Questions fréquentes
Nous contacter
Nous connaître
Entreprise
Sourd – Malentendant
Réglages
I will live or have lived abroad
Are you planning to move abroad? Do you work or have you worked outside France? The way these periods worked abroad are taken into account for your pension will vary depending on your circumstances.
- My status abroad
- International agreements: the different scenarios
- Working abroad: how is my pension calculated? in pictures
- Applying for an international pension
- Watch our replay of the “International career and pension” webinar
My status abroad
Are you planning to go abroad to work? Be aware that different statuses exist: you can be hired in-country or work on secondment.
If you have an in-country employment contract, the periods validated abroad can be taken into account according to the social security agreements concluded between France and other countries.
In the event of a “secondment”, your company continues to contribute to the general French social security system. Your pension is calculated as if you had not left French territory. The calculation rules explained on this page will not apply to you.
For more information on the different statuses in the event of working abroad, visit the website of the liaison body between the French social security institutions and their foreign counterparts (Cleiss - Centre des liaisons européennes et internationales de sécurité sociale: cleiss.fr.
Did you know?
To review your rights acquired in France, use the “Consult my career” service available in your personal area. The current statements will not contain information on periods worked abroad, which does not mean that these will not be taken into account.
International agreements: the different scenarios
Periods worked abroad are taken into account differently depending on the country concerned.
The pension calculation may take into account your entire career, including periods worked abroad, if you have worked:
- either in countries that are part of the European Union, the European Economic Area OR Switzerland;
- or in a country that has signed a social security agreement with France.
If you have worked in several countries with which France has signed a social security agreement, your pension will be calculated based on each individual agreement. The same applies if you have worked in the European Union and in one or more countries having an agreement.
If you have worked in a country of the European Union (EU), Switzerland and a country of the European Economic Area (EEA), either Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein, the calculation of your French pension will take into account either periods for the European Union + Switzerland, or the European Union + European Economic Area.
There can be no aggregation of validated periods for the EU + EEA + Switzerland.
You will be paid the most advantageous amount. The country that has not been selected for the calculation may pay the portion of its pension according to its own rules.
If you have worked in a country that has not signed a social security agreement with France, your pension will be calculated in each country, without taking into account the periods validated in the other country.
Brexit
The European Parliament approved the UK’s withdrawal agreement from the European Union, which was adopted by the European Council. Since 1st February 2020, the United Kingdom has therefore been a non-European Union State. The transition period introduced by the withdrawal agreement ended on 31 December 2020. Brexit has therefore been fully effective since 1st January 2021.
What is the impact on your pension? Depending on your situation, the periods worked may be taken into account when calculating your pension. For example, if you are French and you worked in France and the United Kingdom before 31 December 2020, your periods of activity will be taken into account when starting and calculating your pension entitlements regardless of your retirement date.
For more information, see the Cleiss FAQ.
Self-employed status in France
If you have only been self-employed in France, social security agreements apply only in the following territories: Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, South Korea, United States, India, Japan, Morocco, New Caledonia, Polynesia, Quebec, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Tunisia and Uruguay.
Working abroad: how is my pension calculated? in pictures
L'Assurance retraite, your Social Security pension, presents: "For periods worked abroad, how do I calculate my pension?"
[Explanation of the rules on pension calculation if you have been professionally active abroad. In the form of an animation, a voice-over explains the four different possible scenarios for calculating your pension if you have worked abroad]
[Music]
For periods worked abroad - how do I calculate my pension?
If you have been an expatriate, the periods you have worked abroad may be taken into account when calculating your pension.
There are four possible scenarios
Case number one
If you have worked in France and one or more countries of the European Union, and also in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
There is coordination between these countries for your pension.
The periods worked in these States are taken into account in the calculation of the French pension.
For example: if you have worked thirty years in France, ten years in Spain and five years in Italy. When you apply for your pension, these three countries will calculate your pension by totalling all the periods validated in these three countries. And each country will therefore pay you its share of your pension
Case number two
If you worked in France and in one of the countries with which France has signed a social security agreement.
[List of countries concerned is available on the website lassuranceretraite.fr]
The calculation of your pension may take into account the periods worked in these two countries.
For example: if you have worked in France and Canada, the calculation of your pension may take into account the periods worked in France and Canada.
The calculation methods will depend on the agreement signed between these two countries.
If you have worked in France and in several countries under an agreement, your pension will be calculated agreement by agreement and the most advantageous calculation will be used.
Case number three
If you have worked in France in one of the Member States of the European Union and in a country that has signed a Social Security agreement with France, your pension will be calculated using the two calculation methods explained above.
The periods worked in States of the European Union and in the country under agreement will not be added together.
After comparison, the most favourable calculation will be used.
Case number four
If you have worked in France and in a country with which France has not signed an agreement, your French pension will be calculated solely on the basis of your activity in France.
The other country may grant you a pension separately, if you have contributed to the existing scheme abroad.
Depending on your situation and the country in which you will be living as an expatriate, it may be worthwhile continuing to contribute to your French Social Security pension under certain conditions.
You may make voluntary contributions to the Fund for French Nationals Working Abroad (CFE - Caisse des Français de l'Étranger) or to your primary Health Insurance Fund (Caisse primaire d’Assurance Maladie.
Find out before you leave.
For more information based on your situation, visit our website lassuranceretraite.fr
[Music]
[Personal Area section. My pension is just a click away, it’s easier at www.lassuranceretraite.fr]
[Music]
[Logo: L'Assurance retraite, your Social Security pension]
Applying for an international pension
To apply for an international pension, you must download the pension application form and return it to the relevant pension body. If you are resident in a country in the area of application of European regulations, submit your application either:
- to the pension fund of your country of residence;
- to the pension fund of the last place you worked in France.
Please note
Under European regulations if you have paid into several (France-based) schemes, the most recent scheme you paid into will be the “determining scheme” used over any other French schemes when the foreign scheme(s) is/are taken into account.
If you live in a country that has signed a Social Security agreement, submit your application to the pension fund in your country of residence.
If you live in a country that has not signed a social security agreement with France, you can request your pension online via your personal area.
If you live in France, contact the regional fund in your place of residence to obtain the appropriate form, specific to your country. Your regional fund will be responsible for submitting your application to all pension funds in the countries in which you have worked.
If you have only been self-employed, your pension will be calculated in coordination with the 27 countries of the European Union as well as Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, South Korea, the United States, India, Iceland, Japan, Lichtenstein, Morocco, New Caledonia, Norway, Polynesia, Quebec, Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Switzerland and Uruguay. If you live in a country other than those listed above, submit your pension application online or by post to the regional fund in your last place of contribution in France.
We recommend that you contact the relevant fund 4 months before the date you choose as your start date for retirement.
Please note
While you are receiving your pension abroad, we will ask you each year for a certificate of life in order to be able to pay your pension. This is an essential step. If your pension fund does not receive the certificate of life, payment of your pension will be suspended.
Watch our replay of the “International career and pension” webinar
To find out more, visit our pages “Procedures at every age”; “Living abroad”.