A Certificate of Life – which you may also find referred to as a Proof of Life, Certificate of Life or Letter of Existence – is a document produced by foreign governments on behalf of a UK citizen living abroad. Or indeed, the UK government for foreign citizens living here in the UK.
Together with France, Spain is a favourite destination for UK citizens wanting to move abroad. There are, in fact, currently around 360,000 Brits registered as permanent residents in Spain.
Of course, now that Britain has exited the EU, the rules for working and living in the Mediterranean country have changed. Brits now require a visa if staying in Spain for longer than 90 days. But what about other paperwork – specifically that relating to pensions and insurance pay-outs?
The whole point of the document is to formally confirm that the individual in question is indeed still alive and well. And, of course, both the UK and foreign governments need to know this if the individual is in receipt of a pension from them. Private pension companies and life insurance companies similarly need to know if they are still obliged to send money in the form of annuities to that person. After all, if a person who has moved abroad to Spain dies then the UK government won’t automatically be aware – nor will the private pension or insurance companies – unless they are notified by a relative or friend of the deceased.
UK citizens in Spain requiring Certificate of Life stamp
If you are a British person living abroad in Spain and requiring a Certificate of Life then it is no longer possible to get one from the British consulate there. That’s because the British Consulates in Spain don’t legalise UK documents with the Hague Apostille.
If the UK Pensions Office have sent you a Certificate of Life document then you can have this witnessed by a long-standing professional. These are the same type of ‘upstanding members of the community’ that used to sign a UK passport, such as a teacher, lawyer, etc. For this purpose though they don’t need to be UK citizens or even reside in the UK.
But, in order to prove that the document in genuine (and most companies asking for it will obviously want this) then it has to be legalised by what is known as the ‘Legalisation Office.’ Here a notary will be able to confirm that a signature, seal or stamp is indeed, the real thing ie that it is from a UK public official. After checking the document in front of them, the Legalisation Office will then attach a stamped official certificate, known as a Hague Apostille.
To get a Certificate of Life in the first place (known as a Certificado de Fe de Vida in Spain), it’s necessary to turn up at the civil registry with your passport, town hall certificate (certificado de empadronamiento) and residence certificate (certificado de residencia).
Spanish nationals living abroad in the UK
Any Spanish nationals living abroad must arrange for this to be signed and sent to the Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social (INSS) on an annual basis (provided it is done so between the months of January and March).
The Fe de Vida must be signed by a public official, police officer or a notary, with their stamp clearly displayed. It must also have the date on which the document was signed.
An individual who fails to do this won’t just have their pension put on hold, but it can only be backdated for a maximum of three months. So, it could mean losing out on a lot of money if the Spanish government take time to confirm the eventual receipt of a Certificate of Life after it’s been sent late.
