Pension strategy for Ukrainian citizens in the EU: a practical checklist and legal analysis

Millions of Ukrainian citizens currently live and work in European Union countries. However, pension issues are often put off until later, even though key elements of their future retirement income are currently being formed. A pension strategy for Ukrainian citizens in the EU is not abstract planning, but a concrete sequence of legal, administrative, and financial actions.

Below is a structured checklist that allows you to assess your current situation, identify risks, and develop a long-term pension strategy that takes into account Ukrainian and European legislation.

1. Ukraine: recording insurance experience and documents

The first step is to tidy up the Ukrainian portion of your pension history. This portion may later be counted toward your pension in an EU country or affect the calculation of your total pension history.

Checking the work record book

Necessary:

• check the availability of the work book and all work records ;

• Make sure that the periods of work activity are indicated correctly, without gaps or errors.

Digitization and confirmation

Recommended:

• prepare scans of all pages of the work record book and supporting documents (orders, certificates, contracts);

• make sure that information on work activity has been submitted to the electronic register of the Pension Fund of Ukraine as part of the transition to an electronic work book in accordance with the Law of Ukraine No. 1217-IX ;

• Check the accuracy of the data entered in the personal account of the Pension Fund of Ukraine .

Socially significant periods

It is important to note separately:

• confirm periods of childcare and other socially significant periods that are taken into account when calculating insurance experience;

• Obtain extracts or certificates from the Pension Fund of Ukraine on insurance experience —these are the documents most often requested by foreign pension authorities.

2. EU country: working with the national pension system

At the same time, it is necessary to develop an understanding of the pension system of the country of actual residence.

Definition of the pension authority

In practice this means:

• determine the state pension authority of the country of residence (e.g. Deutsche Rentenversicherung in Germany);

• determine where exactly the pension account is opened.

Data verification

Next step:

• carry out a review of a pension account in an EU country ;

• check and record all periods of residence and official work ;

• check which periods are taken into account automatically and which require confirmation (study, part-time employment, self-employment).

In some countries it is possible:

• Obtain pension information or a digital pension summary if such a tool is available online.

3. Analysis: Understanding Future Retirement Income

After collecting the data, the key stage comes – the analytical one.

Forecasts

At this stage there should be:

• the forecast for state pensions in EU countries is clear ;

• The pension forecast is clear, taking into account the possible inclusion of Ukrainian periods (within the framework of international agreements or national rules).

Financial assessment

It is also necessary:

• calculate the estimated net pension income, taking into account taxes and social deductions;

• compare future income with current expenses and expected standard of living;

• identify the pension gap —the difference between desired and expected income.

It is at this stage that it becomes clear whether the state pension alone is sufficient.

4. Strategy: Informed retirement planning

The final block is the formation of an individual pension strategy.

Planning horizon

First of all:

• determine the time horizon for retirement planning (how many years until retirement, possible scenarios).

Employment and consequences

Necessary:

• analyze the consequences of the form of employment for pension rights (hired labor, self-employment, entrepreneurship);

• understand which periods decrease or increase pension savings.

Additional tools

Next, a decision is made:

• on the need for voluntary contributions or savings ;

• on determining priorities between public, corporate and private elements of pension provision .

Control

A pension strategy is not set in stone:

• A date is set for a re-examination of the pension strategy, taking into account changes in legislation, income, and residence status.

Why a retirement strategy is important now

For Ukrainian citizens in the EU, pension planning is complicated:

• cross-border experience,

• different legal systems,

• changing agreements between states,

• differences in tax and social regulation.

Without a systematic approach, there is a high risk of losing part of your work experience, receiving a reduced pension, or having false expectations.

Conclusion

Retirement isn't just a matter of age, but also of documents, data, and timely decisions . A well-designed pension strategy for Ukrainian citizens in the EU allows for:

• to record Ukrainian work experience,

• correctly take into account periods of work in the EU,

• see financial risks in advance,

• and make decisions before opportunities are missed.