Digital authentication, bank certification, diplomatic missions and authorised agents offer alternatives for pensioners living overseas
Indian pensioners living abroad do not need to return to India to complete the annual life certificate requirement, with the government providing four routes for submitting the document. The certificate is required to ensure the continued payment of pension and family pension.
The first option is through a designated officer of a bank covered under the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act. Pensioners receiving their pension through an eligible bank can have the life certificate authenticated by the bank officer without appearing before the pension-disbursing authority in India.
A second route is through an authorised agent in India. The certificate may be authenticated by an eligible authority, including a magistrate, notary, banker or Indian diplomatic representative, before being submitted to the relevant pension authority.
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Pensioners can also approach an Indian embassy, high commission or consulate in their country of residence
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An authorised diplomatic official can verify the pensioner using documents such as the Pension Payment Order or passport and issue the certificate
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In cases where the pensioner cannot travel to the mission, documents may be sent by post with appropriate medical certification
The fourth option is the digital Jeevan Pramaan system. It uses Aadhaar-based authentication to generate a Digital Life Certificate that can be accessed electronically by the pension-disbursing agency. Face authentication has also expanded the possibility of completing the process through a smartphone, subject to technical and Aadhaar-linked requirements.
The latest guidance comes as overseas pensioners continue to report difficulties with biometric authentication, Aadhaar-linked mobile numbers, connectivity and access to Indian diplomatic missions. On August 11, the Bharat Pensioners Samaj renewed its call for the government to allow authenticated certificates to be sent through registered email addresses as an additional facility.
Pensioners are advised to complete the process ahead of the deadline and confirm that their pension authority has recorded the submission.
