Retire in Turkey from Norway (2026)

Norway and Turkey have had a bilateral social security convention (trygdeavtale) in force since 1 June 1981 (signed in Ankara on 20 July 1978), and it carries an explicit export guarantee: a pension awarded under it "cannot be withheld, reduced, changed or forfeited because the beneficiary is resident in Turkey." Inntektspensjon — the earnings-based pension you build up through pensjonsopptjening (income-based accrual) over your working life — is paid out to you as a Turkey resident with no minimum-residence test attached. NAV's own guidance is direct on this: "Inntektspensjonen du har tjent opp, blir utbetalt selv om du flytter fra Norge." You will still need to submit NAV's periodic proof-of-life documentation once you live abroad.

This is the part that needs real care, and it is a different nuance from countries like Sweden, whose agreement with Turkey excludes the guarantee pension from export outright. Because Norway has a trygdeavtale with Turkey, garantipensjon (the residence-based minimum-income top-up for those born 1963 or later) or the equivalent minste pensjonsnivå (for those born before 1963, i.e. most people retiring today) is not automatically frozen the way it would be for a country with no agreement at all. But NAV's published guidance sets a specific bar: "For å kunne beholde garantipensjon ved flytting til et annet land, må du først ha bodd minst 20 år i Norge" (from age 16 to 67) — you must have lived in Norway at least 20 years between ages 16 and 67 to keep this part when you move abroad. Fall short of that threshold and this portion is generally reduced or not paid while you are resident in Turkey. Because this can materially change your real monthly income, request a written export assessment (forhåndsvurdering) from NAV before committing to a move.

Occupational pension — whether from a private employer's obligatorisk tjenestepensjon (OTP) scheme or a public-sector scheme run by, for example, KLP or Statens pensjonskasse — is a funded, contractual benefit that generally keeps being paid wherever you live. The Norway-Turkey double taxation convention, signed 15 January 2010 and in force since 15 June 2011, is notably favourable here: under Article 18, pensions paid as compensation for past employment to a resident of Turkey are taxable only in Turkey, and Skatteetaten's own published guidance confirms that pension relating to previous private-sector employment is "not liable to tax in Norway" once you are a Turkey resident. Confirm the exact documentation your specific scheme needs with your provider before you move.

Individuell pensjonssparing (IPS) payouts and other private annuity products are specifically named in Skatteetaten's guidance as not liable to Norwegian tax once paid to a Turkey resident, consistent with Article 18's rule that pensions and annuities are taxed only in your country of residence. Confirm your own policy's payout process directly with your bank or insurer, since terms vary by provider.