Ukrainian pensioners abroad must complete identification by December 31, 2026, or risk losing payments

Ukrainian pensioners living abroad are required to undergo physical identification by December 31, 2026 — otherwise the Pension Fund will stop accruing payments.

This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU).

What is physical identification

Physical identification is an annual procedure confirming that a pensioner is alive and continues to receive payments lawfully. Without completing it, the Pension Fund stops accruals. Under Ukrainian law, a pension is paid to accounts in Ukrainian banks only on the condition that identification is completed by December 31 of each year. If the procedure is completed in 2026, payments in 2027 will continue. If not, they will be suspended.

Who the requirement applies to

The requirement applies to all Ukrainian pensioners who have gone abroad and continue to receive a Ukrainian pension. At the same time, completing identification in 2025 does not exempt a person from the obligation to complete it again in 2026.

Additional warnings from the PFU

The PFU reminds that a pension is credited exclusively to an account in a Ukrainian bank. If funds remain unspent for an extended period, this may trigger a review — the fund recommends monitoring card activity.

On June 10, the transition period for digitizing employment record books ends. The PFU explained that insurance records will not be lost even if scans are not submitted on time.

The fund also clarified who needs to submit a declaration of non-receipt of a pension from Russia, and when. The PFU reminded pensioners who have resigned or closed a sole proprietorship that non-employed status is not assigned automatically — changes must be reported to the fund within 10 days.