Please take the biometric picture as if you are taking a passport picture, with a good solid background and good light. Please do not hold the phone in a way that the ceiling is your background. Please hold it directly facing you.

All retirees and beneficiaries must provide, every year, proof that they are alive and entitled to the continued payment of their benefit. They can do that by returning a paper copy of the CE form to the Fund or, since December 2020, they can upload the CE form into their MSS account.

The new Digital Certificate of Entitlement service offers the simplicity of completing the annual CE via an app, through a mobile phone or a tablet.

Please read the step-by-step guide provided under the resources section of this page.

Based on the tests conducted, the DCE App is compatible with the following mobile devices or tablets:
(i) Android devices running at least the operating system version 7.0 (API version 24) installed at the date you purchased the device; and/or
(ii) Apple devices with the operating system iOS version 11 or later installed at the date you purchased your device.

If you have multiple devices (iPhone, iPad), you should ONLY install the App on one device and only use that device to enroll and issue the Digital CE.

The DCE App is available in English, French and Spanish.

Please note that you need to have your mobile device settings in French or Spanish to get the French or Spanish version of the App.

Please read the step-by-step guide provided under the resources section of this page.

Please check the UID page for guidance.

The enrollment in the Digital CE and issuance of your Digital CE are possible until 31 December.

Please note that if you do not complete both the enrolment and the Digital CE by 22 June, the Fund will 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 provided you are not paid on the two-track.

After 22 June, you then have two options: to either (i) submit the paper-based version of the CE form to the Fund, 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.

If you chose (i) the paper CE must be returned to the Fund, either by mail or via the MSS upload by 31 December. However, if you choose (ii) there is no more need for you to return the paper-based CE form to the Fund this year.

You can install the app on your new smartphone.

If you have the same Apple ID (Apple Device) or google account (Android Device) and had backed up your profile with your lost or stolen phone during your initial enrolment, you can simply log in and use the app after installing it in your new phone.

If your profile was not backed up (for Android Device) you will be prompted to reenroll after installing the App and login in. You will then be contacted within 5 business days by a DCE Task force Agent after choosing your time preference at the end of the re-enrollment process.

Yes, you can continue using the DCE App. Changing the SIM card will not affect the DCE App since the app is stored on your phone and not on your SIM card.

The Digital Certificate of Entitlement system will send automated email notifications to the email address that you provided as part of your DCE App enrollment when you requested your Invitation Code. Automated emails sent to you as part of DCE App usage include (but are not limited to) communications for the following purposes: sending you the Invitation Code, confirming successful DCE App enrollment, rejection of DCE App enrollment, notification advising you that the annual DCE cycle is open and you can issue your annual DCE, DCE reminders, password recovery or Security Code reset, etc.

Emails sent to you as part of automated DCE App notifications will be sent from the following email address: [email protected] and may show as arriving from “UNJSPF Digital Certificate of Entitlement [email protected]”. Please do NOT respond to these automated emails as they emanate from a ‘no-reply’ mailbox. Please keep in mind that emails sent to you as part of DCE App usage may land in the spam/junk folder of your mailbox.

Please check the Step-by-Step Guide under the resources section of this page.

The enrollment and DCE issuance period for this year end on 31 December.

Yes, all retirees and beneficiaries can enroll in and use the DCE App, no matter which track they are receiving their benefits.

If you are paid under the two-track (i.e. local track) you must ensure that you are physically in your declared country of residence when issuing the DCE or else the Fund will assume that you have moved to a different country and you will be asked to submit form PENS.E/11 as well as corresponding proof of residence to the Fund, which may impact your benefit payment.

Please check the Step-by-Step Guide provided under the resources section of this page.

If it still doesn’t work, please contact us at [email protected]. The DCE App team will respond to your query within a maximum of 3 business days to assist you.

No, you need to use the Invitation Code only once to register for the DCE App.

Once the enrollment process has been completed successfully, you will use your email address (the one you provided during DCE App enrollment) and the six-digit Security Code you created during DCE App enrollment to log in to the app.

Note that the Invitation Code and the Security Code are different codes: the DCE App generated Invitation Code serves to grant you access to the DCE App enrollment, and the Security Code that you created during your enrollment serves as part of your DCE App login credentials.

