Applying for an Attestatie de vita (certificate of life)
Does an organisation outside the Netherlands (e.g. a pension fund) need proof that you are alive? Then you need an Attestatie de vita (certificate of life). You can apply for this at your municipality.
Last updated 22 September 2022
Lees deze informatie in het Nederlands
Difference between a certificate of life and a certificate of existence
There are 2 types of proof of life documents that are available in the Netherlands:
- The Attestatie de vita is an international document in Dutch and French. This document comes from the registers van de burgerlijke stand (Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships). You can use the certificate outside the Netherlands. You can also get an annex to the certificate explaining the document in German, Spanish, Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Turkish.
- The Bewijs van in leven zijn (certificate of existence) is an excerpt taken from the Basisregistratie Personen – BRP (Personal Records Database). This states that you are registered as alive in the BRP. This extract is in Dutch and can be used in the Netherlands.
Laws and regulations (in Dutch)
Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 1, artikel 19K