As of 2021, retirees and beneficiaries have the option to complete the CE exercise using the Digital CE App instead of submitting a barcoded CE to the Fund.

If the retiree/beneficiary chooses to submit the Digital CE, they must download the Digital CE App, complete the enrolment process (including the one-time video appointment with a Fund representative to confirm their identity), and issue a Digital CE for that and following CE years – all of this is done through the designated app and collection of biometric data from the retiree/beneficiary.

If you complete the annual CE process in the Digital CE App, you will not be required to also submit a paper-based CE form to the Fund. If you have successfully completed the CE process in the Digital CE App, then no further action is required from you and you do not need to submit a paper-based CE form to the Fund.

Please note that if you do not complete issuance of the Digital CE by June, then the Fund will still send you the CE form in hard copy by postal mail; the CE form will also be available for printing in your Member Self Service (MSS) provided you are not paid on the two-track. However, note that under this scenario, you will still have the two options to complete the annual CE process: i.e. either (i) submit the paper-based version of the CE form to the Fund (either the paper CE by mail OR the electronic copy of your CE via your MSS portal), OR, (ii) disregard the paper CE and proceed to enroll in the DCE App and submit your Digital CE via the app, by 31 December.

For more information about the Digital CE app, please check the dedicated page.

There are two ways of getting a paper-based CE:

1. The Fund sends out the paper-based CEs by mail each year around June.
2. Around the same time, retirees and beneficiaries that are not paid on the two-track can also download their CE from their Member Self-Service account under the MSS DOCUMENTS tab.

The retiree and beneficiary must complete, sign and date the CE and send the original document with the original signature to the Fund as usual. The CE with the retiree’s/beneficiary’s original signature/thumbprint must be returned to the Fund as soon as possible and no later than 31 December to avoid the risk of a benefit suspension.

Retirees and beneficiaries can return their dated and hand-signed CE forms to the Fund in one of the following ways:

a) Electronic submission of your scanned CE form via your MSS account: First, hand-sign and date the CE form. Then, you must scan the duly signed CE form before uploading it in PDF or JPEG format to the Fund using the “Document Upload” feature in your MSS account. Once your signed CE was successfully submitted in MSS, there is no need to mail the original CE form to the Fund. This option of electronic CE form submission can also be used if you are on the Two-Track. For more information about how to access and use MSS, as well as an illustrated step-by-step MSS Document Upload tutorial, please check the MSS webpage.

b) Mailing your original CE form to the Fund: If you prefer to return your CE form using postal mailing services, you must first date and hand-sign your CE form, then mail the form with your ORIGINAL signature to the Fund at one of the mailing addresses provided on the Contact Us page.

c) Dropping off your original CE form in person: The Fund has installed drop-boxes at its New York and Geneva office locations. For details about where on the premises these drop-boxes are located, please refer to the Contact Us page.

The 2023 Certificates of Entitlement (CE) were dispatched to retirees and beneficiaries whose benefit was implemented before 30 June 2023 and who had not completed their digital CE using the DCE App by 30 June 2023. A second CE will be dispatched to those retirees and beneficiaries from whom by mid-October 2023 the Fund has not received their original duly completed barcoded 2023 CE or completed their DCE using the DCE App.

Each beneficiary whose benefit was implemented before 30 June 2023 must complete their CE exercise either using the DCE App or by submitting to the Fund the barcoded paper-based Certificate of Entitlement form (CE) with the date and their original signature.

Beneficiaries who wish to complete the CE exercise using the DCE app must issue their Digital CE by no later than 31 December 2023 to avoid the risk of a benefit suspension.

Beneficiaries who wish to complete the CE exercise by submitting to the Fund the barcoded paper CE must date and sign the CE form with a pen. Their signature on the CE must match their signature on file with the Fund.

The dated and signed paper based CE form should be returned to the Fund (either by mail or submitted electronically through MSS)  no later than 31 December 2023 to avoid the risk of benefit suspension.

Beneficiaries whose benefit was NOT implemented before 30 June 2023 will not receive a 2023 CE. In these cases, no action is required from you for the 2023 CE Exercise but you will be given an opportunity to issue your DCE should you want to. You will be required to comply only as of the next upcoming CE exercise which will begin at the very end of June 2024.

