Mostly women with children came to Poland from Ukraine. Of course, Ukrainians of retirement age who came to Poland after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine can still receive Ukrainian pensions. According to the social security agreement between Ukraine and Poland, which was adopted back in 2012, Ukrainians can add up their total work experience (Ukrainian and Polish) when considering a pension.
To obtain such a pension, the following documents must be attached to the Social Security application:
- Passport or other document confirming identity and legal residence in Poland.
- A certificate of deregistration from the Pension Fund of Ukraine.
- Translation into Polish of documents relating to insurance benefits in Ukraine.
How can Ukrainians receive a Polish pension?
Ukrainian citizens can also receive a Polish pension. It can be applied for by those who:
- had their last official employment in Poland;
- worked on the basis of an employment contract or contract of mandate.
- have reached retirement age: women – 60, men – 65.
- have length of service entitling them to a pension. Women – 20 years, men – 25 years.
- permanently reside in Poland.
For those born before January 1, 1949, length of service is also required – a minimum of 20 years for women and 25 for men. However, if such length of service cannot be documented, a pension will be granted if the length of service is at least 15 years for women and 20 for men.
The legal basis for the payment of pensions to Ukrainian citizens residing in Poland (but also to Polish citizens residing in Ukraine) is the bilateral social security agreement of 2012 (https://www.gov.pl/web/rodzina/ukraina). It protects those who work or have worked in both countries. This agreement stipulates that when determining the right to a pension, periods of insurance in the other country are taken into account.
The Social Insurance Institution pays benefits in proportion to the length of insurance periods in Poland, while its Ukrainian counterpart pays for the time worked in Ukraine. Polish pensions can only be granted for periods of insurance earned in Poland. It is worth mentioning that the shorter the length of service in Poland, the smaller the pension from the Social Insurance Institution.
