Payment of pension to countries other than Finland

Earnings-related pension – both personal pension and survivors’ pension – that has accrued in Finland can be paid to a pensioner living in any foreign country. The nationality of the pensioner has no bearing on the payment of the pension.

Pension payment to a foreign bank account

If you wish, your pension can be paid to your foreign bank account. For that, we require your international IBAN account number and your bank’s BIC or SWIFT code, which your bank can provide you with.

If the pension is paid to a foreign account, we will pay the pension in the currency of the destination country. If you want the pension to be paid in euros, you can inform us of it in the online service on the Messages and documents page or via secure e-mail.

Reporting a new account number

You can change your account number yourself in our online service (you need Finnish banking codes or a mobile certificate to log in) or send the information to us by post.

You can print out and post the notification of a changed bank account form or send it to Varma by the “turvaposti” email encryption service. Notify us of your account number in IBAN format and the SWIFT/BIC code, and sign the notification of a changed bank account. Your bank account details cannot be given over the phone or via email, because the notification of a changed bank account must contain the pensioner’s signature.


Notification of a changed bank account form

Your bank may collect fees for transferring the pension

Varma pays pensions abroad always through a Finnish bank. The bank transfers the pension abroad usually in the currency of the receiving country. If the pension is paid to a country outside the EU and EEA, the Finnish bank will charge a commission on the pension. The foreign receiving bank may charge fees even if the pension is being paid to an EU or EEA country. Contact your foreign bank directly for information about the amount of the fees charged.

Notification of moving abroad

If you are spending your retirement days abroad, be sure to inform Varma of your foreign address in our online service (you need Finnish banking codes or a mobile certificate to log in), by email or by letter. If you are moving abroad permanently and you have filed a notification of a change of address with the Finnish authorities, be sure to also inform Varma of the date on which you are moving. The move could affect the taxation of your pension.


Be sure to inform Varma if you are moving abroad and if your address changes while you are living abroad. It is important that we always have your current address so that we can send you a residence report to be completed every year.


If you move back to Finland permanently, you must once again inform Varma of your new address.

Residence report once a year

If you are living abroad permanently, you must annually confirm to us your information using the residence report, so that we can continue your pension payments. We will send you a residence report only if we do not receive your information from authorities.


If you receive a residence report to be filled in in December, send it back to us by the due date, even if your circumstances have not changed. You can send the residence report by post or via secured email. Alternatively, you can change your address in our online service if you have Finnish online banking codes or a mobile certificate. This will speed up the processing of your residence report.

Pension payments will be interrupted if we do not receive a filled in residence report

We use the form to verify the information of our pension recipients living abroad in order to avoid making undue pension payments. According to the Employees Pensions Act (TyEL section 113, paragraph 2): If the pension provider has reason to suspect that the pension recipient no longer meets the entitlement criteria for the pension, the pension provider may suspend the payment of the pension. We will thus suspend the payment of pension if we do not receive your residence report by the due date. We will resume the payment of pension as soon as we receive your residence report.

How to send a secure email to Varma


Send the signed notification of a changed bank account form, residence report or free-form letter securely to elakkeenmaksu@varma.fi.

  1. In the “Lähettäjä” field, enter your email address. Add elakkeenmaksu@varma.fi as the recipient.
  2. Click “Jatka” to continue and enter the subject and your message, and attach any required files.
  3. Click “Lähetä” to send the message.

Log in to Varma Online Service to update your information, if you have Finnish banking codes

Send a secure email message

 

Help with using our services

Take care of your pension matters online

In our online service, you can, for instance

  • order the employee pension card
  • send and receive messages and attachments
  • view decisions and documents in the electronic archive
  • update your contact details and raise your tax percentage.