Did you know that Spain has a life insurance policy register?
Spanish Law 20/2005 of 14 November, which created the Register of life insurance contracts covering death, regulates the creation of a common list where interested parties can consult information relating to different policies.
The Life Insurance Policy Register Helps You Know Whether You Are the Beneficiary of a Policy
What Is the Life Insurance Policy Register and What Is It For?
The Register of Life Insurance Contracts is managed by the Spanish Ministry of Justice and is public. Its function is to provide the necessary information so that, as an interested party, you can find out whether the deceased person had taken out a life insurance policy.
If so, it also identifies the issuing insurer and enables descendants or beneficiaries to claim the indemnity, preventing it from going unclaimed because they were unaware of its existence.
How Can the Register of Life Insurance Contracts Be Accessed?
To find out information about a deceased person’s life policies, you must request a Certificate of Insurance Contracts Covering Death from the register. This document shows all current contracts in which the deceased appeared as the insured person, as well as the issuing entity, contract number and type of cover.
This certificate can be requested from 15 days after death until 5 years later if the indemnities have not been claimed by the beneficiaries. Otherwise, the information will be removed as soon as the insurers report that the policy has been paid.
There are several ways to request the certificate:
1 – Electronically
If you have an electronic signature, you can access the Electronic Office of the Ministry of Justice, where you will need to complete a questionnaire. This option is only possible if the death is not registered with the local justice of the peace court; otherwise, the death certificate must also be submitted.
2 – By Post
By completing Form 790 and paying the corresponding fee, you must send the application and proof of payment to the following postal address:
General Register of Last Wills, Ministry of Justice
Plaza de Jacinto Benavente, 3, 28012 Madrid.
The data are received approximately one week after the application is received.
3 – In Person
You must submit the same documents as in the postal application, but at the Central Citizen Services Office or at one of the Ministry of Justice’s regional offices. In this case, the certificate is obtained immediately.
Thanks to the existence of this life insurance policy register, it is easier than ever to prevent policies from remaining unclaimed and to ensure that beneficiaries can exercise their rights.