You may lose your rights to a pension if you do not apply. Pensions can be paid retrospectively for a maximum period of three years.

The refund constitutes two thirds of an annual pension calculated on the basis of the pensionable months of seagoing service that have been accrued.

If you have accrued pensionable seagoing service of between 36 and 149 months, you may in certain circumstances be entitled to a refund of your contributions when you reach retirement age. You do not qualify for a refund of contributions if you are receiving 100% disability benefits, work assessment allowance or public contractual pension (AFP) when you retire.

A payment supplementary to the standard pension is available if you are aged between 60 and 67. To qualify for the supplementary payment, you must have accrued a minimum of 36 months of pensionable seagoing service in the past 60 months before you start to take out your pension (retirement date) or before you reach retirement age. Only seagoing service for which pension contributions have been made will count. It is also a requirement that you do not have an annual pensionable income that exceeds twice the National Insurance Scheme basic amount. The supplementary pension payment is not entitled to anyone who takes out a reduced  pension before the age of 60 even if conditions for receiving the supplementary payment have otherwise been met.

This depends on whether you are fully or partially disabled. No pension is payable if the employee at retirement age is in receipt of full disability benefits according to rules on the National Insurance Scheme or full contractual pension (AFP). The same rules apply to refund of premiums. If you are receiving a reduced disability pension from the National  Insurance Scheme or a reduced contractual pension (AFP), you may be entitled a proportional share of the pension.

For workers at sea who commenced their seagoing service after 1968, a deferred retirement between the age of 60 and 65 applies depending on how many months have been accrued after the age of 40.

Usually 60. Before the age of 62, it is a requirement that you must have ended your employment at sea. The issue of deferred retirement must also be taken into account.

No, but national service before 1981 may count towards the minimum pension requirement (150 months of seagoing service). National service must have been commenced within six months after expiry of a pensionable period or maritime training.

Yes, if the vessel was part of a separate agreement until 30 April 1993 and you paid contributions for the period. After 1 May 1993, you accrue pension for service on foreign vessels for a Norwegian employer if contributions were paid for that period. Yes, if after 1 May 1993 you have been a voluntary member during your service on a foreign vessel for a foreign employer.

No. On fishing vessels with a gross tonnage of more than 100 tonnes, only employees in seaman’s positions are covered. Fishermen are covered by their own pension insurance which is managed by the Norwegian Guarantee Fund for Fishermen.

Such an employment period is not pensionable, but the period spent on a vessel from another EEA country counts towards the minimum pension requirement (150 months of seagoing service). We will find out whether you are entitled to pension from the country in which the vessel is registered when you have submitted the documentation for this employment period when you apply for your pension from the Maritime pension fund.

The Pension Fund covers

• Norwegian nationals
• foreign nationals permanently residing in Norway and registered with the National Registry
• nationals of other EEA countries (but no earlier than from 1 January 1994)
• third country nationals who are resident in another Nordic country (but no earlier than from 1 September 2004)

who are employees on vessels covered by the scheme.

You must normally have a minimum of 150 months of seagoing service to qualify for a pension. If you have between 12 and 149 months of seagoing service, you will be able to add certain types of external seagoing service to meet the minimum requirement:

• Seagoing service from the Norwegian Guarantee Fund for Fishermen
• Service under another public service pension scheme (e.g. the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund) applicable to accrual of service on maritime vessels
• National service completed before 1981 if your service commenced within six months of the expiry of pensionable service or maritime training
• Service on other EU/EEA-country vessels according to the provisions of the Agreement on the European Economic Area

Your external seagoing service is not included in the basis for calculation of the size of your pension.