Ukrainians abroad may lose their pensions: payment rules have changed.

A new order for pension payments abroad is being introduced for Ukrainians who receive such payments.

Pension expert Serhiy Korobkin reported on this change.

According to the Decree of the Government of Ukraine No. 299, adopted on February 11, 2025, and implemented on March 20, new rules for pension and insurance payments for Ukrainian pensioners living abroad have been established.

According to the new order, pensioners will be able to receive their pension and insurance payments only after undergoing physical identification, which must be conducted by December 31 of the current year.

Pensioners have the opportunity to confirm their identity by visiting a bank or the Pension Fund, or remotely through their personal account on the Pension Fund's electronic services web portal, using a qualified electronic signature or conducting a video conference with a Pension Fund employee. To confirm that the pensioner is alive, one can contact the Ukrainian diplomatic mission abroad.

These measures are introduced to ensure control over payments and to prevent fraud.

More than half of the 6 million Ukrainians who left abroad due to Russian aggression have found work abroad.

This raises important questions regarding pension provision. The main issues concerning Ukrainians relate to the accounting of the period of work abroad for pension eligibility and the preservation of the right to receive pension payments for citizens living outside Ukraine.

It was previously reported that pensioners may receive larger payments.