Moldovans who worked in Switzerland to receive social benefits

Citizens of Moldova who have worked in Switzerland will receive social benefits. This will be possible, after the government today approved the draft law for the ratification of the Agreement between Moldova and the Swiss Confederation in the social security sector.

The goal of the Agreement is to provide a framework of social security guarantees for citizens of Moldova, who carry out or have carried out work and/or reside in the territory of Switzerland.

“The government is making a constant effort, in order to ensure that our citizens, wherever they are, enjoy proper social protection. During the mandate of this government, social protection agreements that cover more than twice as many citizens, that is, all agreements signed until 2021, have been negotiated and signed,” said Minister of Labor and Social Protection Alexei Buzu at the government meeting.

Under the Agreement, citizens will benefit from old-age pensions, disability pensions and survivor pensions.

According to the proportional principle of pensions’ calculation, each contracting party will pay the portion of the pension calculated proportionally to the insurance period carried out on its territory.

“The Agreement will provide citizens with the opportunity to accumulate contribution periods from both countries, in order to qualify for social benefits, especially to be eligible for pensions. It will provide more flexibility and options to submit the application for social benefits in the country where they currently live, whether in Moldova or in Switzerland. And a third very important benefit is that it will allow our citizens to receive the benefits, the pensions where they choose, without paying fees or additional costs,” noted Alexei Buzu.

The minister added that, at present, the authorities were in the process of negotiating similar Agreements with Ireland and Canada.

The Agreement between Moldova and the Swiss Confederation in the field of social security was drafted in Bern on June 2, 2025.

Moldova has bilateral agreements in the field of social security with 18 countries, including Bulgaria, Portugal, Romania, Luxembourg, Austria, Estonia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Germany, Turkey, Belarus, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Latvia. Sixteen of them are in force.

The agreements establish a framework of social security guarantees for Moldovan citizens who carry out or have carried out legal work on the territories of the concerned countries. Based on them, individuals can benefit from old-age pensions, disability pensions due to general illnesses, disability pensions and allowances due to work accidents or occupational diseases, survivor pensions.