Life Certificate for Spanish INSS Pensioners in the Philippines

What the "life certificate" actually is

If you receive a Spanish contributory pension from the INSS (or the ISM) and live in the Philippines, once or twice a year you have to prove that you are still alive in order to keep being paid. People call it the certificado de vida, certificado de existencia or fe de vida; the Spanish Social Security calls it acreditación de vivencia. It is a short procedure, but it is not optional: if you skip it, your pension payment is suspended until you regularise your situation.

When you have to do it

The calendar changed recently, so make sure you are working with the current one:

• 2026: two windows — from 1 January to 31 March 2026, and from 1 to 30 September 2026.
• From 2027 onwards: three windows — January, May and September.

Pensioners under Clases Pasivas (State civil-service pensions) follow a different rhythm: once a year, between 1 January and 31 March, and they cannot use the VIVESS app at all.

Option 1: the VIVESS app (recommended)

VIVESS is the official, free app of the INSS for pensioners living abroad, available for Android and iOS. It uses facial biometric recognition, works from anywhere in the Philippines and means no appointments and no travel to Makati.

How it works:

1. Download VIVESS from Google Play or the Apple App Store (free).
2. Register once: you can log in with Cl@ve, with your DNI/NIE, or with your case number (nº de expediente), which appears on your annual pension revaluation letter. You will need to show your identity document (both sides) to the camera and then look into the camera to finish the enrolment.
3. When your window opens, tap "acreditar vivencia", look into the camera, and the app issues an immediate receipt confirming the procedure, followed by later confirmation from the INSS (or ISM).

The same app lets you change your payment method or address, send in your fiscal residence certificate and obtain your IRPF certificate.

The most common failure is a mismatch between the surname(s) on your identity document and the ones in the Social Security database. For technical problems, write to vivess@seg-social.es. The app accepts identity documents from several countries, which is useful if your main ID is not your Spanish passport.

Option 2: a "fe de vida" certificate at the Consulate General of Spain in Manila

If you prefer (or need) paper, the Consulate General issues a certificado de fe de vida through the person in charge of its Civil Registry. Requirements published by the Consulate:

• Be Spanish.
• Attend in person.
• Present the original DNI or passport in force.

Practical details for Manila:

• The certificate is free of charge ("la fe de vida es gratuita", in the Consulate's own words).
• Ask for an appointment by email at con.manila@maec.es.
• Address: 5th Floor, A.C.T. Tower, 135 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, 1227 Makati City, Metro Manila.
• Public hours for nationals: Monday to Thursday 09:00–13:30, Friday 09:00–12:00.
• If you give your email address, the certificate can be sent to you digitally.

Once you have the certificate, send it to your Dirección Provincial del INSS (or the ISM) so it reaches your pension file — the certificate alone in your drawer does not stop the suspension clock.

If you cannot travel for medical reasons, a family member or person close to you can go in your place with: a copy of your DNI/passport, their own original identity document, your handwritten and signed authorisation (unless you physically cannot sign), and a recent medical certificate — issued in the previous 15 days and apostilled — proving you cannot travel.

What happens if you miss the deadline

Failing to prove your vivencia within the window triggers a provisional (cautelar) suspension of your pension payment until the situation is regularised. In practice: the money stops, and it is released again once you complete the proof. There is no fine as such, but being without pension income for a month or two in the Philippines is painful, and reinstatement is not instantaneous. If you have already missed a window, do the proof as soon as possible (VIVESS works even outside the official windows) and, if your payment has stopped, contact your Dirección Provincial del INSS or the Social Security attention channels.

Practical tips for pensioners in the Philippines

• Do the proof through VIVESS as soon as your window opens — the September window closes on 30 September, not "at the end of the year".
• Keep the PDF or screenshot of the VIVESS receipt in your email.
• Make sure your name and surnames match exactly between your ID document and the Social Security database; fix discrepancies before January.
• Stay registered in the Registro de Matrícula Consular in Manila: it is the base for consular certificates and for the consulate to reach you.
• If you split your year between Spain and the Philippines, plan which window you will be where — the consular route requires a physical visit to Makati.

Clases Pasivas pensioners (a different animal)

If your pension comes from Clases Pasivas rather than the INSS/ISM: you prove your vivencia once a year, between 1 January and 31 March, you cannot use VIVESS, and the usual route is a certificado de fe de vida issued by the Consulate General (or, where applicable, an in-person certification before the competent representation of the Ministry of Inclusion). The changes to the INSS windows do not affect you.