French pension paid abroad: the life certificate, how it works

If you receive a French pension and live abroad, your pension providers may ask you to prove you are alive each year. A single certificate is sufficient for all your providers. The method first described on service-public.gouv.fr is the free "Mon certificat de vie" (My Life Certificate) application, which uses biometric authentication. If the deadline is not met, your pension payments may be suspended.

This page explains the procedure for obtaining a life certificate. It does not specify the response time: this should be verified with the official source and in the notification from your pension fund. It does not address the taxation of your pension, the secondment and voluntary insurance of expatriates, or pensions paid by foreign pension funds.

Who is affected?

The information sheet on service-public.gouv.fr is for retirees living abroad. It specifies that this also applies to those in Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia. Your French pension funds may ask you for proof of life each year.

Nationality does not change the rule. Service-public.gouv.fr states "whatever your nationality" and the French National Retirement Insurance Fund (Assurance retraite) indicates the same thing on its dedicated page.

One single certificate for all your cash registers

This is the point that simplifies the process the most. Service-public.gouv.fr states: "A single certificate is sufficient for all your pension funds." The validated certificate is automatically sent to your various funds. The French National Retirement Insurance Fund (Assurance retraite) indicates that the certificate is sent all at once to all your pension funds.

The process is therefore not done crate by crate.

The main route: the "My Life Certificate" application«

When you need to prove your identity, you will receive a QR code by mail or email. The steps are described on service-public.gouv.fr:

Once you have started the process, you have 4 days to complete it fully. If you wish, you can download your proof of life certificate. The application can also be used to verify your marital status if requested by a social security fund.

The other methods described in the fact sheet

The app is not the only option. The service-public.gouv.fr website describes three other methods, followed by a postal option for people without internet access.

The information sheet doesn't specify which method your fund is using for your case. Ask your fund.

What is the deadline for responding?

Official sources mention a response time. This page does not specify the timeframe: you should verify this with the official source (service-public.gouv.fr website, the French National Retirement Insurance website) and in the notification you receive.

The State Pension Service informs its pensioners that the transmission is made "within the timeframes communicated by the pension funds." Upon receipt, note the date of the notification and the deadline indicated by your pension fund.

If the deadline is not met

Regarding the failure to meet the deadline, service-public.gouv.fr states: "Your retirement pension payments may be suspended." The State Pension Service similarly indicates that payments may be suspended for its pensioners. The National Retirement Insurance Fund (Assurance retraite) is more definitive in its wording: it states that your pension payments will be suspended.

The sources consulted do not describe the duration of a suspension or the conditions for reinstatement: this page does not address them. Ask your health insurance provider.

Case of state pensioners

The State Pension Service outlines an annual proof-of-life check for pensioners residing abroad. It offers three options:

• the biometric application "My Life Certificate"; ;
• the "My retirement abroad" service, with a certificate certified by a competent local authority; ;
• Postal delivery to Tours, for people without access to digital services.

In case of suspension, a contact form is available on Info Retraite, in the help section "My pension abroad": subject "My supporting document – the life certificate", then "My pension is suspended". This page from the State Pension Service applies to its pensioners. Do not generalize it to other pension funds.

Numerical example (fictitious profile)

Situation. Michel, 68, lives abroad. He receives pensions from three French pension funds. The profile assumes he will live abroad for five years, and each of his three pension funds requests proof of life annually. The information sheet only indicates that the funds may request it each year; therefore, the annual request is an assumption.

Issue. How many life certificates does he need to provide over five years?

Strategy. Under these assumptions, apply two rules from the service-public.gouv.fr fact sheet: proof of existence can be requested each year, and a single certificate is sufficient for all funds.

Result. Under these assumptions, 1 certificate per year × 5 years = 5 certificates over the period, for its three cash registers. For comparison, a separate approach per cash register would have required 3 × 5 = 15. This comparison is a calculation hypothesis: the sources do not describe this organization.

This profile is fictitious. The three funds, the five-year period, and the annual demand for each fund are assumptions. The calculation illustrates the rule. It does not predict your situation.

What this page doesn't mention: taxation

The pages consulted regarding the life certificate do not provide any tax rules. The taxation of a French pension paid abroad is not addressed here. This is determined by your country of residence: see our pages dedicated to tax treaties.

What changes depending on your situation

• Your cash register(s). The State Pension Service describes its own procedures.
• Your access to the internet and a telephone. The application assumes a phone; postal mail is intended for people without internet access.
• Your country of residence. The relevant civil registry body, local authority and consular service are those of that country.
• The timeframe indicated in your health insurance provider's notification.
• Your tax situation. It is dealt with separately, in accordance with the applicable convention.

The rule depends on your situation. No results are guaranteed.