Life Certificate

Pensioners living abroad must send original life certificates (“Attestatie De Vita”) on a regular basis. Failing to send your Life Certificate on time will result in blocking of pension payment until proof of life has been received by SZV.

Who

Pensioners living abroad.

Procedure

For pensioners residing in the ex-Netherlands Antilles, but outside of Sint Maarten: As of November 1, 2021 you are no longer required to submit a Life Certificate to SZV. 

For pensioners residing in the Netherlands:
Updated, effective January 25, 2022

SZV’s pension policy demands a Life Certificate every 6 months. The Calendar year periods in which the pensioner should validate and submit their Life Certificate are:

• from May 1st, up and until May 31st,
• from November 1st, up and until November 30th.

For pensioners residing outside of the Dutch Kingdom:
Updated, effective May 1, 2023

SZV’s pension policy demands a Life Certificate every 6 months. The Calendar year periods in which the pensioner should validate and submit their Life Certificate are:

• from May 1st, up and until May 31st, and
• from November 1st, up and until November 30th.

Once the Life Certificate is submitted in accordance with the above mentioned period the pensioner will receive their monthly pension benefits over the period covered by their Life Certificate. If the Life Certificate is submitted late, the pension benefits will be temporarily discontinued (blocked) and payments will be delayed.

What to send

• The life certificate (if possible please use the SZV Life Certificate format) 

A life certificate is a legal document signed and validated by an authorized person stating that this person is alive. SZV accepts as authorized persons: Justices of Peace, a Notary Public, a Civil Law Notary, the Dutch Embassy, the Civil Registry of one of the other countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and SVB offices in Aruba, Curaçao, BES.

Please note:

• The life Certificate can be scanned and emailed to SZV first, awaiting the originals by airmail. Scanned Life Certificates are valid for 2 months awaiting the arrival of the originals.

Life Certificates validated outside of the appointed periods have limited validity (equal to a Life Certificate issued in the preceding appointed period).