Lawpractice

Retirement Application

In many cases, the retirement application requires preparation, whether it is for an old-age pension or a disability pension. It also necessitates the compilation of the applicant’s insurance history.

The applicant must know the total number of insurance days accumulated to verify that the data displayed on the online platform is complete. If any discrepancies are found, corrections must be made before submitting the application.

Particular attention is needed for cases involving insurance days before 2002, as these are not always automatically recorded in the system. Usually, a manual count is required by the competent branch of EFKA (National Social Security Fund) in the applicant’s place of residence.

The applicant must also decide whether they wish to recognize any period as a notional insurance period if necessary to complete the retirement process.

The application will require the applicant to answer questions related to their insurance history and the type of pension they wish to receive.

If the personal details of the insured person are outdated or incorrect, the applicant must contact the Registry of the relevant EFKA (National Social Security Fund) branch to make the necessary corrections.

Due to the complexity of the process and the time required, it is recommended that applicants begin preparation at least one, if not two years, prior to the desired application submission date.

Separate applications must be submitted for both the main and supplementary pensions. Pension payments can begin on the first day of the following month after submitting the application, both for the main and supplementary pensions, unless there is a delay in issuing the pension decision. In cases of disability, an application to KEPA (Central Health and Disability Evaluation Center) is also required.

When submitting the application, the applicant must collect and submit the following common documents to the relevant EFKA (National Social Security Fund) Pension Department for all insurance funds:

copy of identity card;
copy of a bank account book or IBAN certificate;
recent tax clearance certificate (income tax statement).

In addition, supplementary documents may be required, depending on the specific insurance case of the applicant. Proper and complete gathering of these documents is critical for the faster processing of the application.

Due to frequent delays in the pension issuance process, there is now the option to submit a pension advance application through the special online platform of EFKA (National Social Security Fund). With this application, which follows the main pension application, the agency examines the minimum required conditions (age and insurance period) and can pay a temporary amount to the applicant until the final decision is issued. The period for issuing the final decision can range from 6 months to a year (and in rare cases, longer) from the date of submission and completion of the application.

Our office offers comprehensive support for the retirement process, providing services for the preparation, completion, and submission of all required applications, as well as continuous monitoring until the final pension decision is issued.