The PIN Code is a six-digit code that you will create during DCE App enrollment.

When you create the PIN Code, note that it cannot be a simple sequence like 123456, as that would not be secure enough; make sure to create a more complex six-digit code. If the code you create during the DCE App enrollment is considered not secure enough, then the DCE App will prompt you to create a new, safer code.

Once you have successfully created your DCE App PIN Code, it will be required to provide it each time you log in to the DCE App, together with the email address you provided during the DCE App enrollment. The Security Code and the email address will serve as your DCE App login credentials.

They will also be required should you change mobile device and want to install and access your DCE App on the new mobile device. Please make sure to note and store your DCE App user credential in a safe place so that you can access the DCE App easily at any time.

Note that this PIN Code is different from the Invitation Code you received and used at the beginning of the DCE App enrolment process: while the Invitation Code is DCE App generated and used only once to grant you access to DCE App enrolment, the PIN Code is created by you during your app enrolment and serves as part of your DCE App login credentials which you will have to enter each time you log in to the DCE App.

See the Step-by-Step guide under the resources section of this page.

Please keep in mind that you might receive the reset email into your spam/junk inbox.

To ensure successful DCE App enrollment you must provide a valid, government-issued picture ID document, i.e. an official document that includes your photo and full name, date of birth, ID issuance and expiry dates, ID issuing authority, and your scripted signature that is accepted by the UNJSPF.

ID documents accepted by the UNJSPF for DCE App enrollment are national passport, national ID card, national driver’s license, government-issued official residency permits (e.g. Green Card in the U.S.A, Carte de Séjour in France, etc.).

If the Fund cannot confirm that the ID document you submitted is acceptable for DCE enrollment purposes you will be contacted by the Fund at the email address you provided during the DCE App enrollment process to explain what is required from you to continue the enrollment process; in the meantime, your video appointment with the Fund will be canceled and will have to be re-scheduled once you can submit an acceptable ID document.

The enrollment needs to be completed and approved only once. Thereafter, you can complete the Digital CE exercise each year via the app.

The software works best if your face is unobstructed by spectacles, masks, hats, etc. However, we understand that sometimes not wearing your glasses is not an option. The biometrics portion of the App may take a bit longer to process but should still function properly even if you wear your glasses.

In that case, you will have to start the DCE App enrollment process all over. You would have to complete once again all steps of the DCE App enrollment process, set up a new video appointment with the UNJSPF during which your ID and information will have to be confirmed in order to successfully complete the DCE App enrollment process. Reasons for rejection of a DCE App enrollment could be submission of an invalid ID document or when information you provided during the enrollment does not match the information in your UNJSPF file.

The video appointment with a UNJSPF representative is a required step in the DCE App enrollment process.

During this appointment, the UNJSPF representative will verify and confirm your identity by checking the information you submitted as part of the DCE App enrollment process against the data available in the Fund’s records and verify the photo on your ID document against your life presence during the call. This is part of the required security measures to ensure the safe use of the DCE App.

The UNJSPF representative will also guide you through the issuance of your first Digital Certificate of Entitlement so that you have all the information you need to issue your DCE alone in the future without any issues.

No. The video call will only complete the DCE App enrollment, not the issuance of the annual Digital CE (DCE).

The enrolment is the first step and after the video call, you must complete the steps for the issuance of the DCE, else you will not have completed the process and will be considered to not have completed the requirements of the CE Exercise. Please read check the Step-by-Step guide available under Resources to issue your annual DCE.

The video appointment will take place from inside the DCE App. You will simply select your time preference and the Fund will call you within 5 business days.

Please make sure that you have the ID document you submitted during the DCE App enrollment with you and ready during the video call with the UNJSPF as you will be required to show it to the UNJSPF representative as part of ID verification.

No, you only need to complete the video appointment once to confirm your identity, as part of your initial enrolment in the Digital CE App.

Once your identity has been confirmed during the video appointment with the Fund and you have successfully completed your Digital CE App enrolment, you can simply complete the annual Digital CE process inside the app every year without any direct interaction with the Fund.

The only time that you would have to have another video appointment with the Fund is if you were to delete and re-install the DCE App on your mobile device for some reason OR if you were to change your mobile device; in that case, upon reinstallation of the Digital CE app on the mobile device of your choice, you might have to re-enroll, which will require another video appointment to reconfirm your identity.

