How to know if the deceased has life insurance?

To find out if the deceased had life insurance, you must contact ASF.

In order to find out if someone who has passed away was the holder of a life insurance policy, it is necessary to contact the Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Authority (ASF), which centralizes the data on this type of insurance and, by law, must provide this information to any interested party.

This is so that it can be determined if the deceased was a subscriber to a life insurance policy from which the interested party may be a beneficiary. Therefore, it is necessary to fill out the Life Insurance, Personal Accident and Capitalization Operations Information Request form, in which you will have to provide these documents:

• Death certificate or declaration of presumed death of the potential insured or subscriber;  
• Civil and fiscal identification documents of the applicant or interested party; 
• If the request is made by a representative of the interested party, proof of this status;  
• If the request is made by a legal entity, the commercial registration certificate.

You can then submit the form by postal mail or email or deliver it directly to ASF.  

Note that the death of the insurance subscriber must be declared in a judicial process, since ASF only identifies insurance policies with the deceased's name or contract holder's name. 

In our life insurance associated with mortgage credit, Decree-Law No. 384/2007 determines the duty to inform the beneficiary of the contracts of the deceased insurer in the event of life, personal accident, and capitalization insurance, excluding this duty in credit-linked insurance. This is because, in this case, the beneficiary is already identified as the creditor financial institution.

The deceased had a life insurance policy of which I am a beneficiary, what now?

If ASF provides the information that the deceased person had a life insurance policy of which you are the beneficiary, they will provide you with a certificate with the relevant information. You must submit this document to the insurance company and prepare the following documents, which may be required:

• Citizen card (or identity card and taxpayer card);  
• Documentation inherent to the participation of the claim;  
• Death certificate and document proving the quality of heir or beneficiary.

By law, the insurer cannot leave the request unanswered, and the insurance refund must be paid within 20 business days.

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