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Date Published: 05/07/2024
Reminder to retired Brits in Spain: Letter from British Ambassador requires IMMEDIATE action
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Retired Brits over 80 living in Spain and receiving a UK State pension need to take action by July 31 to avoid “suspension of pension payments”
The British Embassy in Madrid has issued an announcement from the office of British Ambassador, Hugh Elliott, urging all British people living in Spain who are aged over 80 and receiving a UK state pension to complete ‘life certificates’ for the British Government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to avoid “the suspension of pension payments by DWP”.
For pensioners under-80, there is no action currently required but they will be receiving a letter towards the end of the year.
Due to a lower-than-expected response to letters being sent out on January 7, 2024, the deadline has been extended to July 31, 2024 and the announcement has circulated to citizens rights groups and charities in Spain, primarily those supporting and with links to the elderly British population.
There has been some suspicion voiced on social media that the letter and announcement were a scam, but the British Embassy has confirmed that the process is indeed genuine.
If you are a state pensioner over 80 and you haven’t received the form, please check your postal boxes or at the ‘Correos’ Spanish post office.
If you have not received it, click on this link to the “online inquiry form” or call +44 (0) 191 218 7777 as the DWP will need to send out a personally addressed letter and form to you. Information can also be found on the UK governments International Pension Centre link.
The announcement is as follows:
Madrid, 1 July 2024
I am writing to you to ask for your help in spreading an important message to British people living in Spain who are aged over 80 and receiving a UK state pension.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) sent out a letter on 7 January 2024 to check that over-80s of any nationality who are drawing a state pension in Spain are still eligible. They are called ‘life certificates’ and they require the recipient to complete a form and have a witness sign it before returning it in the post. Full instructions are provided in the letter. This is a routine process, with certificates sent by DWP on a regular cycle to specific groups drawing a UK state pension.
To date, the number of life certificates returned to the DWP from Spain is lower than expected. The DWP have therefore extended the deadline to 31 July 2024 to give over-80s more time to complete the process.
It’s really important that all British state pensioners over the age of 80 complete this process as soon as possible. Failure to do so could lead to the suspension of pension payments by DWP (although these can be reinstated at any point if eligibility is subsequently proven). We would be extremely grateful for your help in spreading this message to your contacts and members and if possible, supporting them to complete and return the life certificate.
If any state pensioners over-80 have not received a letter or has changed their address without notifying DWP, they can request a new one here: https://www.qov.uk/international-pensioncentre.
As for state pensioners under-80, there is no action currently required but they will be receiving a letter towards the end of the year. We therefore recommend that all state pensioners check their address registered with DWP is correct if they have recently moved house. They can do so here: https://www.gov.uk/international-pension-centre.