Please make sure to carefully follow the Step-by-Step Guide under the resources section of this page.

If you still encounter issues, please contact the DCE support team at [email protected].

Please check the Step-by-Step Guide under the resources section of this page.

Please note that at the end of the process, you will receive an automated email stating the Digital CE validity and duration. This confirmation email will be sent only for Digital CEs and will replace tracking of the returned DCE inside your Member Self-Service (MSS) account. The confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provided during DCE App enrollment. Please keep in mind that you might receive the email in your spam/junk inbox.

Any data collected by the UNJSPF during a Digital Certificate of Entitlement transaction is stored and encrypted on the app itself or on computers maintained in data centers that are protected by the United Nations privileges and immunities. No information is ever stored in the “cloud”.

No. The app will not store images and/or pictures of your face. The app will only generate data of the transactions performed, which are then recorded in an immutable and encrypted ledger to be used for audit purposes.

No, the UNJSPF will not provide this data to your government.

Yes, the app updates the biometric information every time that a Digital CE is issued and will thus adapt to changes in your facial traits over time.

The Digital CE App uses an advanced facial recognition algorithm based on “learning” mechanisms that included data related to all ethnic groups. Furthermore, the algorithm improves its accuracy with increase usage. Most of the limitations identified during the pilot testing pertained to cases where the initial biometric data were captured in poor light conditions. In these cases, users are directed to the UNJSPF Call Center for assistance in repeating and completing the process.

The security of the entire Digital CE Solution has been tested and validated by an independent third-party. The biometric data used by the App are captured and stored only locally, on the users’ device. Therefore, users remain under full control of their data, at all times. Given that UNJSPF does not collect, process, store or transmit any biometric data, the risk of hacking is prevented. Furthermore, the Digital CE infrastructure is hosted by the United Nations International Computing Centre and protected by the relevant and applicable privileges and immunities.

The Digital CE uses blockchain to create immutable, traceable, and independently auditable records of the transactions.

Blockchain is a technology implemented in wide variety of sectors and activities, and while cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin are some of the most widely known examples, it has been used in a significant number of other applications (i.e., logistics; land registries; supply chain; medical records; etc.).

Contrary to Bitcoin, which is a “public and open” (i.e., “permissionless”) blockchain, which requires a significant amount of energy resources, the Digital CE App is a “private and closed” (i.e., “permissioned”) blockchain. The blockchain supporting the Digital CE does not involve the consumption of significant energy resources and/or extra costs, other than those typically associated with the support of ordinary ICT servers and applications.

If you need assistance, please read the Step-by-Step Guide provided under the resources section of this page; it provides detailed guidance and will probably address your questions.

Or, if you encounter issues that are not addressed in the Step-by-Step Guide or inside this FAQ document, you can direct your DCE App related questions or report issues to the Fund by emailing the DCE support team at [email protected]. The team will assist you within max. 3 business days.

Please note that you may also request assistance inside the DCE App by clicking on the question mark “?” on the top corner of some of the DCE App screens; this will take you to a DCE support screen where you can access these Frequently Asked Questions or request support by sending an email to the Fund from inside the app.

Yes, you can have someone else assist you during the enrollment process to complete the acquisition of your biometric data on the device. A standard icon on the app will guide the user during the enrollment process. The user will be able to change the camera setting (from the front to back camera).

Yes. The paper-based form of the Certificate of Entitlement (CE) will still be available for those who do not want to adopt the Digital CE application. No action is required from you if you want to continue receiving and submitting to the Fund the paper-based CE form. Please refer to the CE webpage if you need to be reminded of the procedure.

Please report this to the UNJSPF by emailing [email protected], and we will respond with adequate advice.

If you have only enrolled to use the app (i.e. completed the DCE App enrollment process) but have not, yet, issued the annual Digital Certificate of Entitlement, you will still receive the paper-based CE form for the given CE year.

If, however, you issued the annual Digital Certificate of Entitlement inside the DCE App before the end of June, you will have completed the Digital Certificate of Entitlement exercise successfully and, therefore, will not receive the paper-based CE for that year, as no further CE related action would be required from you.