Beneficiaries that have completed their digital CE using the DCE App by 30 June 2023 will also not receive the paper-based CE, as they would have already complied with the annual CE exercise requirement for 2023.

It is extremely important that beneficiaries complete their 2023 CE exercise no later than 31 December 2023. If no duly completed barcoded 2023 CE has reached the Fund by 31 December 2023 or if the retiree/beneficiary has not completed the 2023 CE exercise via the Digital CE app by 31 December 2023, subsequent benefit payments may be suspended. Such benefits would be reinstated retroactively only upon receipt by the Fund of the necessary and duly completed documentation.

Should you receive multiple CEs for the same annual CE Exercise, please note that as long as ONE original, duly dated and signed CE was returned to the Fund for the given CE Exercise (either by mail or electronically through MSS) by the required deadline, and the signature on the paper-based CE form is acceptable to the Fund, all is in good order for the uninterrupted payment of your benefit. Also, if you have completed the CE exercise using the Digital CE app, no CE form needs to be sent to the Fund.

If you are completing the CE exercise using the paper CE, the original form must be returned to the UNJSPF, either by mail or electronically through MSS.

-Electronic submission inside MSS: If you submit your duly completed, dated, and signed CE form through MSS, you will not have to mail it to the Fund. However, you are still required to affix your handwritten signature on the CE before converting it into PDF or JPG format and uploading it inside MSS for submission to the Fund. The Fund does not accept electronic signatures. Detailed, step-by-step guidelines explaining how to submit documents through MSS are provided inside the MSS Document Upload tab or here.

-Submission of physical paper-based CE form by mail: If you decide to mail the physical CE form to the Fund, you can return it to the UNJSPF address that best suits your geographical situation, i.e. either to the Fund’s New York or Geneva office. Note that the applicable UNJSPF address will also depend on whether you return your CE form by postal mail, pouch, or special courier. The Fund does NOT accept copies of the CE form. You can drop off your CE forms at the Fund’s New York and Geneva offices where dedicated UNJSPF mailboxes have been set up to receive your CE. If you are visiting the New York UNJSPF office, please check at the building reception desk about document drop-off options.

The Fund’s addresses and related details are provided on the Contact us page.

We suggest that you send a letter to the Fund, with your full name, your official address, your Unique ID (UID) or/and retirement number(s), the date, and your ORIGINAL signature; it must also include the subject line: “Non-receipt of the 2023 CE”. Once received by the Fund, the letter will be scanned to your file to alert the Fund of the situation and to allow the Fund to take action to prevent a potential future suspension of your benefit by the end of December 2023.

You also have the option of completing your CE exercise by using the Digital CE app. 

The MSS CE Tracking Tool:
Once you have returned the dated and signed barcoded CE to the Fund (either the one mailed to you OR the MSS CE) you can track its receipt by the Fund online, in the “Proof Documents” tab in the MSS portal. Please allow for at least four to six weeks before checking CE receipt in MSS, given the huge volume of returned CEs and the work involved for the Fund. If your CE is not yet listed, check again a couple of weeks later, as the Fund continuously updates its records. For more detailed information about this tracking process, please see below.

Please be aware, only the original barcoded CEs of the first or second official mailings or printed from MSS can be tracked (NOT copies).

If you completed the CE exercise using the Digital CE app, you will not be able to track receipt of your Digital CE inside the MSS Proof Documents tab. These two systems are not connected at this time. To confirm whether your DCE was duly completed please access the DCE App where successful issuance of the 2023 DCE would be indicated on a screen showing that your 2023 DCE is valid till 31 December 2023.

The barcoded CEs are normally mailed out by the Fund at the very end of June (1^st Mailing) and again at the very end of October (2^nd Mailing) if neither the one sent in June nor the MSS CE were returned to the Fund by early October.

Remember, all retirees and beneficiaries, whose benefit is NOT paid on the two-track, also have the option to view and print their barcoded CE form inside their Member Self Service (MSS) under the DOCUMENTS tab.

