Pension question, Norway
Do Norwegian pensioners abroad need a life certificate?
A person who lives abroad and receives a pension from Nav must return the life certificate Nav posts to them within 2 months of the date on Nav's letter, signed by them and attested either by two adult witnesses or by a public authority where they live, and sent by ordinary letter post (Nav states there is no digital solution and it cannot accept registered post, courier or email). Forms go out at the start of April; the general deadline is 2 months from the date NAV sends the letter.
What to do next
- Put April and the two months after it in your diary each year.
- Find two adult witnesses or a public authority that can attest the certificate.
- Run our free check to see whether another country also holds a pension for you.
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What happens if it is not returned?
Once payment has started and you live abroad, NAV sends a certificate of life each year from April, gives you two months from the date of the letter, says the deadline cannot be extended, and states that if it is not returned, after a reminder your payment is stopped.
- Source: nav.no, regjeringen.no and stortinget.no, read 4 October 2026
Do you give advice on what to do?
No. We identify where a pension is likely held and the official route to it, and we name each source with the date we read it. We do not give financial, tax or legal advice.