UK Pension Transfers (SIPP / QROPS)
For people living outside the UK: should your UK pension stay where it is, move to a SIPP, or transfer to a QROPS (an overseas pension scheme)? We write down the trade-offs.
Moving a UK pension starts with comparing your options, not with a transaction. If you live outside the UK there are three realistic routes: leave it in the UK, move it to an international SIPP (a UK-registered self-invested pension), or transfer it to a QROPS (an overseas pension scheme that qualifies to receive UK transfers). Each has different tax, charges, currency and flexibility — and for many people the right answer is to leave it where it is.
The names matter. HMRC's official term is ROPS — a Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme on HMRC's published ROPS list. A QROPS is a ROPS that also meets the conditions to receive a transfer from a UK registered pension, which is why the industry still uses the older name. A QNUPS (Qualifying Non-UK Pension Scheme) is different again: it can't receive a UK pension transfer at all, and is paid into with money that's already been taxed, for UK inheritance tax planning. Before anything else, we check which of these is actually being suggested to you.
We write the comparison. Transfer values, guaranteed benefits you'd give up, the overseas transfer charge, scheme charges, how flexibly you can draw money, what happens on death, and how your country of residence taxes each route are set out side by side in writing, with our recommendation stated plainly.
Transfers of final-salary (defined-benefit) pensions and any regulated advice are handled by a properly authorised adviser; we coordinate that work, review what they produce and stay your point of contact. Any payment from a product or transfer is disclosed before anything is done.
What we do for you
- Stay / SIPP / QROPS compared
- Whether the 25% overseas transfer charge applies
- Coordinated with a regulated adviser
Who usually uses this
- People living outside the UK with UK pensions, whether savings pots or final-salary schemes
- People who've been recommended a QROPS and want an independent second opinion
- Expats bringing several small UK pension pots together
- Families planning what happens to a UK pension on death when they live across borders
One team, step by step, from the first call to handing it over.
Scheme details, transfer values, guarantees and protected benefits requested and confirmed in writing.
Leave it, SIPP or QROPS compared on tax, charges, currency, flexibility and death benefits for where you live, with the receiving scheme checked against HMRC's ROPS list.
Whether the overseas transfer charge applies, any exit penalties and ongoing costs worked out over the years you'll hold it.
If a transfer is right, it's done through an authorised adviser and followed through to completion. If it turns out the real aim is estate planning with already-taxed money rather than a transfer, we move it over to our QNUPS and inheritance tax work instead.
What you receive.
Every engagement closes with a specialist-reviewed handover pack — retained on file for thirty years.
- A confirmed list of your UK pensions and their transfer values
- A written comparison: leave it / SIPP / QROPS
- Confirmation that the receiving scheme is on HMRC's ROPS list
- Analysis of the overseas transfer charge and costs
- A summary of what happens on death and who benefits
- Coordination with the regulated adviser through to completion
The countries we most often use for this service.
Questions we hear on every intake call.
- What's the difference between a SIPP and a QROPS?
- An international SIPP is still a UK-registered scheme, with UK rules and UK protections. A QROPS is an overseas scheme that meets HMRC's conditions; it can offer different currency and reporting features but may trigger the overseas transfer charge, and it sits outside UK regulation.
- What's the difference between ROPS and QROPS?
- ROPS is HMRC's official term — a Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme on HMRC's ROPS list. QROPS is the older industry name for a ROPS that also qualifies to receive a transfer from a UK registered pension. People use them interchangeably, but being on the ROPS list doesn't by itself guarantee a transfer is tax-free or right for you; we check the status and the charge separately.
- What is a QNUPS, and can I transfer my UK pension into one?
- No, you can't. A QNUPS (Qualifying Non-UK Pension Scheme) can't receive a transfer from a UK registered pension. It's paid into with already-taxed money and is mainly used for UK inheritance tax planning by people who've already used their pension allowances. If someone is suggesting a QNUPS as somewhere to transfer your pension, that's a warning sign.
- What is the overseas transfer charge?
- A 25% HMRC charge on transfers to overseas schemes, unless an exception applies — most commonly when you live in the same country as the receiving scheme. We confirm whether it applies to you before anything is signed.
- Should I transfer a final-salary (defined-benefit) pension?
- Usually not. Giving up a guaranteed income that rises with inflation is rarely in your interest, and any such transfer needs formal advice from an FCA-authorised specialist. We say so plainly when the answer is to leave it.
- How is a transfer review paid for?
- The review is part of the wealth-management work, paid through the products used rather than a fixed or hourly fee. Product, transfer and intermediary costs are disclosed before anything is done.
Start with a twenty-minute call. Come away with a written plan and price.
Every engagement begins with our advisory team and is assigned to the relevant specialists. Fees are quoted in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing.
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Every engagement begins with a twenty-minute advisory call. The fee is in writing before any work begins. No hourly billing.