Dealing with social security

International pension agreements allow residents who move from or to Australia from one of the participating countries to qualify for a pension in the destination country without meeting the normal residential requirements. International agreements are in the Social Security (International Agreements) Act 1999 (Cth).

Formal agreements exist between Australia and Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece/Hellenic Republic, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.

The agreement with the United Kingdom ended on 1 March 2001. For information on claiming UK Pensions, paying voluntary contributions or other matters relating to UK social security, visit the websites of HM Revenue and Customs or the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions or the UK’s The Pensions Service.

The agreement with New Zealand has been amended, with changes taking effect on 1 July 2017.

These agreements do not apply to all social security payments.

This is a complex area and any specific queries should be taken to a community legal centre, Victoria Legal Aid or a solicitor. See Chapter 2.4: Legal services that can help, for a list of community legal centres.