Can I claim the Age Pension while overseas? Why you claim before you leave

Can I claim the Age Pension while I’m overseas?

Generally no, unless you’re in a country that has a social security agreement with Australia. Once the pension is granted it can keep paying overseas, but getting it started has to happen here.

This matters most if you plan to move before Age Pension age, which Services Australia says is 67. If you’re already living in Thailand or Bali when you turn 67, you cannot claim from there. Our guide to retiring overseas before 67 covers the years before the pension.

What are the rules on the day I claim?

Services Australia says that on the day you claim, you must be all three of these:

Rule	What it means
Living in Australia	Australia is where you live, not just where you are visiting.
Physically in Australia	You are here on the day the claim is made.
An Australian resident	You live here long term and are a citizen, a permanent visa holder or a protected Special Category visa holder from New Zealand.

You also generally need at least 10 years of Australian residence in total, with at least 5 of those years in one unbroken stretch. Then the income test and assets test apply as usual.

When can I put my claim in?

Services Australia says you can put your claim in during the 13 weeks before you reach Age Pension age. That helps if you plan to leave soon after your 67th birthday, because the claim can go in before you fly.

Services Australia says the best way to claim is online, through a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. The Older Australians line on 132 300 can help with a claim. Allow time for supporting documents (a couple will be asked for documents for both of you).

Which countries have a social security agreement with Australia?

These are the countries on Services Australia’s lists in October 2026. An agreement can let you claim a pension while living in that country, and it can help you meet minimum residence periods.

Region	Agreement countries
Asia	India, Japan, Korea
Europe	Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland
The Americas	Canada, Chile, the USA
Pacific	New Zealand

Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines are not on the list. Neither is the United Kingdom: Services Australia says its agreement with Australia ended on 1 March 2001. If you are living in one of these countries when you reach 67, you cannot claim the Age Pension from there. Portugal and Spain are on the list.

What if I turn 67 while living in Thailand or Bali?

You’d need to come back to live in Australia, and be here on the day you claim. Services Australia says there’s no waiting period to claim after you return to live, though the 2-year rule then applies.

Under that rule, if you come back to live, start the pension, then travel overseas within 2 years, Services Australia says your payment may stop. It may continue only if you go to an agreement country. Coming home to claim and leaving again soon after can leave you with no pension at all.

An example, not real people. Ken is 64 and Lyn is 62. They want to retire to Hua Hin, and they have two ways to time it.

	Timeline A: leave at 64	Timeline B: leave after the claim is granted
Ken turns 67	Living in Thailand	Still living in Australia
Can Ken claim on his birthday?	No. Thailand has no agreement.	Yes. He can lodge up to 13 weeks before.
To get the pension	Move back to Australia, claim, then face the 2-year rule if he leaves again	The pension is granted while he lives here, then the usual overseas rules apply
Lyn turns 67	The same problem, 2 years later	She may need to be back in Australia to claim

Neither timeline is the right answer in general. Timeline A buys them 3 more years in Thailand, while Timeline B keeps the pension simpler, and they’d want to see that trade-off before booking anything. Once granted, the pension follows the 6, 12 and 26-week rules on trips, or the outside-Australia rate if they move overseas for good.

What if one of us is younger?

Each partner claims in their own right, so the younger partner faces the same rule when they reach 67. If you plan to be living overseas by then, think about where that partner will be on the day they claim. Services Australia says a couple can make a combined claim online only if both partners are Age Pension age or turning it in the next 13 weeks. Our page for couples retiring overseas covers other decisions you make together.

What does an agreement country change?

It can let you claim from that country without coming home. Services Australia’s International Services can help with a claim from an agreement country, and can also explain how to claim from a country without one. Services Australia says that under an agreement you usually get a part pension from each agreement country, so the amount may differ from a standard Age Pension.

What this means for you depends on

• How old you and your partner will be when you plan to move.
• Whether you will live in an agreement country, such as Portugal or Spain, or a country without one, such as Thailand.
• Your years of Australian residence, and whether any were broken up by time overseas.
• Whether you came back to live in Australia in the last 2 years.
• Whether you have pensions or work history in another country.
• Your income and assets when you claim.

This is general information. For your own claim, talk to Services Australia. Timing your retirement income is a question for a licensed financial adviser. And if you’d like to talk the rest through, book a free planning session on Zoom, where we can point you to the right person once we know your situation.