Proof of life (attestation de vita)
You will receive a request from Zwitserleven at least once a year to submit a “Proof of life.” This request is sent at the end of your birth month. We do this because we cannot independently verify whether our pension beneficiaries living abroad are still alive.
We only request a “Proof of life” a second time in the following situations each year:
- You live within the EU and receive a gross pension income higher than € 50,000 per year.
- You live outside the EU and receive a gross pension income higher than € 25,000 per year.
The second request for a “Proof of life” is sent in the above situations six months after your birth month. This request is sent by letter or email, depending on the preference you have specified.
If you receive a letter from us, we have included a form with this letter. You can upload this form here.
When you receive an email from us, you can complete the 'Proof of life' entirely online. You can also choose to submit the 'Proof of life' to us via the form instead.
How does the form work?
- The form must be completed by an official entity (local government, municipality) and include the name and position of the employee, an official stamp or certification of authenticity, and a recent date, no older than three months.
- You are not allowed to complete the form yourself.
- It is also possible to have the form completed by, for example, a notary, general practitioner, lawyer, or a police station employee. Of course, the form must also include an official stamp or certification of authenticity.
- You may, of course, also send us an official document from the local government instead of our form. This document must be no older than three months.
- You can also submit a 'Proof of Being Alive' that you recently used for the Sociale Verzekeringsbank or another pension provider. This document must also be no older than three months.
More information
Do you have a foreign bank account number?
There is a difference in the payment of pension income between a country within the SEPA area and a country outside the SEPA area. This is related to the costs associated with transferring pension income to a bank account number outside the SEPA area.
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Within the SEPA area
We can transfer your pension income at the domestic payment rate. However, we will need additional details from your bank for this. For a payment within the SEPA area, we only need your IBAN (International Bank Account Number). Your IBAN can be found on your bank statement.
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Outside the SEPA area
For these payments, fees are charged. These fees vary by country and bank. Unfortunately, we are unable to specify the exact amount of these fees, as they also depend on the amount being transferred. If you find these fees too high, you can open a bank account in the Netherlands where we can transfer your pension income.
We need additional details from your bank for a payment outside the SEPA area. We require your account number and the BIC code (also known as SWIFT). We also need the name and location of your bank. These details can be found on your bank statement. Alternatively, you can request them from your bank.
Are there any deductions from my pension income if I live abroad?
Living abroad has additional consequences. On a pension income paid to a pension beneficiary residing abroad, we are not allowed to withhold WLZ premiums (formerly AWBZ premiums) and ZVW premiums (Health Insurance Act premiums) initially.
This means that the deduction is lower than for a pension income paid to a domestic pension beneficiary. However, it is possible that the CAK instructs us to withhold the ZVW premium, the WLZ premium, and possibly the Nominal premium from your pension income.
Are you liable to pay taxes in the country where you reside?
In that case, you run the risk that your pension income from Zwitserleven will be taxed both in your country of residence and in the Netherlands. This means the pension income would be double-taxed. To prevent double deductions, we require a ruling or exemption from the Dutch Tax Authorities.
You must personally apply for this ruling or exemption. You can use the form Application for Exemption Statement for Wage Tax and/or National Insurance Contributions for this purpose. The wage tax number (payroll tax number) of Zwitserleven that you will need for this is 819158379L21.
Send the completed form to the Dutch Tax Authorities. You can find the address on the form. The Tax Authorities will assess your request and can then issue the ruling or exemption. You do not need to inform us about this. We will automatically receive a copy of the issued ruling or exemption from the Tax Authorities.
Please note: do not send the form to Zwitserleven, but to the Dutch Tax Authorities.