the general deadline is 2 months from the date NAV sends the letter.

  • Source: nav.no, read 1 September 2026