Social Security Agreement between Canada and Norway

Revised Agreement comes into force January 1, 2014

OTTAWA, Jan. 3, 2014 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development, announced the coming into force of the revised Agreement on Social Security between Canada and the Kingdom of Norway.

The revised Agreement will continue to coordinate the operation of Canada's Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) programs with the comparable pension programs of Norway. This revised Agreement will help seniors, people with disabilities and survivors to qualify for pensions from Canada and Norway based on their affiliation to each country's pension system.

The key change between the original Agreement and the revised Agreement is that additional periods of residence in Norway can be taken into account. As a result, many Norwegian pensioners residing in Canada may be able to request a recalculation and receive an increased pension from Norway. Please refer to the attached Backgrounder for more information.

Quick facts

• The revised Agreement allows periods of residence in Norway after 1936 and prior to 1967 to be considered for Norwegian pensions granted prior to 1991.
• Norwegian pensioners residing in Canada are encouraged to request a pension recalculation if their pension was granted before 1991.
• Canadian companies and their employees sent to work temporarily in Norway continue to make CPP contributions and are exempt from making Norwegian social security contributions. This enhances the competitiveness for Canadian companies operating in Norway. The same is true for Norwegian companies operating in Canada.

Quotes

"This revised Agreement demonstrates the continued spirit of partnership, collaboration and close relationship between our two countries and recognizes the valuable contribution Norwegian Canadians have made to making Canada stronger."

- The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development

Related products

Backgrounder

Associated Links

Revised agreement on social security between Norway and Canada enters into force 1 January 2014
(web site of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa, 2013)
Revised social security agreement helps people who have lived or worked in Canada and Norway
(NR issued by ESDC, 2012, on news.gc.ca)

Backgrounder

This Revised Agreement enables Canada to continue to coordinate the operation of its Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan programs with the comparable pension programs of Norway.

The most important feature of the revised Agreement is that it allows periods of residence in Norway after 1936 and prior to 1967 to be considered for Norwegian pensions granted prior to 1991. Norwegians whose pensions were granted prior to 1991 are encouraged to request that a recalculation be done by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.

• In the original Agreement, periods of residence after 1936 and prior to 1967 were not fully regarded as Norwegian insurance periods unless the person in question was a resident in Norway at the time of application.
• In 1991, the Norwegian National Insurance Act was amended to allow periods of residence in Norway, after 1936 and prior to 1967, to be taken into account when granting a pension. However the amendment only applied to new applications.
• The revised Agreement allows periods of residence in Norway, after 1936 and prior to 1967, to be taken into account for Norwegian pensions granted prior to 1991.

Norwegian beneficiaries whose pensions were granted prior to 1991 are encouraged to request a recalculation of their pension to include these additional periods of residence. Pension recalculation will be done by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration.

In most cases, it will be sufficient to send a brief written request to the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. The request must contain the name and Norwegian national ID number (eleven digits) of the pensioner, and clearly state that the pensioner would like to have his or her pension recalculated.

The address to send this request is:

NAV Pension
P.O. Box 6600, Etterstad
0607 Oslo
NORWAY

If the request for recalculation is submitted before January 1, 2016, and the result of the recalculation is more favourable to the beneficiary, the differential amount shall be paid retroactively for a maximum of 72 months prior to the entry into force of the Revised Agreement, from January 1, 2008.

For more information, Norwegians living in Canada are encouraged to contact the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa at 613-238-6571 or visit www.emb-norway.ca.

Canada has signed 57 international social security agreements. Agreements are in force with the following 53 countries:

Agreements have been signed with Brazil, Bulgaria, India and Serbia, but are not yet in force.

SOURCE: Employment and Social Development Canada