Consulado de Carrera de México en Frankfurt

Certificate of Survival

Certificate to Prove the Physical Survival of Mexican Government Pensioners

Mexican social security institutions, such as the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE), the Institute of Security of the Mexican Armed Forces (ISSFAM), and the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), request that their pensioners residing abroad appear before a Mexican consular representation and undergo a "survival check" to certify that they are alive and, therefore, their rights remain valid.

Pensioners from these institutions residing abroad must complete the certification of rights validity twice a year.

Pensioners from other Mexican institutions residing abroad can also request their survival certificate at the consulate.

Pensioners residing in Mexico, but who are abroad when they need their certification, can also request their survival certificate at the consulate.

Requirements:

• Pensioner ID, issued by the social security institution providing the pension, or a valid official ID.
• Original passport or valid official identification.
• A recent passport-sized photograph with a white background.
• Survival certificate application form (download here).

Procedure:

Once you have gathered the required documentation, you must appear at the Mexican Consulate to complete the process by presenting the listed documents.

• The periods to verify physical survival abroad are:

Relevant Information

• The certificate is free of charge.
• For pensioners of ISSFAM, it is not required to present the last payment slip. It is important to highlight that ISSFAM regulations establish that the Certificate of Survival, after the review period, is considered void. Also, accumulating two consecutive absences results in the pensioner not appearing on the payment list for their pension.

Checks and Electronic Transfer

Pensioners from the Institute of Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) and the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) have the option to receive their pension through a check or an electronic transfer to a German bank.

Checks:

Pensioners from ISSSTE who are receiving their pension in a Mexican bank account and wish to receive a check through the Consulate General of Mexico in Frankfurt must contact us (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or by phone at 069299875-23 to process a petition letter to ISSSTE requesting the check to be sent.

The check can be deposited into any German bank account at no additional cost.

Important: The check will be sent directly by ISSSTE to this Consulate General, and we will then forward it to the pensioner's address via certified mail.

Electronic Transfer:

To request the transfer of the pension to a German bank account, the procedure is the same as for requesting the check to be sent. In addition to the petition letter to ISSSTE, we require you to send us the completed questionnaire. CLICK HERE.

To request the transfer of the IMSS pension to a German bank account, we require you to send us the completed questionnaire. CLICK HERE.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR PENSIONERS WITH A BANK ACCOUNT IN MEXICO

Regarding pensions from IMSS or ISSSTE that you receive through a Mexican bank, we have recently learned that if your pension is transferred to an account at Scotia Bank in Mexico, it can be withdrawn without any fees at any Deutsche Bank ATM in Germany.

Additionally, if you have an account with Deutsche Bank and withdraw money from any Scotia Bank branch in Mexico, there will be no extra charge.

This is because Deutsche Bank, Scotia Bank, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Barclays, and Westpac are part of the Global ATM Alliance. As a result, having an account at any of these institutions allows you to withdraw money from ATMs of the mentioned banks without incurring any fees.

This information is particularly important for individuals who receive their pensions in Mexican bank accounts and are charged fees for withdrawing money from ATMs in Germany.