Alive & Kicking
Notaries receive some extraordinary requests: for example, a client comes to the office and ask us to verify he or she is still alive! The document required may be called ‘proof of life’ or ‘certificate of life’ or ‘declaration of existence’. The most frequent reason for needing this service is in order to continue to receive an overseas pension. Some pension providers supply a standard form to be notarised, others ask that the notary creates a notarial certificate.
Interestingly, a proof of life document is sometimes used to confirm whether a person is still alive in case of kidnapping, abduction or detention!