On the noticeboard of the small post office, the sheet of paper looks almost harmless. “From February 8, pensions will rise… subject to provision of missing certificate.” People lean in, squint, adjust their glasses. Then comes the same sentence, murmured again and again in the cramped entrance: “What certificate now?”
Inside, a man in his seventies takes a number and sits down heavily. His pension barely covers rent and heating. The idea of a few extra euros sounds like a miracle, until the clerk explains that the procedure is online only. He shakes his head and lets out a bitter laugh.
He leaves muttering the phrase you hear everywhere these days.
“They know we don’t have internet access.”
From February 8, a raise… but only for the “connected” retirees?
From the outside, the announcement sounds positive: from February 8, pensions will rise, finally catching up a bit with energy bills and the grocery cart. For many retirees, that date is circled in red on the calendar next to medical appointments and grandchildren’s birthdays.
Then comes the detail that changes everything. The increase will only be applied automatically to those whose files are “complete”. The others must send in a missing certificate, most often online. That tiny sentence at the bottom of the letter suddenly feels like a trap. Not a raise for everybody, but a raise for those who can navigate the digital maze.
Across the country, the same little scene repeats. A widow in a rural village opens the envelope, reads the letter three times, and still doesn’t understand what they want from her. Her son lives 200 km away and works nights. The town hall no longer handles these forms.
She finally walks to the library, where a volunteer helps people “with the internet”. The room is full. One man has forgotten his password. Another doesn’t have an email address. A woman brought the wrong ID. Minutes turn into hours. By the time the doors close, some leave reassured, others with their paper still in their hands, unsent. The raise feels more like a race with obstacles.
Behind this mess is a very simple mechanism: automatic payments only work if the pension fund is sure that the person is still alive, at the right address, with the right status. The famous “missing certificate” is often a life certificate, a tax document, or a proof of residence that was never uploaded to the digital file.
On paper, the system is logical. In real life, it breaks on the first contact with a 15-year-old computer, a phone with no data plan, or weak eyesight. *Digitalization promises savings and efficiency, but it quietly creates a gulf between the connected and the others.* The raise from February 8 shines like a lighthouse. Many will still be stuck in the dark.
How to get the missing certificate in, when you’re not “born with a smartphone in hand”
The first lifeline is surprisingly simple: do not stay alone with the letter. Read it once, then read it again out loud with someone you trust – a neighbor, a niece, the pharmacist who always asks “how are you holding up?”. Sometimes just hearing the words makes the request clearer.
Then, identify precisely what is missing. Most letters mention the name of the certificate and a deadline. Photograph or photocopy the letter and the documents you already have. Put everything in a simple folder or envelope, with your social security number written big on the front. That small act creates order in a situation that feels chaotic.
The second step is to find a “relay point” where a human being still looks you in the eye. Many town halls, social centers, and associations now have digital help desks, often once or twice a week. You arrive with your envelope, someone sits next to you, and the form is filled out on the screen while you answer questions.
There is no shame in needing that. We’ve all been there, that moment when an online form asks for something that doesn’t exist in our world. The real trap is pretending you’ll do it “tomorrow” and pushing the letter to the bottom of a drawer. Let’s be honest: nobody really does this every single day. Deadlines slip by silently, and with them, dozens of euros lost every month.
Sometimes, the key is speaking out loud the frustration that everyone feels and nobody names.
“My pension goes up on February 8, but only if I send them a certificate… and they ask me to upload it on a site that won’t even open on my old phone. They know we don’t have internet access. It feels like they’re counting on us giving up,” sighs André, 79, while waiting in front of a bus stop to go to the nearest city office.
To avoid that resignation turning into lost rights, here are some concrete allies to look for nearby:
- Local digital help desks in town halls, libraries, or social centers, often free and by appointment.
- Family doctors, pharmacists, or post office staff who can point to the right service instead of just saying “go online”.
- Associations for retirees or tenants’ unions that sometimes organize collective sessions “pensions and online accounts”.
- Public write-in services, where someone fills out and sends the form for you with your consent.
- Telephone hotlines of pension funds that can, on request, send paper forms instead of strictly online procedures.
A raise that reveals a deeper rift – and what we do with it now
What is playing out around February 8 quietly goes beyond a simple pension increase. On one side, there are those who will see a slightly higher amount arrive without lifting a finger, because their file is already up to date. On the other side, those whose raise sticks on a missing certificate and a silent website that freezes at the worst moment. The difference is not just administrative. It’s social.
Behind every “incomplete file”, there is often a life that has moved a lot: a widowhood, a move, years of small jobs, a divorce, sometimes an exile. The system asks for clear, scanned, well-filed proofs from people whose path is anything but linear. The digital procedure presses those stories into little boxes. Some fit. Others overflow.
In many families, this winter will bring a new, strangely awkward conversation. Grown children will discover the letter in a parent’s kitchen, between the unpaid heating bill and the shopping list for the week. Some will take charge and handle everything on their laptop in ten minutes. Others live far away, already overloaded, and will feel a diffuse guilt.
On the side of the retirees, pride sometimes collides with necessity. Asking for help with an online form can feel more humiliating than asking for help to carry heavy groceries. Yet, one prevents physical pain, the other quietly erodes financial stability. Between those two, many choose to risk losing money rather than admit they’re lost in front of a screen.
This story doesn’t end on February 8 when the new pensions drop. It will continue with each new “missing certificate”, each reform managed “digitally by default”, each retiree who decides, tired, to give up a right because the path to access it is too tangled. The question that remains is simple, almost brutal:
Who do we accept to leave on the side of the road in the name of modernity?
Behind the technical words – “dematerialization”, “automated processing”, “online account” – real faces appear: the grandfather who doesn’t dare say he can’t read small print on his phone, the neighbor who sold her computer years ago to pay a bill, the woman who never learned to type her name on a keyboard. The raise from February 8 could be a small breath of air. For many, it may instead be the date when they truly felt how far the world has moved away from them.
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| Check what’s missing | Carefully read the letter, note the name of the requested certificate and the deadline, group your documents in one folder | Reduces stress, avoids last-minute panic and lost papers |
| Use local human help | Town halls, libraries, social centers, associations, and pension hotlines can often handle or bypass online-only steps | Gives access to the raise even without internet or digital skills |
| Ask for paper alternatives | On the phone or at the counter, request postal forms or appointments instead of strictly online procedures | Limits the feeling of exclusion and keeps control over your file |
FAQ:
- Who exactly will see their pension rise from February 8?The increase concerns retirees whose pensions are eligible under the latest adjustment rules and whose files are considered “complete” by their pension fund. Those missing a certificate will only feel the raise once their situation is updated.
- What kind of “missing certificate” are they asking for?Most of the time, it’s a life certificate, proof of residence, marital status document, or tax-related statement. The exact title is usually written on the letter near your reference number.
- What if I don’t have internet access at home?You can go to local public spots with connectivity and support, such as town halls, libraries, social centers, or associations helping with online procedures. You can also call your pension fund and ask for a paper form to be sent by post.
- Is there a risk I’ll lose the raise forever if I’m late?In most cases, once the missing certificate is received and validated, the raise is applied retroactively from the eligible date. But delays mean delayed payments, so it’s better to start the process quickly, even with help.
- Can a family member or trusted person handle this for me?Yes, many pension funds allow a third party to assist or act on your behalf, with your written consent or specific power of attorney. Bring your ID, their ID, and the letter so your rights are protected while they complete the online steps with you or for you.
