You should always notify The Seafarer's  Pension Fund (MEK) if you move abroad.

We can either pay your pension to a Finnish bank or transfer your pension abroad irrespective of your domicile and nationality. We transfer pensions abroad through a Finnish bank. The Seafarer’s Pension Fund can transfer a pension to a foreign bank account if the Fund knows the International Bank Account Number (IBAN) and the Bank Identifier Code (BIC) of the bank in your country of domicile. We otherwise send a payment order to your address. We always transfer a pension abroad in the currency of the recipient country; if this is not possible, we send it in US dollars or euros.

Taxation abroad

Taxation on pensions is affected by whether your move is permanent or temporary. Nationality and possible tax agreements with the country concerned also affect taxation. If a Finnish citizen moves abroad, a pension can be taxed as withholding tax for the year of the move + a period of 3 years. After this, he or she must apply for a limited liability tax card; he or she can apply for the card earlier. A foreign citizen must apply for a limited liability tax card immediately after moving abroad. We advise you to contact the tax authority for further information on taxation abroad on pensions. Call + 358 20 697 024 or visit The Finnish Tax administartion website.

Moving while abroad

If you move while living abroad or move back to Finland, you should notify the Seafarer’s Pension Fund of your change of address. This ensures that you will receive newsletters and other information while you are living abroad or after you have moved back to Finland. Moving to another country of residence may affect taxation on your pension. We advise you to contact the tax authority for further information. You should notify us in writing of any changes in payment place.