DWP life certificate.

[Badrabbit]

2 minutes ago, Pdavies99 said:

As a retired pension trustee I have signed countless of these for for colleagues, note it does not need a stamp etc, merely a recognised person to effect 

Form says " signature, name of person, company stamp, List of people who can sign, policman Pharmacist etc

[Badrabbit]

Just now, Badrabbit said:

Form says " signature, name of person, company stamp, List of people who can sign, policman Pharmacist 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 1/25/2025 at 4:42 PM, Badrabbit said:

Has any one received one of these, got it today, eventually got it signed at Chalong Police Station.

Cost 1000bht to send this back to DWP, surely in this day and age they should have an online form, oh well done now.

Didn't know where to post this so it's here.

Received mine on Friday.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 1/25/2025 at 5:43 PM, Upnotover said:

It must be deliberate.  Every missed letter saves them money.

Really...how does that work?   One phone call to the IPC sorts it out, "they" save nothing.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:11 PM, Badrabbit said:

I'm not bothered about the 1000bht it's EMS so I can see it all the way to Wolverhampton.

Registered post does the same for B250!

[Liverpool Lou]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:36 PM, LivinginKata said:

I get my local doctor to sign. Pay 200 Baht consult fee. Send by registered post about 200 Baht. Give tracking number. 

The girl in my condo's office signs and affixes their JP stamp for nothing.

[Pdavies99]

17 minutes ago, Badrabbit said:

Form says " signature, name of person, company stamp, List of people who can sign, policman Pharmacist etc

Signature

FSA registration trustee number of mine

Read the rules it will say a stamp is not necessary.

 

Like I said I have signed hundreds at no cost to anyone, but of course you can pay someone if you wish.

 

END!

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, ignis said:

That is a good idea, saves the expense and Hazzel of waiting on the phone for 45 + mins to UK

Call them at 8am, then.  That's what I did week before last and the call was answered immediately, cost B40.

[jwest10]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:11 PM, Badrabbit said:

The Pharmacy I got it signed at last time this time refused, Dentist refused, then I noticed on the form saying a member of the police force, so I went to Chalong police stn. Thay signed it but I noticed he didn't print his name, I hope HMRC will not reject it plus he wrote in Thai.

I'm not bothered about the 1000bht it's EMS so I can see it all the way to Wolverhampton.

You would think thay would use an online form.

.

That been state so many times and post can tale 2 months to get here before getting back.

[Gottfrid]

37 minutes ago, Badrabbit said:

Paid the same last year, thay said its express, good enough for me.

Sure, if good for, then all fine. 

Just one note. If they say that EMS have an express version, they are lying. The whole point of EMS is, that it´s already express. The shortcut stands for Express Mail Service

[Gottfrid]

2 hours ago, msbkk said:

Is it still the same price, the article mentions prices starting year 2018...?

Not 100% sure, but could not find a more recent price.

[Burma Bill]

DWP life certificate.

Has to be completed to obtain a UK State Pension

 

I received one here in Cambodia early last month (December 2024). It was dated the "9th September 2024" and requested its return within 16 weeks!  I was fortunate to connect with DWP by phone and a very helpful agent gave me an additional 16 weeks extension to return the certificate due to the time it took to reach me (3 months). In my case, DWP did not use registered air mail.

 

My Cambodian bank kindly completed my "witness of signature" certificate for free, having got clearance of any possible legal implications. I returned the certificate by registered air mail with Cambodia Post (3.50$) and it was signed for on receipt at the WV post code 10 days later (I was able to track it on my computer). 

 

So, I continue to receive my State Pension, albeit at the same rate when I started 15 years ago (102 GBP per week)

 

Coincidently earlier this month, I also received a Life Certificate from another Local Government Pension Office, but this was delivered, completed and returned on-line.  

[Liverpool Lou]

59 minutes ago, Badrabbit said:

Paid the same last year, thay said its express, good enough for me.

As long as it takes less than the 16 weeks we're allowed to return it there is no need for "Express".

[OJAS]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:39 PM, Moonlover said:

They are aware that they loose millions of pounds a year paying out pensions to dead folks around the world.

 

9 hours ago, cowellandrew said:

https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/dwp-mistakenly-pays-500-million-30758112

 

Looks to me like the lion's share of the £500m in question relates to deceased pensioners who lived in the UK, and who, unlike us, were not subject to the Life Certificate bureaucratic nonsense!

 

[Liverpool Lou]

28 minutes ago, jwest10 said:

hat been state so many times and post can tale 2 months to get here before getting back.

And that's been claimed so many times also.  The day I spoke to IPC on the phone I was told that a LC had just been sent out to me - ten days later I'm filling in the form in Bangkok and returning it.

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

 

What is a DWP certificate?

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67160776e94bb9726918ee90/Life_Certificate.pdf

 

[OJAS]

3 hours ago, crazykopite said:

I have a HMRC app that’s how they contact me have had it for a number of years now it allows me to check everything and if they need to contact me they use the App 

 

Maybe true of HMRC, but certainly not of their pals in DWP who are responsible for the Life Certificate bureaucratic nonsense to which we are periodically subject!

[Badrabbit]

54 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Registered post does the same for B250!

Good for you.

[Liverpool Lou]

5 minutes ago, Badrabbit said:

59 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Registered post does the same for B250!

Good for you.

Indeed, it was.

