Life Certificate: 6 problems NRIs may face while submitting their life certificate

The Jeevan Pramaan Patra system allows eligible pensioners to submit a Digital Life Certificate (DLC) online, but pensioners who live overseas frequently find it challenging to submit the yearly life certificate online due to problems like failing Aadhaar authentication, not having an Indian mobile number to receive a one-time password (OTP) or relying on family members.

Here are the six key problems that NRIs face while submitting their Jeevan Pramaan Patra, or the DLC, online, as per a letter written to the central government by the Bharat Pensioner Samaj (BPS), a body claiming to have 10 lakh central government pensioners

Elderly pensioners may sometimes face difficulty in completing their biometric or facial authentication. For pensioners, changes in fingerprints with age, poor image capture, inadequate lighting or technical issues with the device can cause the authentication to fail.

An NRI pensioner may not always have an active Indian mobile number linked to the Aadhaar card. This can create problems when an OTP is required during the submission process.

Many elderly pensioners may not be comfortable using mobile apps, websites or digital authentication services on their own. They may need help from children, relatives or other trusted persons to enter details, complete authentication and submit their life certificate. For those living abroad and away from family members, getting such assistance can be more difficult.

If digital submission is not possible, an NRI pensioner may have to approach an Indian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate for assistance. In some countries, the nearest Indian mission may be several hours away. Travelling to submit a life certificate can be particularly difficult for elderly pensioners or those with limited mobility.

When a physical life certificate has to be sent to India, an international courier or registered post can be expensive. Delivery can also take several days or weeks depending on the country from which the document is being sent and the destination in India.

Even if the pensioner sends the certificate well before the deadline, there can be delays at different stages of delivery. When documents are sent from a different country, it may take longer than expected to reach the pension-disbursing bank branch; also, there is a risk of loss of documents during transit.