UK State Pension in Portugal: How It Works for Britons

Yes. GOV.UK says the UK State Pension can be claimed and paid abroad if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, and its list of countries where the pension gets a yearly increase includes Portugal. This guide follows what GOV.UK and the Portuguese government portal say about claiming, payment, proof of life and tax.

It describes the pages on the day we read them (18 October 2026). It is not tax or pensions advice, and it does not give pension amounts, because the right figure depends on your own National Insurance record.

Can I claim the UK State Pension while living in Portugal?

Yes. The GOV.UK page on retiring abroad says: “You can claim State Pension abroad if you’ve paid enough UK National Insurance contributions to qualify.” The page on the new State Pension adds that you will not get the pension automatically, you have to claim it, and that how much you get “might be affected” if you retire or move abroad.

GOV.UK’s guidance for UK nationals in the EU, EEA or Switzerland says you can carry on receiving your UK State Pension if you move there, that it is increased each year in line with the rate paid in the UK, and that the rules “apply to everyone regardless of your nationality and regardless of when you moved.” So an American with a UK National Insurance record falls under the same State Pension rules as a Briton. Because the page refers to the pension rules only, it does not tell an American how the IRS treats the payment; our guide to US taxes from Portugal covers the American side.

GOV.UK also says you can count relevant social security contributions made in EU and EEA countries to meet the qualifying conditions for a UK State Pension.

How do I claim from abroad?

The retiring-abroad page gives these steps.

The new State Pension page lists what to have ready: the date of your most recent marriage, civil partnership or divorce, the dates of any time spent living or working abroad, your bank or building society details and any social security numbers you have for foreign state pension schemes. It also says that if you lived or worked in an EEA country or Switzerland, you will be sent a claim form, the International Pension Centre will send your claim to the schemes in those countries, and you do not need to make separate claims to them.

The International Pension Centre page gives the State Pension telephone line (+44 191 218 7777, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) and says it is taking longer than usual to reply to online queries. Changes of address or bank details must be reported by telephone or letter, not by email.

Does the pension go up each year in Portugal?

The retiring-abroad page says your State Pension “will only increase each year if you live in” the EEA, Gibraltar, Switzerland or countries that have a social security agreement with the UK that allows increases. A separate GOV.UK page lists the EEA countries and Portugal is on it. That page says a person living in the EEA who receives a UK State Pension “will usually get an increase in your pension every year”.

This is the difference between Portugal and some other places Britons retire. The same page says you will not get yearly increases if you live outside the listed countries, and the retiring-abroad page adds that the pension goes up to the current rate if you return to live in the UK. The two pages carry no yearly percentage, so check the current rate with the International Pension Centre or on your award letter.

For people in the UK, the new State Pension page says the yearly rise is whichever is highest of earnings growth, price growth (CPI) and 2.5%. That page does not say this applies in the same way abroad, so we only report it as the UK rule. GOV.UK’s EU and EEA guidance says the pension is increased each year in these countries in line with the rate paid in the UK.

How is the pension paid in Portugal?

The new State Pension page says that in the UK the pension is usually paid every 4 weeks and that “there are different rules if you live abroad”, which are the ones in the table.

What is a life certificate?

GOV.UK says you may receive a “life certificate” form from the Department for Work and Pensions to check you are still eligible. You need a witness to sign it. The retiring-abroad page says your witness does not have to live in the UK or have a passport from any specific country, and that payments may be suspended if you do not send the form back.

The form’s own page, updated on 28 January 2026, says not to send it unless you have been asked to, and that you must print, complete and post it back. The witness should not be related to you by birth or marriage and should not live at your address. The people listed as able to witness include a police officer, a teacher, a bank officer authorized to sign documents, a registered doctor, nurse or pharmacist, a lawyer authorized to practice in the country where the declaration is made, a notary, a civil servant or government employee, a local councillor and a minister of a recognised religion. Check the current list on the form before choosing a witness.

Is there a UK-Portugal social security arrangement?

