Australia's International Social Security Agreements

Australia has formal social security agreements with particular countries to make sure you continue to get social security protection when you move between the agreement countries.

Countries that have agreements with Australia

Australia has agreements with 23 countries to share the responsibility for social security coverage. These agreements are with:

You can view Australia's International Social Security Agreements, factsheets with specific information on each country, in the Publications section of the website. There is also more information about International Agreements on the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs website.

Negotiations for new agreements are under way with a number of other countries.

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The United Kingdom

The agreement with the United Kingdom (UK) ended on 1 March 2001.

For information on claiming UK pensions, paying voluntary contributions or on other matters relating to United Kingdom social security, visit the following UK Government websites:

• HM Revenue & Customs
• Department of Work & Pensions
• The Pension Service

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Who do agreements help

Agreements help if you have lived in Australia and in an agreement country and have been covered by that other country's social insurance scheme. They only cover pensions, e.g. Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment (adult), Double Orphan Pension and Parenting Payment (Single) and payments covered vary with different agreements.

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How do agreements help

Agreements can help by:

• adding together your periods of social insurance (or residence in some cases) in an agreement country and your periods of Australian residence to meet the minimum qualifying residence periods for an Australian pension or a pension from the agreement country.
• overcoming payment restrictions by the agreement country based on citizenship or country of residence.
• enabling you, in some cases, to lodge a claim for a benefit under an agreement while living in a country other than the 2 countries that are party to the agreement.

Note: This is only possible if you live in a country which will accept claims under other international social security agreements, and are claiming a pension under an agreement that allows 3rd-country claims.

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How much pension do I get paid under an agreement

Everyone's circumstances are different and it is not possible to advise the amount that you will receive. However, apart from being affected by your income and assets, the following special rules also apply to these payments.

• Each country usually pays you a part pension.
• Foreign pension rates are usually proportional to the length of your social insurance period.
• Australian pensions are usually paid at a proportional rate outside Australia, and as top up pension inside Australia (i.e. any pension you receive from the country whose agreement you are being paid will generally reduce your Australian pension dollar for dollar).
• For the Australian pension, some foreign welfare payments are not treated as income.
• Some agreements allow special treatment of certain pensions paid by that country's social insurance fund.

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How do I claim a foreign pension while in Australia

You can get a claim form for a foreign pension from any agreement country posted to you in Australia by contacting Centrelink International Services on 13 1673 or by visiting any Centrelink Customer Service Centre.

You can only get a claim form for a foreign pension from a non-agreement country by contacting the social security authority in that country. You can get contact details for many countries, or help with your claim by visiting any Centrelink Customer Service Centre or telephoning Centrelink.

Note: If you are receiving or claiming certain Australian payments, including an Australian Age Pension, you (and your partner if applicable) must take steps to get a pension from the country you lived in, or provide a reason why a claim would be unsuccessful.

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How do I claim an Australian pension while outside Australia

If you are living in an agreement country, you can claim an Australian pension by:

• visiting the relevant offices of the social security authority in any agreement country
• telephoning Centrelink International Services on our International numbers, or
• downloading our International claim forms.

You cannot claim an Australian pension unless you are residing in Australia OR an agreement country.

Note: If you are claiming certain Australian payments, including Age Pension, you (and your partner if applicable) must take steps to get a pension from the country you lived in, or provide a reason why a claim would be unsuccessful.