You can receive Old Age Security (OAS) while outside Canada. Under the 2026 OAS rules, the key question is how long you lived in Canada after turning 18. With at least 20 years of Canadian residence, your OAS can generally continue while you live abroad. Without that history, payments normally stop after a limited absence unless an international social security agreement helps you qualify.
How Long Can You Receive OAS Outside Canada?
When you have fewer than 20 years of Canadian residence after age 18, the Old Age Security Act allows your pension to continue during the first six consecutive months of an absence. The month in which you leave Canada is excluded when counting that period. Once those six months have passed, OAS is suspended for the remaining period abroad.
For someone who meets the 20-year residence requirement before leaving, there is no equivalent six-month cutoff. OAS can continue for as long as the person remains outside Canada, subject to continuing to meet the program’s other requirements. This is why a temporary winter trip and a permanent move abroad can produce very different results for someone with a shorter Canadian residence history.
A Social Security Agreement Can Change the 20-Year Requirement
Having fewer than two decades of actual Canadian residence does not always mean OAS must stop. Canada has international social security agreements with many countries. Depending on the particular agreement, periods of residence or contributions in the other country can be combined with Canadian residence to help you meet the requirement for receiving OAS abroad.
Those foreign periods can help establish eligibility, but they do not automatically increase the Canadian residence used to calculate a partial OAS pension. The pension amount itself is generally based on your years of residence in Canada after age 18. We would therefore check the agreement covering the country involved rather than assume that years spent abroad count the same way for both eligibility and payment amount. You can read more about the underlying OAS residency requirements.
What Happens When You Return to Canada?
When OAS has been suspended because your absence exceeded the permitted period, the 2026 legislation allows payment to resume with the month in which you return to Canada. Contact Service Canada after returning so your payments can be restarted.
It is better to deal with a long absence before payments become an overpayment issue. If you plan to be away for more than six months and are unsure whether your residence history lets you keep receiving OAS, use the OAS contact options before leaving.
Other Questions About Receiving OAS Abroad
Can you qualify for OAS for the first time while already living outside Canada?
Yes. A person applying from abroad generally needs to have been a Canadian citizen or legal resident of Canada immediately before leaving and satisfy the applicable residence requirement. The current eligibility rules for applicants outside Canada are different from the rules for someone living in Canada when the pension is approved. Our separate guide explains how to apply for OAS from outside Canada.
Can you receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement indefinitely outside Canada too?
No. The Guaranteed Income Supplement has its own absence restriction. Under the Old Age Security Act, GIS cannot continue indefinitely abroad simply because your OAS pension can.
Does moving abroad change how your OAS is taxed?
It can. Canadian tax treatment for a non-resident depends on rules separate from the residence test for continuing the pension. Our guide to OAS taxes outside Canada covers that issue without mixing the tax rules into the payment-duration rules here.
