Your Croatian pension contributions: why a Croatia–Philippines agreement matters, and what to do until it exists
Filipino workers pay into Croatia’s pension system like everyone else, but without a social security agreement their years here cannot be added to their SSS years. The Philippines is the only Asian country Croatia is negotiating with – and the ministry says it cannot predict when a deal will be done.
Published 2026-10-14 · Source checked 2026-10-14
Every month, a slice of a Filipino worker’s gross pay in Croatia goes into the state pension system, exactly as it does for Croatian colleagues. The rules for getting a pension back are also the same: in general, at least 15 years of insurance and the age of 65.[1][2] For most people who come to work for a few years, those conditions are out of reach – which is why a bilateral social security agreement matters.
Such agreements let two countries add up their insurance periods. Under the treaties Croatia already applies, if you do not qualify on your Croatian years alone, the pension institute HZMO counts the years from the partner country to open the right, and then pays a Croatian pension in proportion to the time you actually worked here – a so-called pro rata pension.[3] Croatia has such agreements with Albania, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Canada and Quebec, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Korea, alongside EU coordination rules.[3][4]
With the Philippines there is no agreement yet. The portal mirovina.hr, in an article republished by the weekly Nacional on 13 October, notes that Croatia has none with any of the large Asian sending countries – Nepal, India, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Bangladesh – but that a procedure has been launched with the Philippines.[4] The Labour Ministry told Faktograf in September that the government has decided to open talks with several countries, the Philippines among them, and that “the phase of negotiations to agree the final text” is still ahead.[1]
Do not expect it soon. The ministry describes these as extremely complex procedures that need significant resources and a team of experts, and says it is impossible to predict when such treaties could be concluded and enter into force, since that depends on the pace of talks with the other country.[4] Moje Vrijeme reported in September that a similar agreement with Moldova is well advanced but still not signed.[2]
The scale is not small. Faktograf, citing HZMO data, reported that 155,265 citizens of non-EU countries were insured in Croatia’s pension system at the end of July – roughly one in eleven contributors; this figure comes from that single report.[1] The Philippines has been among the top sources of new permits throughout 2026.[2]
What happens to your contributions in the meantime? They are not lost: your Croatian insurance years stay on record with HZMO.[2] What you cannot do, for now, is combine them with your years in the Philippines to qualify for a Croatian pension. If a treaty is later concluded, its text will decide how earlier periods are treated – no one can promise that today.
On the Philippine side, the SSS says membership is compulsory for land-based OFWs, who contribute as self-employed members on a declared monthly salary credit of at least ₱8,000, and that the Philippines has its own network of bilateral social security agreements with host countries.[5][6] Keeping your SSS contributions up while you work in Croatia is one way to protect your retirement at home while there is no agreement.
Practical steps: check your Croatian insurance record regularly through the e-Građani services or at an HZMO office, keep your payslips and your employment contract, and note your Croatian personal identification number (OIB), which you will need for any future claim. This is general information, not advice on your own case – ask HZMO or the SSS about your personal situation.
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- Faktograf – Strani radnici doprinose održanju mirovinskog sustava, ali mirovinu iz Hrvatske rijetki će zaraditi (21 Sep 2026) · Specialist publication
- Moje Vrijeme – Staž iz Moldove će se zbrajati s hrvatskim: Što je s radnicima iz Nepala, Filipina i Indije? (27 Sep 2026) · Newspaper
- HZMO – Pensions according to EU regulations and international social security agreements · Official source
- Nacional – Hrvatske mirovine neizvjesne za većinu azijskih radnika: Filipini jedini u pregovorima (13 Oct 2026, via mirovina.hr) · Newspaper
- SSS – Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW coverage program) · Official source
- SSS – Bilateral social security agreements · Official source
This explainer is based on the linked sources; we do not claim independent on-the-ground reporting.
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