Receiving a Russian pension abroad in 2026

The insurance pension is paid even to those who have left for good, but only in roubles to a Russian bank account and with yearly proof that you are alive. In 16 of the 28 countries we cover, a Russian pension is not taxed.

In detail

A Russian pension does not disappear when you move abroad: the insurance pension is paid even to those who have left for good. But it is paid only in roubles to an account in a Russian bank, you must confirm every year that you are alive, and the social pension and top-ups to the subsistence minimum stop abroad. Below: how to register your departure, how to receive the money, where a Russian pension is tax-free and where it helps you get residence.

Where a Russian pension is not taxed: 16 countries

In these countries a Russian pension is not taxed at all or is exempt up to a high threshold. The second column shows the tax in the country of residence, the third what a retiree needs for a residence permit.

Where a Russian pension is taxed: 12 countries

Tax applies only once you become a tax resident of the country, usually after 183 days a year. In Russia the pension itself is free of personal income tax. Detailed conditions for each country are behind the links in the tables.

Is a Russian pension kept when you move abroad

• The insurance pension for old age, disability and loss of a breadwinner is kept.
• The fixed payment on top of the insurance pension is kept.
• The social pension stops when you move abroad permanently.
• The social top-up to the subsistence minimum is not paid to those living outside Russia.

In short: everything earned through service and contributions stays with you. Everything the state added as social support for residents of Russia stops abroad.

Registering your departure with the Social Fund

1. Before leaving, file an application with the Social Fund about moving outside Russia.
2. Specify how you will receive the pension: an account in a Russian bank.
3. If a representative will handle your banking in Russia, give them a notarised power of attorney.
4. Keep the contacts of your fund client office: that is where you will send proof that you are alive.

The application is filed in person or through a representative under a power of attorney. It is best done before leaving, while you are in Russia and can answer the fund's questions straight away.

Where the pension goes: an account in a Russian bank

Since 2015 pensions of people living abroad have been paid in roubles to an account in a Russian bank. Quarterly transfers abroad in local currency remain only for those whose pension was already being sent abroad before 1 January 2015.

• The pension arrives in your Russian bank account as before.
• A representative can withdraw it under a power of attorney.
• You can transfer it to your own account abroad from banks that send transfers to that country.

Since 8 December 2025 the Central Bank has lifted limits on transfers abroad for Russian citizens. But a given bank may not work with a given country, so the transfer route is checked before departure, not when the money is already needed.

How to confirm that you are alive

Every year a pensioner abroad confirms the fact of being alive. Without it the payment is suspended.

• A personal visit to a Russian consulate, which sends the confirmation to the fund electronically.
• A document from a Russian or foreign notary.
• A document from a competent authority of the country of residence.
• A personal visit to the Social Fund if you come to Russia.

If confirmation arrives late, the pension is resumed and paid for the missed time, but for no more than 3 years. The simplest approach is a reminder on the same date every year, for example your birthday.

Taxes on a Russian pension

In Russia a pension is free of personal income tax. In the country of residence it all depends on local law and tax residence:

• some countries do not tax a foreign pension at all: Uruguay, Paraguay, Georgia, Armenia, Serbia;
• others tax it on the general scale as part of worldwide income: Spain, France, Portugal;
• there are special regimes for retirees: 7% in Greece, 7% in southern Italy for 10 years, 0% in Turkey for new residents for 20 years.

Since 2023 Russia has suspended parts of its double tax treaties, so you cannot count on a tax credit in every country. Tax is calculated under the rules of the country of residence before the move, not after the first tax return.

International pension agreements

Among the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union an agreement on workers' pensions has been in force since 2021: each country pays the pension for service earned on its territory. Russia also has bilateral pension agreements with a number of countries. Under some of them the pension stops if the pensioner moves to a third country or gives up citizenship.

If you have service in several countries, how the pension is awarded depends on the agreement with each of them. This is worked out before the move so as not to lose years of service.

A pension as grounds for residence

A Russian pension is not only money to live on but also legal grounds for residence in many countries. The thresholds are in the tables above, and the most accessible are:

• Philippines: a pension from $800 a month and a $15,000 deposit.
• Costa Rica: a lifetime pension from $1,000 a month.
• Argentina: a pension of about $1,300 a month.
• Ecuador: a pension from $1,446 a month.
• Colombia: about $1,640 a month.
• Bulgaria: a pension from €620 a month.

For residence the pension is proven with a Social Fund certificate of the payment amount and a statement of receipts, apostilled and translated. The certificate is ordered shortly before filing: consulates and migration services ask for fresh documents. All countries with residence permits are collected in the section residence abroad.

Common mistakes of pensioners abroad

• Forgetting to confirm being alive, so the payment is suspended.
• Leaving without a power of attorney while the Russian bank card expires.
• Not checking whether a bank in the new country accepts transfers from Russia.
• Counting on the social pension or top-up, which stop abroad.
• Not calculating tax in the new country and finding out from the first tax return.

Almost all of these mistakes can be fixed, but each costs several months without money. So a pensioner's move starts with paperwork in Russia, not with tickets.

How we help

Murblz specialists choose a country where a Russian pension is tax-free and gives grounds for residence, prepare apostilled and translated fund certificates, arrange residence and advise on setting up how the money is received.

Talk to a manager now

This topic in other countries

• Retiring in Uruguay
• Retiring in Armenia
• Retiring in Serbia
• Retiring in Turkey
• Retiring in Thailand
• Easiest countries to get residency

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