Do you receive a pension from another country? If so, they might send you a “still alive” document.
What is a “still alive” document?
If you are receiving a pension from a foreign country, that country will likely want you to prove that you are alive, as a condition of receiving the pension.
How often do these have to be signed?
The frequency usually depends on your age, the amount of the pension, and the country from which the pension comes.
For example, if you are in your 60’s, you might only need to sign a letter every 5 years. When you reach your late 80’s, however, you might be signing these letters every 3 months.
Does it need to be notarized?
Usually, yes. The foreign country wants independent verification by a trusted third party that you are alive, so they aren’t being scammed by families of deceased pensioners. They rely on notaries to do that.
In some cases, you might be able to have the “still alive” document signed by a commissioner for taking oaths, but most of the time the documents require notarization.
Read the instructions they provide to you very carefully to make sure you are making an appointment with the right professional.
We can assist you with signatures by notaries OR commissioners for taking oaths, but we need to know which capacity is required when signing the documents in order to complete them the right way.
What do I need to bring you?
Bring us your “still alive” document, along with two pieces of your current, government-issued identification.
Please note that your identification must be current – it cannot be expired. If you know you are going to have to sign one of these documents, please double check to make sure your ID is up to date.
If you no longer drive, or have given up your Driver’s Licence, you can get a BCID card which is acceptable as one of the pieces of government-issued ID.
How long will this take?
Your appointment with us will usually take about 10-15 minutes.
But give yourself lots of time to get in to see us, get the document notarized, and back to the originating country.