[soalbundy]

5 hours ago, Muhendis said:

I sincerely hope the UK  DWP can find a way to confirm that I am still alive without sending me a bit of paper once every year. EMS is very hit n'miss here in Buriram. A few years ago my pension was stopped because the life certificate never arrived from DWP. I keep a copy of it in my computer now so I can print it, get it signed and post it off to them every March without any delay. They seem to be quite content with that.

I used EMS some years ago to send the German life certificate, I followed the progress all the way to Frankfurt airport then it stopped. I got into a panic and sent off Emails, turns out they gave the letter to the German courier DHL who obviously couldn't give their progress on the EMS tracker, main thing was it arrived.

I got my confirmation for my British pension from our Mayoress for free and sent it today by normal post. I only ever had the pension stopped once because the form they sent me never arrived, it was only when the pension stopped that I realized something was wrong, after a telephone conversation they sent me a new one via Email, the missing pension was then paid.

[OJAS]

1 hour ago, Badrabbit said:

Form says " signature, name of person, company stamp, List of people who can sign, policman Pharmacist etc

 

Apparently the same people who can countersign passport applications - as if life certificates are just as valuable and important as passports! Really??

 

Thankfully, my occupational pension provider is nowhere near as fussy as to who can perform this "onerous" responsibiity. Last time in their case I simply got my mother-in-law to perform the honours.

 

[Moonlover]

26 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

 

Looks to me like the lion's share of the £500m in question relates to deceased pensioners who lived in the UK, and who, unlike us, were not subject to the Life Certificate bureaucratic nonsense!

 

I read on another website, which I cannot find now, that DWP were loosing something in the order of 50m per year to overseas pensioners whose deaths had not been reported to them.

[OJAS]

On 1/25/2025 at 4:42 PM, Badrabbit said:

surely in this day and age they should have an online form

 

Actually they do have one now - a fillable PDF, to boot, for both customer and witness sections! 

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67160776e94bb9726918ee90/Life_Certificate.pdf

 

Still need to get it printed off, signed and sent to the UK by snail mail, though, unfortunately. 

 

[Moonlover]

8 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

Actually they do have one now - a fillable PDF, to boot, for both customer and witness sections! 

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67160776e94bb9726918ee90/Life_Certificate.pdf

 

Still need to get it printed off, signed and sent to the UK by snail mail, though, unfortunately. 

 

Yes there is indeed. However on this page from the Gov.uk website

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-certificate-form

 

it says: 'Do not send us this form unless we have asked you to'.

 

Confusing or what? Now if they were to send us an email asking us to complete a LC that would close the loop wouldn't it.

 

 

 

[mancub]

12 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

I read on another website, which I cannot find now, that DWP were loosing something in the order of 50m per year to overseas pensioners whose deaths had not been reported to them.

Perhaps someone could suggest that those helpful  British embassy people might interact with their government colleagues at the DWP or IPC when informed of the demise of a pensioner. They have all the necessary information after all.

[chilly07]

I email DWP every year whether they send a POL letter or not because I never receive them despite  staying at the same address in Thailand for more than a decade. I get letters from the UK all the time so I  presume the agency they use to send these are paid by results IE cancelling pensions. I get a grudging response by email but this goes on my file proving I exist.  This year I copied them my electoral registration which I can do by email 

[chilly07]

I email DWP every year whether they send a POL letter or not because I never receive them despite  staying at the same address in Thailand for more than a decade. I get letters from the UK all the time so I  presume the agency they use to send these are paid by results IE cancelling pensions. I get a grudging response by email but this goes on my file proving I exist.  This year I copied them my electoral registration which I can do by email 

[chilly07]

I email DWP every year whether they send a POL letter or not because I never receive them despite  staying at the same address in Thailand for more than a decade. I get letters from the UK all the time so I  presume the agency they use to send these are paid by results IE cancelling pensions. I get a grudging response by email but this goes on my file proving I exist.  This year I copied them my electoral registration which I can do by email 

[OJAS]

6 hours ago, Muhendis said:

I note the bit where it says "could be moved online". This has been under discussion for years.  The UK government really has no idea how to go about it. Perhaps they can take a look at banking security methods and use OTP's etc. I notice they have no problem in communicating with me by email so they really can use computers for communication if they have to.

 

"The DWP said it had no further information at this stage when we asked about the possible timeframe, how a digital process might work for signatures, and whether it might be difficult for some elderly people who lack IT skills."

 

That's a false assumption. Anyone who has made it as far as Thailand is quite likely to have gone on line to make the journey and is quite familiar with using their smartphone for making purchases etc.

If the DWP were to adopt security methods similar to financial institutions there would be no need for a verification signature.

These people really are dumb. 

 

 

Agree 100%. IMHO the Government Gateway, to which quite a few of us may already be subscribed in order to check State Pension info (if not for filing tax returns to HMRC), should be able to provide us (with minimal modification) with a sufficiently secure means of proving that we are still in the land of the living for State Pension purposes every now and then.

 

[OJAS]

44 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Yes there is indeed. However on this page from the Gov.uk website

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-certificate-form

 

it says: 'Do not send us this form unless we have asked you to'.

 

Confusing or what? Now if they were to send us an email asking us to complete a LC that would close the loop wouldn't it.

 

 

 

 

Does beg the question, though, as to why they've (at long last) bothered to make a form available online, which we're not, though, supposed to use until their paper docs finally turn up in our mailboxes after their magical mystery tours of European sorting offices!