You receive a Belgian pension while residing abroad ? Certain procedures must be carried out with the Federal Pension Service (SFP) to avoid, in particular, an interruption of your pension payment.
Do you live abroad? Report important changes
When you are retired and reside abroad, you must inform the Federal Pension Service of any change that may affect your file, particularly a change in your family or tax situation.
A change of your address abroad must also be communicated to the SFP.
The life certificate: are you still concerned?
It all depends on the country in which you reside.
When you live in a country with which the Federal Pension Service does not yet have an electronic data exchange system, a life certificate is sent to you regularly.
This document allows the SFP to ensure that the pension beneficiary is still alive and that payment can therefore continue.
Be aware of the 30-day deadline
From the receipt of the life certificate, you have 30 days to return it duly completed.
The front contains notably your personal commitment by which you confirm that you will report any changes in your situation and that you will reimburse any amounts that may have been unduly received in case of false or inaccurate declaration or non-compliance with your obligations.
The back must, for its part, be completed and validated by a competent foreign authority.
If the SFP does not receive the certificate within 30 days, the payment of the pension may be suspended.
How to verify that your life certificate is valid?
Before transmitting it, carefully check that your certificate meets the conditions imposed by the Federal Pension Service.
It must:
- be signed by yourself ;
- also be signed by your spouse if you receive an employee pension at the household rate ;
- include your personal data on the back ;
- be validated by the seal of a competent local authority.
An incomplete or improperly legalized certificate may be refused and lead to the suspension of your pension payment.
If you are no longer physically able to sign the document yourself, different solutions are provided: intervention of the administrator, medical certificate attesting to the impossibility of signing, identity card bearing the mention "exemption from signature", thumbprint or, depending on the situation, validation by the local authority.
Who can legalize your life certificate?
Several authorities can validate the certificate. It may notably include:
- from the city or municipality of your place of residence ;
- from a Belgian embassy or consulate ;
- from the police ;
- from certain administrative or official authorities recognized in your country of residence.
The SFP also recognizes certain specific authorities depending on the countries : Notary Public in the United States, Town/Borough Council in the United Kingdom, Ayuntamiento or Alcalde in Spain, Gemeinde Amt in Germany, Sociale Verzekeringsbank in the Netherlands, Service Canada in Canada, etc.
Attention : a bank, a post office, a doctor, a pharmacist or, in principle, a lawyer cannot legalize your certificate of life. However, some exceptions exist, notably for “solicitors” in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Have you lost your certificate of life ?
Don't panic : a new form can be downloaded from the Federal Pension Service website.
Download the certificate of life from the Federal Pension Service
Y
ou are going to live abroad ? Notify the SFP two months in advance
If you are retired and leaving Belgium to settle abroad, the Federal Pension Service requests to be informed two months before your departure.
This step is important to allow the continuation of your pension payments without interruption.
You must send to the SFP a personally signed letter mentioning :
- the date of your departure ;
- your new address abroad ;
- if you plan to register in the consular population registers with a Belgian embassy or consulate ;
- if you wish to change your payment method.
The letter can be sent to :
Federal Pension Service
Tour du Midi
Esplanade de l'Europe 1
1060 Brussels
Belgium
For security reasons, a change of address cannot be communicated simply by phone or email.
You can however manually sign your letter, scan it and send it as an attachment via the contact form of the Federal Pension Service. Contact form of the Federal Pension Service
Do you already live abroad and are changing your address?
The same vigilance applies if you are already expatriated and moving within your country of residence or to another country.
Your new address must be communicated to the Federal Pension Service by means of a personally signed letter.
Again, the letter can be sent by mail or signed, scanned and then transmitted via the contact form of the FPS.
The advice of the UFBE
When receiving a Belgian pension abroad, it is important not to neglect the correspondence and requests from the Federal Pension Service.
A life certificate not returned on time, incorrectly completed or not validly legalized may lead to the suspension of payments.
Similarly, when leaving Belgium or changing your address abroad, remember to quickly inform the various relevant administrations.
The UFBE regularly supports Belgians living abroad in understanding the administrative procedures related to their expatriation and can direct them to the competent services.
Do you have a question regarding an administrative procedure related to your Belgian pension and your residence abroad? Contact the UFBE.
Are you interested in this sort of information?
The UFBE is represented in Mauritius by Etienne Brehain and Michel Moreau.
To learn more visit the UFBE website
