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Problems of Pension Payments to Belarusians in Poland Discussed in Warsaw

Photo: Belsat
Photo: Belsat

On November 28, 2025, an informational meeting was held in Warsaw for Belarusian citizens residing in Poland, dedicated to issues of pensions and social benefits. The meeting was initiated by Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, and organized by the National Anticrisis Administration together with the Polish Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS).

Several dozen interested Belarusians attended the meeting, and dozens of questions were submitted via the NAM chatbot by those who could not attend in person.

At the beginning of the meeting, Pavel Latushka expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and to ZUS for organizing the meeting and assisting socially vulnerable Belarusian citizens residing in Poland, as well as for their willingness to inform Belarusians about current Polish legislation regarding pensions and social security.

Reference: according to the Polish side, 146,000 Belarusians already hold temporary residence permits in Poland, and another 60,000 have permanent resident status. Of these, 138,000 Belarusians pay contributions to ZUS.

The meeting included a presentation by Tomasz Szabliński, Head of the Supervision and Customer Service Department of the International Benefits and Insurance Division at ZUS, along with other ZUS experts. In their presentations and responses, ZUS representatives informed participants that:

  • To claim pensioner status in Poland, it is necessary to pay contributions to ZUS at least once.

  • Even if a person receives a Belarusian pension, a Polish pension is granted only after reaching the Polish retirement age: 65 for men and 60 for women.

  • Only citizens permanently residing in Poland can request the transfer of a Belarusian pension to a Polish bank account.

  • When transferring a Belarusian pension to Poland, it is possible to receive a minimum Polish pension if the total minimum contribution period is met: 25 years for men and 20 years for women. As of today, the minimum pension in Poland is 1,879 PLN gross (447 EUR).

  • Military pensions are not covered by the bilateral Belarus-Poland agreement and cannot be transferred to Poland.

  • To arrange pension payments, every Belarusian can contact their local ZUS branch, both regarding the assignment of a Polish pension and the transfer of a Belarusian pension, provided they reside permanently in Poland. Regarding the transfer of pensions from Belarus, Belarusians can also contact the First Department of ZUS in Łódź, which is responsible for implementing the Belarus-Poland international agreement.

Pavel Latushka informed that in the near future, a special informational portal in Belarusian will be launched, dedicated to important issues for Belarusian citizens living in Poland: social support, legalization, document replacement, employment, education, healthcare, and much more. A separate section will be devoted to pensions and other social benefits.

A detailed material with answers to the most relevant questions following the meeting, along with the ZUS presentation, will be published soon on the social media of NAM and the Cabinet. Questions submitted to the NAU chatbot at the last minute have already been forwarded to ZUS specialists, who will prepare responses. The ZUS presentation, covering rules for receiving pensions and social benefits in Poland, will also be posted on NAM resources.


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