Infosheet on the Agreement on Social Security between Canada and the Republic of Korea
Qualifying for Canadian and Korean benefits
- Catalogue number KOR1-08-03E
- Printable version in PDF format (97 kb, 2 pages). To download and print PDF files, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
The Agreement
Qualifying for a Canadian benefit
Qualifying for a Korean benefit
Payment of your benefits
For more information
How to apply for benefits
The Agreement
The Agreement on Social Security between Canada and Korea came into force on May 1, 1999.
The Agreement may help you qualify for Canadian and Korean old age and disability benefits if you contributed to the Canada Pension Plan and the pension program of Korea or if you resided in Canada since January 1, 1988.
The Agreement may also help you qualify for Canadian and Korean survivor benefits if you are the widow, widower or child of a person who contributed to the pension programs of the two countries.
Social security legislation and agreements are complex. This sheet contains only general information and may not describe all the provisions that apply to your situation.
Qualifying for a Canadian benefit
The Canadian pension programs included in the Agreement are the Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Security program.
Under the Canada Pension Plan, you can receive a benefit when you retire or if you become disabled. The Plan may also pay a benefit to your survivors after you die. To qualify for a benefit, you normally must have contributed to the Plan for a minimum period.
If you do not qualify for a Canada Pension Plan benefit, Canada will consider periods credited under the pension program of Korea as periods of contribution to the Canada Pension Plan.
The Old Age Security program covers most persons who live or have lived in Canada. The pension is payable at the age of 65 to persons who meet certain residence conditions. To qualify for a Canadian Old Age Security pension in Canada, you normally must have lived in this country for at least 10 years after the age of 18. You normally need 20 years of residence in Canada after the same age to receive an Old Age Security pension outside Canada.
What happens if you do not qualify for a Canadian Old Age Security pension because you have not lived in Canada for the minimum number of years? Under the Agreement, Canada will consider periods credited under the pension program of Korea since January 1, 1988, as periods of residence in Canada.
Qualifying for a Korean benefit
The Korean pension program, known as the National Pension Scheme, is similar to the Canada Pension Plan and covers most employed persons from the Korean private sector and self-employed persons in Korea.
There are special pension programs in Korea for civil servants, military personnel and private-school teachers who are Korean nationals. Persons in these categories do not contribute to the National Pension Scheme of Korea.
The National Pension Scheme began operation on January 1, 1988.
If you (or your deceased spouse or parent) left Korea before January 1, 1988, the Agreement on Social Security between Canada and Korea cannot help you qualify for benefits.
Nor can the Agreement help if you (or your deceased spouse or parent) left Korea after January 1, 1988, but never contributed to the National Pension Scheme while in Korea.
To qualify for a benefit under the Korean pension program, you normally must have contributed to the program for a minimum period of time. For example, to qualify for a Korean old age benefit, you normally must have contributed to the Korean National Pension Scheme for at least 10 years.
If you have not contributed to the program for the minimum period, you may not qualify for a Korean benefit. However, under the Agreement, Korea will consider periods of contribution to the Canada Pension Plan as credited periods under the pension program of Korea.
Payment of your benefits
You may qualify for a Canadian or Korean benefit, or both. Under the Agreement, each country will pay a benefit based solely on your periods of contribution or periods of residence under its pension program.
For more information
You can find more information on the Social Security Agreement between Canada and Korea on the Korean International Benefits page.
How to apply for benefits
If you want to apply for a Canadian or Korean benefit under the Agreement, or if you have questions, please call or write us.
From Canada or the United States, you can contact us, free of charge, at:
- 1 800 277-9914
- 1 800 255-4786 (TTY)
From other countries, please call:
- 1 613 957-1954
You can also write to us at:
- Income Security Programs
Human Resources Development Canada
Ottawa, ON K1A 0L4
CANADA
- Fax: 1 613 952-8901
