Faxing a pension provider
Pension, life certificate, RIB to update: a social security number copied without a single error saves months.
Your basic pension is calculated and paid by Assurance retraite — the CNAV and the regional CARSATs — and the supplementary pension by Agirc-Arrco or your employer's scheme, with the steps tracked on lassuranceretraite.fr or via the shared info-retraite.fr portal. A fax is still possible for a signed form or a requested document, provided the organization's letter gives the number. Always include your social security number and the case reference on the cover sheet. For pensioners living outside France, the annual life certificate, stamped by the competent authority in the country or by the French consulate, must arrive before the deadline — otherwise payments may be suspended.
Why a pension provider still accepts faxes
The pension funds process entire careers, built from documents provided by employers, foreign schemes, and local authorities. Some of these correspondents still send faxes, which the mail services convert into images and file under the correct case.
For a pensioner living abroad, the periodic life certificate must come back within the deadline set by the fund, otherwise payments stop. When international mail drags on, a fax to the number provided can prevent the interruption — as long as the organization accepts it for this document.
Where to find the valid number
- The letter requesting the document — form, certificate of life, request for documents: it tells you where to reply and, if there is one, the fax line.
- Your scheme's website: lassuranceretraite.fr for the general scheme, agirc-arrco.fr for the supplementary scheme, contact sections.
- The phone line for your fund or the info-retraite.fr portal, to confirm which channel to use for this specific document.
What the cover sheet should say
- The organization and department: CARSAT, retirement department, Agirc-Arrco or special scheme.
- Your social security number and the file or request reference.
- The subject: pension calculation, certificate of life, change of bank details, career record.
- Your current address, your country of residence if you live outside France, and the page count.
The proof to archive
Keep the proof of sending, the file you sent, and the letter requesting the document together: if a payment is stopped because a document is missing, you can prove it was sent before the deadline. Then call the fund to check it was recorded: a certificate that isn't logged has the same effect as one that was never sent.
Other channels, sometimes preferable
Online retirement portals
lassuranceretraite.fr and info-retraite.fr offer tracking, certificates and online procedures, including sending the certificate of life from your personal space.
The fund's reception desk
CARSAT offices and Info Retraite points receive you by appointment: useful for submitting an original document or untangling a fragmented career record.
Signing the certificate of life
The certificate of life is signed by the competent authority in your country of residence, or by the French consulate when a personal appearance is required.
Other guides
- Reporting an absence on time, without revealing anything about your health condition.
- Disputed tax notice, document requested by the office: the case reference is everything.
- A sick leave notice sent too late cuts into your benefits: the send date counts double.
- Card to block: phone first. For everything else, a properly referenced document is often sufficient.
Send to an organisation
This topic
- Faxing an organization: instructions
- A sick leave notice sent too late cuts into your benefits: the send date counts double.
- Card to block: phone first. For everything else, a properly referenced document is often sufficient.
- An incomplete application, a missed exam: your student number and the date matter more than the format.
Keep reading
Pages chosen to help you prepare a send, track it, or keep proof of it.