In January 2020, the Federal Institute for Pension and Disability Insurance suspended the payment of 2,379 pensions to beneficiaries living outside Bosnia-Herzegovina.
As every year, they were required to submit a certificate of life to the PIO Federal Institute, which, as Amel Lizde, head of the Public Relations Office, points out is common practice in all European countries.
“We must also have a certificate of life from pensioners living in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Those who are outside Bosnia sometimes forget or report late, which is why there are suspensions in the payment of pensions,”Lizde points out.
Unfortunately, there are also cases of death, and then the payment of pensions is automatically suspended.
For domestic pensioners who, for example, go with their children or relatives abroad for a period longer than three months, it is necessary to find attorney for the person who will take over the pension in case of absence.
In January, payments to 1,149 retirees living in Germany, 610 in Austria, 142 in Australia, 192 in the United States, were suspended.
“Pensioners who, for example, receive a German pension are also obliged to submit a certificate of life every year to the fund there. This is common practice and we believe that retirees who may have forgotten to fill out the form will do so as soon as possible. After that, it is the duty of the Institute to pay their pensions retroactively,” Lizde concludes, Avaz news portal reports.