International cases

Data checking-up of beneficiaries living abroad

How does the data checking-up of pensioners living abroad take place?

The Pension Payment Directorate initiates the checking-up of the data of persons living or staying abroad who are in receipt of benefits paid by it in March each year by sending them a data checking-up form.

The data of pensioners living in Australia and Germany are reconciled with the help of the pension administration bodies abroad.

Data checking-up by using the form

Pensioners must return the form received for data checking-up accurately completed, signed and authenticated, within one month of receipt. A public notary, pension insurance body, other foreign authority, pension fund, payment service provider or the diplomatic mission or consular post of Hungary is authorised to authenticate the handwritten signature of the beneficiary on the form.

If the pensioner is staying in a health or social institution, the head of the institution or their doctor may also certify the authenticity of the information.

If the data checking-up form sent is not returned to the Pension Payment Directorate within the deadline or if, because it has not been filled in correctly, the entitlement cannot be established, the payment of the benefit will be suspended.

If entitlement is proved subsequently, the benefit will be paid retroactively for a maximum of 5 years.

Checking-up of data with foreign social security bodies

In the case of persons receiving a benefit of Hungarian benefits who are registered with the Pension Payment Directorate as living in Australia or Germany, the annual checking-up is performed with the help of the pension insurance bodies abroad.

The exchange of data between the pension insurance bodies may include the mutual disclosure of:

  • the change of name,
  • the change of place of residence, or
  • the exchange of details of the death of the beneficiary.

Persons covered by the Australian and German exchanges will not be sent the usual data checking-up form in March and will therefore be exempted from the obligations to complete, authenticate and return the form, but will still have to report facts, data and circumstances affecting the payment of benefits which are not covered by the exchange with the foreign body.

This could be, for example, a change of bank account number or remarriage in the case of widow(er)’s pension.

It is also advisable to inform the Pension Payment Directorate if the pensioner is staying at a place other than the one where they are resident for a long time.