Life Certificate and Schooling Certificate for Montenegro's Pension Fund 2026: Deadlines at the End of April and on 1 October, Who Sends Them, Where and What Happens if You Are Late

People who receive a Montenegrin pension and live abroad send the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund (Fond PIO) a life certificate every year by the end of April. Children who receive a survivor's pension and have turned 19 send a schooling certificate for the 2026/2027 school year no later than 1 October 2026. If the certificate does not arrive on time, the Fund suspends the pension payment. For recipients living in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the life certificate was abolished on 28 March 2025, because the institutions now exchange the data electronically. The Fund pays missed pensions later, but for no more than 12 months back.

This guide explains who sends which certificate, what the form contains, where the certificates go and what happens if you are late.

Who sends which certificate?

• The schooling certificate goes in person or by post to the Fund unit where the right was granted.
• The life certificate form lists the Fund's contact details: phone and fax +382 20 664 383 and kabinet@fondpio.me.

What does the life certificate contain?

• The recipient fills in their name, the name of their father or mother, date and place of birth, personal identification number (JMB) and address, including the country of residence.
• An authorised official of the authority where the recipient appears in person confirms that they are alive, records the identity document used, signs the certificate and stamps it.
• In the pensioner's statement, the recipient declares whether they work or run their own business, whether children receive the survivor's pension, how many and whether they are still in education.
• If the children have finished their education, the recipient writes the end date and attaches proof.
• The form is available on the Fund's website as a life certificate in PDF format.

What applies to the schooling certificate?

• A child receives a survivor's pension until age 19, then until the end of their education, but no later than age 25 if they study at university.
• University study means bachelor's and master's programmes.
• A secondary school student who turns 19 before the end of the school year keeps the pension until the end of that school year.
• The certificate from the school or university must show the personal identification number of the parent whose insurance gave the right to the survivor's pension.
• Anyone who does not send the certificate by 1 October 2026 receives no payment until they send it.

What if the certificate is late?

• The Fund suspends payment until it receives the certificate.
• Once you send the certificate and submit a request for payment, the missed monthly amounts are paid for no more than 12 months back, counted from the day of the request.
• The same rule applies if the recipient did not report a change of address or did not provide other proof needed for payment.
• Example: if payment stops for 18 months, the recipient later receives 12 monthly amounts and loses six.
• The recipient must report any change that affects the right, such as a new job, the end of education or a move, within 15 days.
• The law sets a fine of 250 to 1,100 euros for failing to report a change.

How is the pension paid abroad?

• The pension is set as a monthly amount and paid in arrears, for the previous month.
• Payment abroad follows the terms of an international agreement or the principle of reciprocity.
• If a survivor's pension recipient takes a job or starts self-employment in Montenegro or abroad, the payment stops, with exceptions set by law.
• For Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, in both entities, the recipient data is exchanged automatically, so the life certificate is no longer needed there.

Our guide to the survivor's pension explains who is entitled and how much it pays, and our guide to pensions in Montenegro covers the conditions for an old-age pension. The guide to the disability pension describes that benefit, and the guide to registering a death explains what the family does when a pensioner dies.

Frequently asked questions

When is the life certificate for Montenegro's Pension Fund due? It is due every year by the end of April, otherwise the Fund suspends the pension payment.

Do pensioners in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina send a life certificate? No. Since 28 March 2025 the data is exchanged electronically, so recipients living in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina no longer need the certificate.

When is the schooling certificate for 2026/2027 due? It is due no later than 1 October 2026 for children aged 19 or over who receive a survivor's pension.

Where do I send the schooling certificate? Send it to the Fund's regional unit or to the Department for International Insurance, in person or by post, with the parent's personal identification number.

What if my certificate is late? Payment stops until you send the certificate, and the Fund pays missed pensions for no more than 12 months back from your request.

Until what age does a child receive a survivor's pension? A child receives it until age 19, and during education until it ends, but university students no later than age 25.

Sources

The Pension Fund sets out the deadline and the addresses for schooling certificates in its notice for the 2026/2027 school year, and the abolition of the certificate for Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in its notice of 28 March 2025. Back payments, the 15-day reporting period and the fines are set by the Pension and Disability Insurance Act in its consolidated text of 1 January 2026. The information was checked on 29 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform, and this text is not legal advice.