No, the UNJSPF must receive an original CE from the current year’s exercise either by mail or electronically through MSS for a benefit to continue in payment. No facsimiles, e-mails, or old forms will be accepted.

Alternatively, you can complete your CE exercise via the Digital CE app. 

If your CE is not returned to the UNJSPF by 31 December of that year, your benefit will be suspended until you return your CE or provide the UNJSPF with acceptable proof that you are still alive.

Since 2021 the Fund offers the option for retirees and beneficiaries to complete their CE exercise using the Digital CE app. That is an option to consider if you are going to be away from your home address.

However, if you prefer to complete the CE exercise using the paper-based CE, you should ensure that (a) your mail is forwarded to you or (b) if you have not received the CE by July/November you should write to the UNJSPF for a new CE to be mailed to you, and return it to the UNJSPF duly signed either by mail or electronically via the MSS document upload feature.

Alternatively, if your benefit is not paid under the two-track, you can download your CE form in MSS under the Documents tab (it is made available around June each year). It is important that the CE is mailed back to the UNJSPF or submitted electronically via MSS even if you write to indicate that you are still alive. A letter will suffice only to defer suspension of your benefit.

Signature authentication is NOT REQUIRED if the retiree’s/beneficiary’s signature on the CE form matches the original signature the Fund has on file for the retiree/beneficiary (i.e. usually the signature on their original Payment Instructions submitted at the time of benefit implementation).

Signature authentication is also NOT REQUIRED, if the signature on the CE form matches a more recently received, duly authenticated signature.

Signature authentication IS REQUIRED when the retiree’s/beneficiary’s signature on the CE form differs notably from the original signature the Fund has on file and no duly authenticated signature was received by the Fund that would match the ‘new’ signature on the CE form.

As a general rule, signature authentication IS REQUIRED for each CE form or document on which a thumbprint is affixed.

Please refer to the following paragraphs for more detailed explanations regarding the Fund’s requirements for signature and thumbprint authentication.

For such cases the Fund will request the retiree/beneficiary to have their signature duly authenticated by an official of any UNJSPF member organization (such as a Human Resources Officer), a UNJSPF Official, a Government Official or a Notary Public.

The person authenticating the retiree’s or beneficiary’s signature must affix in the designated area on the CE form their full name, their title, the date, their stamp/seal of office, their original signature and, if applicable, also their license or index number. Signatures affixed by the retiree or beneficiary from that point onwards will have to match the authenticated signature.

As a general rule, signature authentication IS REQUIRED for each CE form or document on which a thumbprint is affixed.

In cases where a retiree or beneficiary can no longer sign documents due to ill health, in lieu of their signature the retiree/beneficiary can affix their thumbprint in the designated box on the CE form. The retiree’s/beneficiary’s thumbprint must be duly authenticated by their attending physician (doctor) in the designated fields ON the CE form, including the doctor’s full name, his/her title, stamp/seal of office and his/her original signature. The same doctor would have to issue a medical certificate or statement in English or French to the attention of the UNJSPF, on official letterhead and providing the physician’s original signature and the date, attesting to the retiree’s/beneficiary’s current health situation preventing them from signing the CE form; this medical statement must be attached to the duly authenticated original CE form and both documents must be returned to the Fund together.

Based on the authentication on the CE form and the attached medical certificate, the Fund would accept the retiree’s/beneficiary’s CE and, if received in the required format, consider they have fulfilled the requirements of the annual CE Exercise.

Should the retiree/beneficiary continue to thumbprint their CEs in the following years, and the same physician authenticates their thumbprint on future CE forms, no new medical certificate is required; however, if a different doctor authenticates their thumbprint on future CE forms, a NEW medical statement must be issued by the new authenticating doctor and must be attached to the CE form authenticated by that new doctor in line with the usual requirements.

Furthermore, for cases where the retiree/beneficiary suffers from serious long term health issues, the Fund recommends that during the period when the above described arrangement is used, the retiree/beneficiary and/or their family or friends should start the proceedings for the appointment of a legal guardian for the retiree or beneficiary.