Will I still get my AOW if I move to Cyprus?
Short answer
Yes, the AOW is paid to you in Cyprus. But you stop building it up after you emigrate, and each year without AOW insurance reduces it by 2%.
You can insure yourself voluntarily: apply before you leave or within one year after, if you had at least one year of AOW insurance before and are under AOW age. Voluntary insurance runs for up to ten years, with narrow exceptions.
If you keep working in the Netherlands while living in Cyprus, you can stay insured through that work.
Sources
- European Commission: your pension rights when you move within the EU employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu
- Belastingdienst: your national insurance when you emigrate belastingdienst.nl
- Algemene Ouderdomswet (wetten.overheid.nl) wetten.overheid.nl
- NederlandWereldwijd: voluntary AOW insurance nederlandwereldwijd.nl
Information, not advice. This answer describes the published rules as they stand on 12 October 2026, checked against the sources listed. Tax and residence rules depend on your own circumstances and change; check your position with a tax adviser qualified in the Netherlands and in Cyprus before you act on it.
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