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Post by aucamville on Oct 14, 2023 19:51:22 GMT 1
Apologies if this is not the right place to post this. If not, then hopefully some kind person will redirect it.
Does anyone else on this forum have any experience of receiving a Proof of Life Request from the UK DWP (CF(N)698.
Upon ringing the UK DWP (over an hour on hold, fortunately my Orange contract gives me free calls to the UK) I was told that now the DWP requires proof that I am still alive as I am in receipt of a UK State Pension.
This form has to be witnessed, signed and stamped by a French notaire, doctor, judge, pharmacist, etc, etc, and then returned to the UK.
When I explained to the girl at DWP who was trying her best that no official in France is going to sign a form in English she admitted that they had a French version, Certifiicat de Vie (1 PCSO 698 France 12/13) which she emailed to me.
Fortunately I was able to get this witnessed, signed and stamped at my local pharmacy and then returned recorded delivery to the UK at a cost of €8,50.
When I rang the DWP, yet again to check that they had received it I was told yes they had but that I would be receiving one each year from now on!!
I have two UK private pensions, Scottish Widows, never ask for any proof of life. Reassure (useless company) just do it over the phone.
Anyway, apologies for my long rambling posting but it must be relevant for many older ex UK residents in France who are maybe on their own and would have great difficulty in getting this document signed.
Also, as a point of interest, one of the more helpful young ladies that I spoke to at the DWP told me that UK pensioners do not receive Proof of Life forms and that post Brexit they had been told told to pensioners living in France!!!
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Post by jeliecrack on Oct 14, 2023 20:22:23 GMT 1
my doctor signed my english form.so did the mayor, a different year,did you ask before ringing DWP?
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exile
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Massif Central
Posts: 2,693
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Post by exile on Oct 14, 2023 20:40:09 GMT 1
I get an endless stream of these forms with 2 UK and 3 German pensions plus 2 for the OH.
Many are only in the language of the sender although one German one has full French translation (and English) and another has at least a confirmation sentence of what is required and what they are confirming in French.
Being in a small commune, the secretary at the mairie is happy to sign on behalf of the mayor.
I have never used recorded delivery. Standard rate does the job and in the event of the document being somehow lost, I would expect a reminder would be sent.
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Post by leclairon on Oct 14, 2023 20:41:01 GMT 1
We take ours into the pharmacy each year (English version)and they sign and stamp no problem. The GP signed it one year for OH.
Friends take theirs to the Mairie. OH sends his back recommandé but I send mine ordinary post.So far, no problem.
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exile
Member
Massif Central
Posts: 2,693
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Post by exile on Oct 14, 2023 21:06:14 GMT 1
Just doing a bit of checking but I think your "helpful young lady" might be wrong. I had a feeling that we had received a DWP life certificate before Brexit but getting so many of these requests I could not be certain. This link: www.gov.uk/guidance/notarial-and-documentary-services-guide-for-francedated 12/4/2013 suggests they were around pre any thoughts about Brexit. |
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suein56
Member
Southern Morbihan 56 Brittany
Posts: 7,568
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Post by suein56 on Oct 14, 2023 22:02:06 GMT 1
but I think your "helpful young lady" might be wrong. I had a feeling that we had received a DWP life certificate before BrexitI can confirm that .. OH started his OAP pension in early 2015 and received one of these 'Tell us you are still alive forms' before the first monthly payment could even hit his Bank Account. When I spoke to a charming woman at DWP to give details of where I would to receive my pension I asked about the request ref OH .. and she laughed and said that the sending out of such letters was completely random early on. Until you hit 80 then they start coming more regularly and then, at 90, they arrive every year. |
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Post by houpla on Oct 15, 2023 6:34:49 GMT 1
I have never used recorded delivery. Standard rate does the job and in the event of the document being somehow lost, I would expect a reminder would be sent. OH sends them back via standard international post. No problem so far. In fact, I believe the LRAR system stops working at Calais, so not much point paying for it. Anecdotally, though, there have been cases of the forms 'not being received' (in the very best tradition of French bureaucracy  ) and Brits having their pension payments suspended. So while your faith in the DWP is touching, exile, apparently they are a bit overworked trying to sort out the 8 month backlog of contribution top-ups, and are unlikely to be sending out reminders for anything  |
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Aardvark
Non-gamer
Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 2,172
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Post by Aardvark on Oct 15, 2023 9:58:43 GMT 1
Unless the reminders are software driven and automatically sent without human intervention.
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Aardvark
Non-gamer
Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 2,172
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Post by Aardvark on Oct 15, 2023 10:01:29 GMT 1
Over the years we have taken our forms to either doctor or pharmacy. They have seen hundreds by now and know what its about. My doctor had a belly laugh when I first explained what it was about many years ago.
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Post by specsavers2 on Oct 15, 2023 10:23:07 GMT 1
We have had forms signed of by our doctor, pharmacist and the mayor of the next village. No problem. ☹️
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Le-Dolly
Member
La Souterraine (23) depuis '05.
Posts: 575
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Post by Le-Dolly on Oct 15, 2023 10:30:45 GMT 1
I have received three of these annually since I retired, from Morocco, Thailand and the UK. My doctor signs mine when I make my three monthly visits. The only one that gets the LRAR is the Moroccan one because I know that the system works there, the others go in the standard post, albeit by airmail, no probs so far.
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Post by Nutty on Oct 15, 2023 13:18:45 GMT 1
I routinely photocopy all correspondence with the DWP.. I returned one of those proof of life forms - duly signed up - to the DWP in May 2023 and a couple of weeks ago I received a letter from them saying that as I hadn't returned the form, they had put a STOP order on my pension.
Of all my pension providers, they are the only ones who demand 'proof of life' every year.
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Veem
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Post by Veem on Oct 15, 2023 13:59:20 GMT 1
We were both required to have our lives verified earlier this year. We had both forms signed at the mairie at the same time and duly posted them in the same envelope back to DWP. The only reminder OH received was a letter informing him that his payments had been stopped due to non-receipt of his signed form. He rang DWP and asked if my form had been received, and it had. Clearly, they had lost his form but agreed to restart his payments immediately, whilst requesting that he get another form signed and returned to them.
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Post by aucamville on Oct 15, 2023 15:27:29 GMT 1
Thanks to all that have taken the time to reply.
The French Recorded Delivery seems to work and I was able to track it until it left France and was then on the Royal Mail tracking system and I was able to see when it was delivered with their name and a picture of their signature.
As someone else said, I photocopy everything before sending it back.
Thanks again.
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suein56
Member
Southern Morbihan 56 Brittany
Posts: 7,568
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Post by suein56 on Oct 15, 2023 21:37:21 GMT 1
We were both required to have our lives verified earlier this year. We had both forms signed at the mairie at the same time and duly posted them in the same envelope back to DWP. The only reminder OH received was a letter informing him that his payments had been stopped due to non-receipt of his signed form. That's exactly what we did just a few weeks ago .. I now have my fingers crossed that our forms arrive and that they arrive and are considered together. |
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) and Brits having their pension payments suspended. So while your faith in the DWP is touching, exile, apparently they are a bit overworked trying to sort out the 8 month backlog of contribution top-ups, and are unlikely to be sending out reminders for anything 
