An MRE who has worked in Sweden and contributed in Morocco can combine the Swedish pension paid by Pensionsmyndigheten and the Moroccan CNSS, CMR or CIMR pension. The social security convention signed in Stockholm on 4 January 1980 between Sweden and Morocco, in force since 1 January 1982, allows period totalization for entitlement in either country. The tax convention signed in Rabat on 17 March 1961 prevents double taxation. The Swedish system is one of the most modern worldwide with three structured pillars: public pension in two parts (inkomstpension + premiepension), occupational pension (tjanstepension) and optional individual savings. This guide details the procedure.
Costs & fees
| Swedish pension statement (minPension.se) | Free | Access via BankID or postal code |
| Tjanstepension statement (Mintjanstepension.se) | Free | Aggregator of Swedish 2nd pillar |
| CNSS Morocco contribution statement | Free | Via cnss.ma online portal |
| Cross-border SEK to MAD transfer fees | EUR 0-20 per transfer | Pensionsmyndigheten pays in SEK to international account |
| Specialist expat retirement advisor (optional) | EUR 200-500 | Full 3-pillar + Morocco audit |
Timeline
Check your statement on minPension.se
The minPension.se portal aggregates all Swedish pensions: public pension (allman pension = inkomstpension + premiepension), employer tjanstepension (2nd pillar) and individual savings (3rd pillar). Access via BankID or by post if you are outside Sweden. The portal projects monthly amounts at every target age between 63 and 70. In Morocco, cnss.ma shows your contribution history. Save both statements in PDF. For MREs who left Sweden without BankID, Pensionsmyndigheten offers postal access.
💡 Tip — Without BankID after leaving Sweden, request a paper statement from Pensionsmyndigheten via their non-resident form.
⚠️ Warning — Tjanstepensions from small employers or old periods may not be fully captured by minPension.se. Identify every former employer and its pension fund.
Verify the Sweden-Morocco convention and totalization
The Sweden-Morocco social security convention signed in Stockholm on 4 January 1980 has been in force since 1 January 1982. It allows period totalization to open pension entitlement in either country, without merging amounts. For Swedish public pension (allman pension), there is no strict minimum duration to receive inkomstpension (contributions yield proportional pension), but garantipension requires residence years. For CNSS, Swedish years can be totalized to reach Moroccan thresholds.
💡 Tip — Mention Moroccan periods explicitly on the Pensionsmyndigheten claim. The International service coordinates with CNSS.
⚠️ Warning — Garantipension (minimum guarantee pension) requires at least 3 years of residence in Sweden, with full amount needing 40 years of residence between 16 and 66. Moroccan years do not count for this residence calculation.
Understand inkomstpension and premiepension
Swedish public pension (allman pension) has two parts. Inkomstpension is funded by social contributions (16% of salary) on a notional defined-contribution basis: each contribution year credits a virtual account that grows. Premiepension is funded by 2.5% of salary, placed in an individual account where you choose the funds (default: AP7 Safa fund). At claim, premiepension can be paid as a lifetime annuity or as a temporary annuity. The two components combined are around 16-18% of the average salary, that is EUR 1,400 to 2,200 per month after 35-40 years at the median wage.
💡 Tip — Premiepension can be kept in active management until age 78, attractive for long retirements. The AP7 Safa fund averaged around 12% per year between 2010-2020, above inkomstpension.
⚠️ Warning — Once the premiepension annuity is activated, the choice between traditional (low guaranteed yield) and fund-based (higher potential but variable) is final. Decide carefully.
Claim the 2nd pillar tjanstepension
Tjanstepension is the Swedish occupational pension, governed by sectoral union agreements (SAF-LO for blue-collar, ITP for white-collar, KAP-KL for public sector, PA16 for state). It typically represents 4.5% of salary (up to a threshold) + 30% above. Each tjanstepension is managed by a different pension fund (Alecta, AMF, SPP, Folksam, etc.). The claim is filed directly with each fund, 3 to 6 months before retirement. For MREs returning to Morocco, payment can be as lifetime annuity or (per fund) 5-20 year temporary annuity. Full lump sum is generally not permitted.
💡 Tip — Tjanstepension can be 25 to 40% of total retirement income. Identify every former employer and contact the matching fund.
⚠️ Warning — Cross-border tjanstepension payments can incur significant fees depending on the fund. Negotiate or keep a SEK account in Sweden to reduce FX cost.
