This information is for pensioners who live overseas
The 2026 overseas pensioner verification exercise is now taking place so if you live overseas and are in receipt of a pension from the Scheme, we’ve written to you confirming the steps you’ll need to take to complete the exercise this time.
The letter sets out exactly what’s required and by when, plus there’s an Identity check guide that takes you through the steps of the online process and a Q&A for if you run into any problems. This year we’ve made the process simpler; you can complete it online or by post and you don’t have to visit a Western Union agent.
Thanks for your support and understanding in helping us complete the exercise this year. Verifying our overseas pensioners is an important process that we have to undertake to make sure we’re paying the right pensions to the right people. We really appreciate your help in working with the team to complete the exercise and help safeguard the Scheme’s benefits.
The process can be completed online or by paper – but not by email
We know not everyone is comfortable going online, so if you prefer, you can complete the overseas pensioner status form which is included with the letter. Please return it to us by post, along with copies of the supporting evidence. Please don’t send original documents as we may not be able to guarantee their safe return.
Please don’t use email to send us your verification information. Email isn’t secure for sending personal data and we don’t want to risk security fraud. If we do receive emailed documents, we’ll contact you to ask you to re-send them by post.
If you’re completing the process online
If you’re registered with Clarity from BW, Pension self-service or if we hold a valid email address for you, we’ll email you to confirm when your overseas verification letter is available for you to view from your online account. You can log in here.
If you’re not yet registered and would like to sign up to access your pension information online, please click here and follow the instructions to create an account.
What you will need to complete the overseas verification process
You’ll need a mobile phone or tablet with a camera and a valid photographic ID, for example a passport or driving licence. Once logged in, completing the verification process should take you about 20 minutes.
You’ll need to complete the online process in one go otherwise the session might time out so make sure to allow yourself sufficient time to go through the steps and that you have everything you need with you before you start.
Confirmation when the online process has been successfully completed
Once you’ve completed the online process, we’ll notify you to confirm if this has been successful or whether you need to take further actions. If you do, this may be due to the data not matching exactly to our records or the quality of the reproduced information.
Similarly, if the verification tool fails, we’ll receive a notification and will contact you. Don’t worry, we’ll be in touch to resolve your issue.
What happens if you don’t complete the process within the eight-week timescales
If we don’t hear from you within eight weeks, we’ll follow up with a reminder of what you need to do to complete the process.
What happens if you have a problem with the timescales
If you foresee a problem in completing the process within the eight-week timescales, please email the team to let them know as soon as possible: NGUKGasPension@Barnett-Waddingham.co.uk Please use this as the subject of your email: Overseas pensioners verification 2026 – help needed
What happens if you have a query
Please contact the admin team if you have a query about the process or run into an issues, please email the team to let them know as soon as possible: NGUKGasPension@Barnett-Waddingham.co.uk Please use this as the subject of your email: Overseas pensioners verification 2026 – I have a question.
If you’ve raised a query with us about the process – please be aware that we’ll only contact you to help resolve your issue after the eight-week deadline has passed – so don’t worry if you don’t hear back from us immediately, we will be in touch.
What happens in cases where there’s no response received
After four months, if pensioners fail to respond or make contact, we will eventually be required to suspend pension payments. The Trustees will be notified of cases in progress and will guide the team on actions needed under those circumstances. The team will notify you before any action is taken.
Thank you for helping us undertake this year’s exercise.
14 May 2026