Payment of the benefits abroad
One of the fundamental principles of social security coordination in the EU is the principle ofof the exportability of benefits. In respect of migrating people, this principle ensures that social security benefits are paid to persons entitled even outside the territory of a member state, in which they are entitled to them, to the state of their residence or stay.
Note:
CSSA places the payment of the benefit abroad with to the Czech National Bank in the Czech currency (CZK) and in the amount at which the benefit was awarded – in accordance with international and national legislation.
The amount of the actually paid benefit will depend on the fees charged by the correspondent bank of the Czech National Bank, the current exchange rate, etc. This is beyond the CSSA’s control.
Payments of pension benefits
Any and all pension payments are made through the Czech National Bank in Prague (hereinafter the “CNB”) and its contractual partners – correspondent banks abroad.
CSSA places orders for pensions payments with CNB (in line with the Czech legislation) in Czech crowns. The payment transactions for pension payments are allowed only in the following currencies between CNB and the beneficiary’s bank: AUD, CAD, CHF, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, NOK, SEK, USD.
CSSA always places orders for pension payments with the CNB in the amount awarded to the pension beneficiaries. The amount actually paid may vary depending on the exchange rate and the fees of local banks.
The pension shall be paid:
Payment of benefits abroad up to December 2025
The pension shall be paid:
Payment of the pension directly to a beneficiary´s bank account abroad
The payment of the pension to an account kept with a bank abroad is made via a cashless payment, through the CNB and its contractual partners - correspondent and local banks abroad.
To make the payment to the account, the Request of a person living outside the territory of the Czech Republic for the payment of the Czech pension to the account must be duly completed, signed and sent to CSSA.
The conditions for the entitlement to the pension payment shall be verified by the Certificate of Living form. A pension paid to a beneficiary´s account is paid retroactively and only until the end of the month in which the Certificate of Living was verified.
The pension beneficiary shall send the Certificate of Living at his/her own instigation and at intervals that he/she sees fit. It can be quarterly, semi-annually or at any other interval, we recommend to do so at least once per year. This means that if a beneficiary sends the Certificate of Living quarterly, the pension will also be paid to the beneficiary on a quarterly basis, always for the preceding quarter.
Payment of the pension to the pension beneficiary's bank account (account of the spouse/partner/registered partner) in the Czech Republic
To make the payment, the Request of a person living outside the territory of the Czech Republic for the payment of the Czech pension to the account must be duly completed, signed and sent to CSSA.
The payment of the pension to an account kept with the financial institution (bank) is made in the Czech currency (CZK) always under the provided “Certificate of Living“. The manner of how the payments made and the “Certificate of Living” is provided is identical to the pension payments made to the account kept with the financial institution abroad.
Payment of benefits abroad as of January 2026
The pension shall be paid:
Payment of the pension directly to a beneficiary´s bank account abroad
The payment of the pension to an account kept with a bank abroad is made via a cashless payment, through the CNB and its contractual partners - correspondent and local banks abroad.
To make the payment to the account, the Request of a person living outside the territory of the Czech Republic for the payment of the Czech pension to the account must be duly completed, signed and sent to CSSA.
Payment of the pension to the pension beneficiary's bank account (account of the spouse/partner/registered partner) in the Czech Republic
To make the payment, the Request of a person living outside the territory of the Czech Republic for the payment of the Czech pension to the account must be duly completed, signed and sent to CSSA.
Payment of the pension to the bank account of another person
Payment of a pension to the account of another person is possible only if that person is a legal representative or appointed guardian or special beneficiary, or if the person is represented by a household member pursuant to the provisions of Sections 49 and 50 of the Civil Code. A pension cannot be sent automatically to the account of children, grandchildren, or common-law partners.
Place of residence in Slovakia
From 2026, the CSSA will no longer require clients whose place of residence is in Slovakia to submit a “Certificate of Living”. The last time the CSSA required its submission was in February 2025. The pension will continue to be paid in regular monthly instalments, in the same manner as before.
In August 2025, clients were sent information letters containing all the necessary details, including links to the relevant sections of the CSSA website.
Place of residence in another EU Member State (other than Slovakia) or in an Agreement State
As of January 2026, the CSSA will pay the pension in regular monthly instalments without the need for a “Certificate of Living” to be sent before each payment. The form will be sent only twice a year – in June and in December. The CSSA will inform clients of this obligation in advance – it will send a reminder by letter or email in May and November.
For the pension to continue being paid, the signature on the “Certificate of Living” must be authenticated between 1 May and 30 June, and then between 1 November and 31 December, each year.
If the CSSA does not receive a “Certificate of Living” within the prescribed period, it will suspend payment of the pension from the following month until the Certificate is delivered.
In August 2025, clients were sent information letters containing all the necessary details, including links to the relevant sections of the CSSA website.
Place of residence in a Non-Agreement State
For clients residing in countries that are neither EU Member States nor have an international social security agreement with the Czech Republic (“Non-Agreement States”), there will be no change. The “Certificate of Living” bearing their authenticated signature must still be sent to the CSSA at intervals determined by the client. Pensions is paid retroactively only after the “Certificate of Living” has been received.
Payment of pension by bank cheque
As of 1 January 2026, the payment of pensions abroad by bank cheque will be discontinued. The CSSA will make pension payments for subsequent periods only after receiving the receiver’s bank account details.
The bank account number must be provided using the form “ Application of a person living outside the territory of the Czech Republic for the payment of a Czech pension by remittance to an account”.
In August 2025, clients were sent information letters containing all the necessary details, including links to the relevant sections of the CSSA website.
Payment of the pension via a postal money order to the beneficiary’s address in Poland
The pension payments are made monthly via an international postal order through the Czech and Polish Post in the Polish currency (zloty). The monthly pension payments shall be delivered in the first half of the calendar month for which the payment of the pension is due.
If this pension payment method is used, the "Certificate of Living” shall not submitted, as the pension is paid into the pensioner's own hands.
Sending of indexation notification
As of 1 January 2026, the CSSA will make the indexation notification available in electronic form. The document will be delivered to the natural person’s data box or will be accessible after logging in to the CSSA ePortal.
Clients may collect the printed notification free of charge in person at any District Social Security Administration (DSSA). To receive the indexation notification in printed form by post, a “Request for Indexation Notifications to be Sent by Post ” must be submitted. The request must be delivered no later than three months before the next indexation. For example, for the January indexation, the deadline is 30 September of the previous year, and any request delivered after this date will apply only to the following indexation.
Postage costs will be deducted from the first indexed pension instalment, except for clients born before 1955, who do not pay postage.
Payment of sickness benefits abroad
The district social security administrations pay sickness insurance benefits abroad upon the request of the insured person, only to the account of the insured person kept with the bank abroad. The cost of this payment shall be borne by the recipient of the sickness insurance benefit. In this case, the IBAN account number, name of the beneficiary’s account, name, address and state of the foreign bank, the ID bank code and the ID type of the bank (e.g. BIC SWIFT code) must be given. The costs of the benefit payment into another EU state currently stand at CZK 60, for payments to another state the costs are individual and may range from CZK 150 to CZK 800. The intermediary banks may also charge their own expenses.
Last update: 21. 8. 2025