Persons who are members of MPK

• Citizens of any EU/EEA country, plus Switzerland
• Persons residing in a Nordic country who are employed on board Norwegian-registered (NOR/NIS) ships/mobile installations of at least 100 gross tons.

Persons working on foreign-registered ships/mobile installations are members of MPK if they are mandatory members of the National Insurance Scheme as residents.

Employees on ships/installations under 100 gross tons are members of MPK if the shipping company also operates other Norwegian ships of at least 100 gross tons. The same applies to employees on rescue vessels belonging to the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue.

Persons exempt from MPK membership

• Employees who, due to their position on board, are members of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, or a municipal or county municipal pension fund
• Employees in hotel and restaurant services on tourist ships registered in NIS
• Employees who are members of another country’s social security scheme
• Persons working as doctors, musicians, aircraft mechanics on ships, or performing repair work on board, and who are employed and paid by a craft company, shipyard, or similar

In addition, the pension fund’s board may, in special cases, exempt employees on ships under 200 gross tons, on ships used in ferry or port traffic, or for other purposes.

Foreign employees
When are foreign employees members of MPK?

Foreign nationals working on Norwegian-registered ships are mandatory members of the pension fund when:

• They are citizens of an EU/EEA country and work on a Norwegian-registered ship of at least 100 gross tons. This applies regardless of their country of residence.
• They are stateless persons/refugees, regardless of their country of residence.
• All foreign nationals working on a Norwegian-registered ship who reside in Norway or another Nordic country.

Foreign nationals working on a ship registered in another EU/EEA country are mandatory members of MPK when:

• They are citizens of an EU/EEA country, live in Norway, and work for a Norwegian employer.

Foreign nationals working on a foreign-registered ship outside the EEA are mandatory members when:

• They live in Norway and work for a Norwegian employer. This applies to all nationalities.

Voluntary membership in MPK
Employees who are not mandatory members under the rules above may apply for voluntary membership when:

• They work on a foreign vessel over 100 gross tons, on the Norwegian continental shelf, and are mandatory members of the National Insurance Scheme under § 2-2 of the National Insurance Act. This applies regardless of nationality and country of residence.
• They work on ships over 100 gross tons and have been granted voluntary membership in the National Insurance Scheme.

Application form for voluntary membership in MPK
You can read our full legislation at lovdata.no.

Contributions for employees on sick leave (when the employer does not advance salary beyond the employer period of 16 days)
The NAV office is responsible for deducting the employee contribution after the employer period has ended. The employer is still responsible for informing NAV by submitting form NAV 08-30.02. Remember to tick the box: “Is there a deduction to the Maritime Pension Fund?”.