UK DWP Life Certificate

@petercc028

I use a local lawyer here in Alubijid Mindanao for life certs uk, and private pension. She charges me 300 pesos per item.

UK life certs are only sent by post to the Philippines, so odds on I will not receive it, I have contacted DWAP who say they can not send by e mail. And they can't tell me when next one is due, so I message them once a year to see if one is due.

Thanks for that Richard, I assume that would probably be the best route and not expensive.

I've been receiving my pension for 6 years and have never received a life cert yet by post, haha, I just wait until they stop paying, which they have done twice.

They emailed me a blank cert after I complained the first time and will reuse as needs.

Onward and upward, we will overcome one day, as they say.

Peter

    Morning all, about to enter PH to reside on the 8th January, firstly Manila for a look, then Tagatay.
I will advise UK DWP when I enter and sure as 'eggz iz eggz' they'll send me a Life Certificate shortly thereafter and I will have no idea until they stop payment, SO .......

Do you other UK pensioners get a local PH lawyer or police to sign the witness to my life part of the cert OR is their an easier route or remedy.

Your sage advice would be appreciated, thanks
   

    -@petercc028

I received a Life Certificate form about 3 months ago, took it to a local attorney to witness it and then posted it "priority mail" from here near Languindingan airport in Mindanao. I included a letter with it asking them to please acknowledge receipt of the form because I was extremely worried about having my pension stopped. It said that if they did not receive the form within 16 weeks they might stop paying my pension and because of the appalling Philippines postal service the letter was already 6 weeks old when I received it.

I have since managed to contact DWP by phone about a month ago and they still hadn't received my form but said they would extend by another 16 weeks and since then I have still not received conformation of receipt from them. I have now printed off another form and I am going to send it by LBC which I believe goes to the UK through DHL from Manila. It really is a pain in the arse. 

Isn't it just, haha

I live in China, until the 8th January when we move to PH, and they video with pensioners annually to make sure they're still alive and kicking, it's free by WeChat too, 'oh, there's a good idea'.

We will overcome, not.

    Isn't it just, haha
I live in China, until the 8th January when we move to PH, and they video with pensioners annually to make sure they're still alive and kicking, it's free by WeChat too, 'oh, there's a good idea'.
We will overcome, not.
   

    -@petercc028

Let's see if I have this right: In China, UK pensioners annually take a video with WeChat to prove they are still alive. That is a fantastic idea which I would like to see USA social security deploy. The US could use similar tech to our Id.me which involves zoom calls and live interviews.

Is this option available in Philippines?

Ok, my faux pas, Chinese pensioners, not me.

    Is this option available in Philippines?
   

    -@FindlayMacD

I really don't know, but I doubt it.

petercc028 said. . . Isn't it just, hahaI live in China, until the 8th January when we move to PH, and they video with pensioners annually to make sure they're still alive and kicking, it's free by WeChat too, 'oh, there's a good idea'.We will overcome, not.

**************************

WeChat, YouChat, everyone Chat.

This makes no sense to me.

Anyone could impersonate the pensioner.

The best way to protect your pension or the government doling out money to you is to have a local address from your home country and deposited in an account in your home country.

Given the problems there seems to be receiving the form in the Philippines and sending it back to the DWP in the UK, it may be advisable to go through a third party (relative or friend in the UK) if possible.

If the DWP are okay with doing this you will know through your relative or friend in the UK that one was issued and then they can send it out to you in the Philippines and when completed and signed, simply send it back to your contact in the UK to forward on to the DWP. That way you will know when the letter was issued, when it was sent to you in the Philippines and when or if it was received back in the UK. If it goes missing you will know and can request another.

No problem receiving the form as I believe it can be downloaded, its the Philippines postal service that is the problem, so I have given up on that and I'm going to send again using LBC, my wife asked about their charges to mail to the UK and they are surprisingly cheap compared to DHL and I am assured that when the mail reaches Manila it is shipped on by and can be tracked with DHL. At least if I send this way I will know if and when it was delivered even if DWP does not acknowledge receipt. I believe that DWP asks for the Proof Of Life every two years or so.

I agree with Findlay,

For Personal business this important forget Philpost & LBC, Only use DHL or FEDEX