Choose retirement age between 63 and 70
The Swedish system is flexible: you can start allman pension from age 63 (moving to 64 in 2026, 65 in 2028). Garantipension opens at 66 (moving to 67 in 2028). Deferring to 70 significantly raises the pension (around 8% per year of deferral). For MREs with mixed Sweden plus Morocco careers, a common strategy is to claim CNSS at 60 (immediate payment), then wait until 65 or 67 to maximise the Swedish allman pension.
💡 Tip — Pensionsmyndigheten offers an online simulator (Min framtida pension) to calculate net amounts at several retirement ages. Use it before deciding.
⚠️ Warning — Pension claimed early with reduction cannot be cancelled: the reduction is permanent for life. For MREs in good health, deferring can be very profitable.
Claim the Moroccan CNSS pension in parallel
The Moroccan CNSS pension opens from age 60, before the Swedish legal age. The claim is filed at any CNSS office in Morocco or online at cnss.ma, 4 to 6 months before the target date. The 1980 Sweden-Morocco convention allows totalization to open entitlement if you contributed little in Morocco. For MREs below the 1,320-day CNSS minimum (lowered effective 1 May 2025), totalization with Swedish years can be enough to open a reduced pension.
💡 Tip — Attach your minPension.se statement to the CNSS claim to trigger the bilateral convention verification.
⚠️ Warning — CNSS calculates the pension on your 8 best salary years. If you are still working in Sweden at 60, delaying the CNSS claim can improve the Moroccan calculation.
Allocate taxation under the 1961 convention
The Sweden-Morocco tax convention signed in Rabat on 17 March 1961 (effective 1962) splits pension taxation. General rule: private pensions (private sector allman pension, private tjanstepension, CNSS, CIMR) are taxable only in the country of residence. Civil service pensions (Swedish public fund for former civil servants, Moroccan CMR for former civil servants) remain taxable in the paying country. An MRE settled in Morocco therefore declares his private allman pension only in Morocco, in his IR return. To avoid Swedish SINK withholding (Sarskild Inkomstskatt for utomlands bosatta), request Skatteverket to apply the bilateral convention.
💡 Tip — Swedish SINK (Special Income Tax for non-residents) is 25% by default on pensions paid abroad. With convention applied, it can be reduced to 0 for private pensions.
⚠️ Warning — Application of the 1961 convention must be explicitly requested from Skatteverket before the first pension payment. Otherwise the 25% withholding applies automatically, refundable only annually.
In depth
Sweden hosts around 50,000 people of Moroccan origin, mainly in the Stockholm and Gothenburg regions. The Swedish system is considered one of the most modern globally, built on transparency (minPension.se is a unique aggregator) and flexibility (free retirement age between 63 and 70). Demographic transition has progressively raised the legal age: 63 today for allman pension, 64 in 2026, 65 in 2028. Garantipension stays at 66 (then 67 in 2028). The system rests on three structured pillars, with employer tjanstepension (2nd pillar) covering about 90% of Swedish employees via sectoral union agreements. For an MRE who worked 25 years in Sweden at the average wage, the typical order is around EUR 1,200 allman pension and EUR 400 to 800 tjanstepension, totalling EUR 1,600 to 2,000 gross per month, plus the Moroccan CNSS. The 1980 bilateral convention remains applicable and well-established in administrative practice.
❌ Common mistakes to avoid
- ✕Claiming allman pension too early (at 63) without simulating the gain from deferring to 67 or 70.
- ✕Neglecting the 2nd pillar tjanstepension while it represents 25 to 40% of total retirement income.
- ✕Forgetting to activate the 1961 bilateral convention with Skatteverket, suffering the automatic 25% SINK withholding.
- ✕Choosing the wrong premiepension format between traditional and fund annuity: the decision is final.
- ✕Believing garantipension is exportable to Morocco: it is conditioned on Swedish residence at the claim date with restrictions for non-residents.
🔗 Official links and resources
Pensionsmyndigheten
Swedish pension agency, claims, statements, simulators
minPension.se
Aggregator of 1st + 2nd + 3rd Swedish pillars
Skatteverket - SINK
Swedish tax authority, non-resident SINK regime
Forsakringskassan
Swedish social insurance agency (health, disability)
CNSS Morocco - Member portal
CNSS statement and pension claim in Morocco
❓ Frequently asked questions
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