On the plastic chair of a tiny post office, a retired school janitor twists a dog-eared letter between his fingers. He’s been standing in line for nearly an hour, clutching the paper that says something about a “missing certificate” and a “pension adjustment from February 8.” The young clerk behind the counter smiles politely, then points to the same cold sentence: “Upload the document online.” The man’s eyes glaze over. He doesn’t own a computer. His old phone barely sends texts.
Around him, several retirees are having the same conversation: internet, forms, deadlines. Confusion floats in the air like a fog.
The pension will rise.
But only for those who can click.
Pensions going up – but only for the most connected
From February 8, the long-awaited pension increase will not land in every bank account. On paper, the reform sounds fair: a small boost to compensate for inflation, on the condition that each retiree submits a missing certificate confirming their situation. On screen, it’s another story.
The adjustment is almost entirely tied to an online procedure. For those who live far from administrative offices, or just far from the digital world, the raise feels less like a right and more like a trap. A few clicks for some. A wall for others.
Take Maria, 74, who lives alone in a village where the bus passes twice a day on good weeks. She received the letter about the missing certificate, read it three times, then folded it neatly next to her electricity bill. “It says I have to go on a website,” she says, almost apologizing. “I don’t have internet. I don’t even know where to start.”
Her grandson usually helps her with paperwork, but he moved for work abroad. The local town hall only opens three mornings a week. When she finally manages to speak to someone, the answer is always the same: “You have to do it online.” Her pension might stay frozen, not because she refuses the rules, but because the rules refuse her reality.
Behind these individual stories stands a stark figure: millions of retirees still have no regular internet access, or only a basic phone with limited data. Many share one smartphone per couple, with a cracked screen and no memory left for new apps.
Digital tools are becoming the main gateway to public services, yet **the people who need those services the most are often the least equipped to use them**. The result is a quiet, invisible selection. Those who understand the letters, decode the websites, juggle passwords, get the raise. The others watch prices rise and feel left on the roadside, with a bitter impression: the country moved on without them.
How to submit the missing certificate without getting lost
For those who can’t simply “go online”, there are still ways to unlock this pension rise. The first step is almost always the same: call or visit your local pension office, social security branch, or town hall and ask one clear question, spoken slowly if needed: “How can I send my missing certificate without the internet?”
Often, there is a paper option hidden in the small print. A mailed form, an appointment in a local office, or a social worker who can scan and send the document for you. Some post offices and libraries now offer help with online procedures. One real person sitting next to you, one screen, one form. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
The biggest obstacle is not the form itself, but the feeling of being overwhelmed before even starting. Bureaucratic letters often sound threatening, with deadlines, legal terms, and long reference numbers. Many retirees quietly put them aside, hoping the situation will sort itself out.
Let’s be honest: nobody really reads every official letter from top to bottom the same day it arrives. That’s how delays pile up. That’s how a “simple certificate” turns into a risk of losing money each month. Asking someone to read the letter out loud with you, line by line, already changes the game. The words sound less like a sentence, more like a set of concrete steps.
If you’re feeling anger or shame about “not being digital enough”, you’re far from alone. *This policy is exposing a divide that was already there, just less visible.* The good news is that some professionals are speaking up about it.
“Linking a basic pension increase to an online-only certificate is a quiet way of excluding the most vulnerable,” says a social worker who assists retirees in rural areas. “We see people who worked 40 years and now feel punished because they don’t have Wi-Fi. The rule might look neutral on paper, but on the ground, it hits very unevenly.”
- Go somewhere with human help – town halls, social centers, pension offices, some charities and libraries now have staff trained to handle online procedures for seniors.
- Bring all your letters
- – even the ones you don’t fully understand. A single reference number can unlock the right form.
- Write down each step
- on paper: who you called, which document you sent, what date. It calms the mind and protects you if something goes wrong later.
Behind the anger: a country split between “online” and “offline” lives
This new rule about missing certificates is touching a nerve for a simple reason: it’s not just about money, it’s about dignity. When your pension goes up only if you master codes and logins, retirement stops feeling like a right and starts feeling like a digital obstacle course. Some retirees say they feel “infantilized,” treated as if they had failed an exam they never signed up for.
Others feel invisible. They’ve paid into the system all their working life, accepted reforms they barely understood, and now discover that a screen stands between them and their own money. The policy doesn’t just change a number on a bank statement; it rewrites the daily reality of thousands of people.
Family dynamics are also shifting. Adult children become “unofficial administrators” of their parents’ lives, juggling their own jobs with online pension accounts, tax declarations, healthcare reimbursements. When these relatives live far away or are themselves lost in the bureaucracy, the whole household is stuck.
We’ve all been there, that moment when a parent hands you a letter with a worried look and says, “You understand these things better than I do.” What used to be a one-off favor turns into a permanent role. Some accept it lovingly. Others feel pressure, even guilt, when something goes wrong. The emotional weight of this pension increase extends well beyond the person whose name is on the check.
Politically, the decision to tie the pension rise from February 8 to a missing certificate sent mostly online sends a clear, if unspoken, message: the digital route is no longer an option, it’s the default.
For tech-savvy citizens, that sounds efficient. For those left behind, it sounds like a door slamming shut. Three groups feel especially exposed: people in remote rural areas, low-income retirees who can’t afford devices or subscriptions, and older adults with disabilities or cognitive difficulties.
**Public debate will likely intensify as the first bank statements come in**, with some jubilant about the extra euros and others shocked by a zero increase. Not because they didn’t qualify. Simply because no one showed them where to click.
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| Missing certificate needed | Pension rise from February 8 is conditional on a document confirming your situation | Understand why your pension may not increase automatically |
| Offline options exist | Town halls, pension offices, social workers and some post offices can handle the process without home internet | Find concrete ways to submit your certificate even if you’re not online |
| Act before delays hit | Late submission can freeze or postpone the increase for months | Protect your income and avoid losing money you’re entitled to |
FAQ:
- Question 1What is this “missing certificate” everyone is talking about for February 8?
- Question 2Can my pension really stay the same if I don’t send the certificate?
- Question 3What can I do if I don’t have internet or a computer at home?
- Question 4Is it safe to ask a family member or neighbor to handle this online for me?
- Question 5Who should I contact first if I’m lost or think I’ve missed the deadline?
