Do you live abroad and receive a pension from us? If so, we will request your 'Proof of Living' every year. Because you live abroad, changes in your personal situation are not automatically passed on to us. You can submit your proof digitally using an app on a smartphone or in writing via the 'Proof of Living' statement.
You can easily arrange this digitally via an app
You can submit your 'Proof of Being Alive' to us digitally via the 'ReadID Ready' app. The advantage of this is that you do not have to take a paper version to an official body to have the 'Proof of Being Alive' statement signed. The only thing you need is:
- a smartphone (it does not have to be your own);
- an identity document (passport or identity card) with a chip;
- the QR code from your letter;
- an internet connection.
Your data is safe
We handle your data carefully when using the app. If you want to know more about how your data is used please refer to the frequently asked questions below.
Unable or unwilling to use the app?
If so, you can also prepare the 'Proof of Being Alive' on paper. To do this, fill in the 'Proof of Living' form.This consists of two parts. Fill out the first part yourself. The second part should be completed by a competent authority. The declaration states which authorities these are. An authorized body may also issue its own declaration if it contains the information listed on our declaration.
You can upload the statement in MyStaplesPension. If you wish to return the form in digital format, please make sure that your document is in JPG, JPEG, PDF or PNG format and that it is not larger than 8 MB.
You can also return it to the postal address on the form. Please make sure we receive the form by December 31 to avoid suspending your pension benefits.
In some cases we will need the original form, for example:
- if the competent authority has used a dry stamp (an impression in relief with a seal or stamp for which no ink is used) with the signature
- if we specifically request this
Frequently asked questions about the form
Yes, you send your "Proof of Being Alive" to all agencies.
Dat hangt er vanaf. Als de andere instantie is aangesloten is bij de RNI (Registratie Niet Ingezetenen) hoeft dit niet. Aangesloten instanties zijn bijvoorbeeld de SVB, het UWV en de Belastingdienst. De lijst van aangesloten instanties is hier te vinden. U ontvangt dan in oktober geen verzoek om het ‘Bewijs van in leven zijn’ toe te sturen.
Als u het ‘Bewijs van in leven zijn’ naar een instantie hebt gestuurd die niet is aangesloten bij de RNI, ontvangt u wel een verzoek in oktober . Dan kunt u een kopie van dat bewijs naar ons toesturen. Deze wordt door ons geaccepteerd als het bewijs in het huidige jaar gestempeld/ondertekend is door een bevoegde instantie. U kunt natuurlijk ook de app gebruiken.
Have the form stamped or signed by one of these authorities:
- the mayor of your municipality;
- An official of your municipality (Population or Civil Status);
- the local police;
- A notary public.
For some specific countries, you can also contact:
- Bureau of Social Affairs (Suriname, Antilles);
- Justice of the Peace (e.g. Australia);
- Commissioner for Oaths (Great Britain);
- OCMW (Belgium).
Please note! Other agencies are not accepted.
Deze brief ontvangt u normaal gesproken in oktober. Hebt u een ‘Bewijs van in leven zijn’ al ingeleverd bij een instantie die is aangesloten bij de RNI (Registratie Niet Ingezetenen)? Dan ontvangt u geen verzoek van ons, omdat u dan geen ‘Bewijs van in leven zijn’ naar ons op hoeft te sturen . Hebt u dit niet gedaan, maar ook geen brief ontvangen? Neem dan contact op met ons op.
Nee, u krijgt geen bevestiging. U krijgt dan geen verzoek van ons om een ‘Bewijs van in leven zijn’ naar ons op te sturen.
Frequently asked questions about the app
No, you don't have to. You have the choice of submitting your 'Proof of Being Alive' digitally or via the form.
A QR code is a kind of barcode that you scan with your smartphone. First download and open 'ReadID Ready' app and then scan the QR code from your letter.
It is possible that your ID card does not yet have the required chip. This means that the app cannot read the details of your proof of identity. Unfortunately, you will then not be able to use the app. You can then pass on the 'Proof of Being Alive' by means of the form.
If the connection is lost, you can restart the process by scanning the QR code again. Please note that your QR code is valid for 50 days. After that you can no longer use the QR code. Is your QR code no longer valid? Then please contact us.
As soon as we receive your 'Proof of Living', we will send a (digital) confirmation within 2 weeks. Do you receive all your pension mail digitally? Then you will receive the notification digitally.
Frequently asked questions about security
The 'Proof of Being Alive' app uses the so-called "ReadID" technology. This technology allows your proof of identity to be verified with a smartphone. By reading the RFID chip on your identity document, ReadID can verify that this is an authentic identity document and read out the personal information. The verification of an identity document is followed by facial matching: your live photo and/or video of you ('selfie'), taken with the camera of your smartphone, is compared to the passport photo that is on your identity document. In this way, it can be established that the data that has been read really belongs to you and that you are actually alive ('proof of life').
Permission
By providing us with your selfie and the data contained in the RFID chip on your ID via the 'ReadID Ready' app, you give us permission to use this data. This is the only way we can properly verify the 'Proof of Living' you digitally transmitted.
Do you not want to consent to the use of your data via the app? Then you can always abort the authentication process prematurely by closing the app during the authentication process. You can then continue to complete the 'Proof of being alive' on paper.
- For identification and authentication of the identity document and proof of life, the following data is collected: selfie and data that is on your identity document such as; first and last name, date of birth, gender, BSN, the document number of the identity document and passport photo.
- For technical support of the app, data is collected such as; IP address, unique identifier that is not directly traceable to you. This code is generated by the provider of the app to, for example, identify the device you are using (this code cannot be used to identify other user activities).
- To improve the quality of the use of the app, data is collected such as; type of phone, Android/iOS version, what type of identity document was scanned and read and whether that was successful, and the number of times the app was used.
The app is provided by Hyfen B.V. ("Hyfen") to our pension administration organization. Hyfen uses third parties to provide the app. Processing agreements have been concluded with Hyfen and the third parties it engages. These agreements stipulate that these parties may only use the data for the purposes of the app and nothing else. These parties thereby use appropriate security measures to be able to guarantee the protection of your personal data in accordance with the AVG and to prevent unauthorized access to your data. Your data is stored in the EU and the United Kingdom (UK). The EU's so-called AVG 'adequacy decision' allows personal data to be stored securely in the UK in accordance with the AVG.
Your personal data will not be kept longer than necessary to properly carry out the verification of the digitally transmitted 'Proof of Being Alive' and to ensure safe use of the app. After the verification process has been successfully completed, the data will be deleted or anonymized so that this data can no longer be traced back to you.