BackThe Pensions Ombudsmen regularly received complaints from retired civil servants living abroad who receive their pension on a foreign account. In order to obtain their pension, they had to submit a certificate of life each month.
In their annual report 2015, the Ombudsmen pointed out that there were a few problems regarding this procedure. Firstly, as the pensioners weren’t allowed to submit a certificate that was dated before the last working day of the month, this meant that they didn’t receive their pension on the last day of the month. They received it irregularly, varying from the second to the sixth working day of the following month. Secondly, the requirement to submit a certificate of life each month, as opposed to the requirement to submit a certificate of life twice a year for pensioners who receive their pension on a Belgian account, violates the free movement of capital.
On the occasion of the merger of the National Pensions Office (NPO) and the Public Sector Pensions Service (PSPS) into the Federal Pensions Service (FPS), this civil service has taken the comments mentioned above into account, and finally harmonised the terms of payment. The retired civil servants now only have to meet the terms of payment yearly, just like the retired employees and self-employed living abroad who receive their pension on a foreign account.
For further information visit the official homepage of the Pensions Ombudsman.
Source: National Pensions Office - Brussels