The pages we read do not describe a separate bilateral pension treaty between the UK and Portugal. What they do say is that the UK left the EU, that the EU Withdrawal Agreement sets out the terms of the withdrawal, and that people living in an EU country by 31 December 2020 are covered by it. GOV.UK’s guidance states the State Pension rules in the section above apply regardless of when you moved.

For the Portuguese side, GOV.UK’s Living in Portugal page tells you to contact the Portuguese Social Security Institute to find out whether you can claim a Portuguese old-age pension or old-age social pension. The Portuguese government portal says the old-age pension goes to people covered by general social security and, as of its update on 2 October 2026, requires the normal pension age (66 years and 9 months in 2026) and at least 15 calendar years of recorded earnings. We could not open the Social Security Institute’s own pages, which load through scripts, so this guide does not cover whether UK periods count toward the Portuguese test.

How does the UK State Pension connect to healthcare?

GOV.UK’s Living in Portugal page says you may be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK, through an S1 form, if you live in Portugal and are receiving a UK State Pension. It says a UK State Pensioner with a registered S1 may be able to use the UK-issued EHIC or GHIC, while other residents cannot use them. Our guide to healthcare access for newcomers sets out the registration steps, and the same page tells you to register with the Portuguese health service for state healthcare once you are a registered resident.

Where is the UK State Pension taxed?

The retiring-abroad page says how much tax you pay and where depends on where you are considered resident. It says a UK resident may have to pay UK tax on the pension, and that an overseas resident may be taxed by both the UK and the country where they live. If you pay twice you can usually claim tax relief, and if the country has a double taxation agreement with the UK you pay tax on the pension only once, to the UK or to the other country depending on the agreement.

Portugal now has a new agreement. The UK published the convention between the United Kingdom and Portugal on elimination of double taxation (Treaty Series No. 19 of 2026, signed in London on 15 September 2025). The document is marked as entered into force on 29 December 2025. Its Article 17 says that, subject to Article 18 paragraph 1 (government service), “pensions and other similar remuneration paid to a resident of a Contracting State, shall be taxable only in that State.” Article 28 says the Convention has effect in Portugal for taxes withheld at source from 1 January following entry into force, and for other taxes for taxable periods starting on or after that day. In the UK it has effect for income tax for years of assessment beginning on or after 6 April following entry into force. It replaces the 1968 convention from the date it takes effect for each tax.

Two limits apply. The convention text does not say that the State Pension falls under Article 17 or Article 18, and we have not found a GOV.UK page that says so. And GOV.UK’s page on UK income for people living abroad, last updated in 2016 and so older than the convention, says “Non-residents do not usually pay UK tax on” the State Pension. Which country taxes your pension, and how Portugal treats it, is a question for the two tax authorities or a qualified adviser.

Related guides on this site: UK taxes and HMRC for Britons in Portugal; how foreign pensions are taxed in Portugal.

More guides on this site: GHIC, S1 and healthcare for Britons; voluntary National Insurance contributions.

What should I do first?

1. Get your State Pension forecast and check your National Insurance record on GOV.UK.
2. Contact the International Pension Centre within 4 months of your State Pension age to claim.
3. Choose where the pension is paid, in Portugal or the UK, and keep the IBAN and BIC ready for a Portuguese account.
4. Report any change of address or bank details to the International Pension Centre by phone or letter.
5. Act on a life certificate when one arrives, with a witness who meets the form’s rules.
6. If you are moving on a residence visa for retirees, read the guide to the retiree and passive income visa and read the guide for British citizens after Brexit.

If you also plan to work in Portugal after claiming, see working in Portugal as an American or Briton.

Pages read on 18 October 2026: GOV.UK State Pension if you retire abroad; Countries where we pay an annual increase in the State Pension; Benefits and pensions for UK nationals in the EU, EEA or Switzerland; The new State Pension; International Pension Centre; Life Certificate form; Tax on your UK income if you live abroad; UK/Portugal double taxation convention (TS No. 19/2026); Living in Portugal; and the Portuguese government portal page on the old-age pension. The latest dated information is the Portuguese government portal’s old-age pension page, updated 2 October 2026; the convention entered into force on 29 December 2025.