The habit of take out life insurance policies (death) is much more frequent than one imagines, thanks to the fact that this information is usually not easily shared. This is a strictly personal matter, to the point that very often not even the beneficiaries themselves know they are entitled to the prize, which remains frozen. It is the phenomenon of dormant policieswhich is periodically repeated, not without arousing a lot of amazement.
But how do you do it? find out if a person has a life insurance policy? In fact it is not public information, rather it concerns a very personal, private aspect, worthy of protection from privacy violations. Not to mention the fact that knowing this data could expose the policy holders to serious risks. The Italian news contains several cases of murder for insurance collection, even if many think it is just a plot from a detective film.
For this reason, knowing if a person has a life insurance policy is only possible when it is not prejudicial and always provided that the applicant has a valid interest to about. Here’s what you need to know.
Can I know if a person has a life insurance policy?
As many imagine, it is not possible to know if a person has a life insurance policy as long as they are alive. There is no legally worthy interest that could justify such an invasion of other people’s privacy, even more so when this fact could increase hostility. For the same reason no one has the right to know the will of a subject, except after his death.
However, it is possible to find out if a deceased person had a life insurance policy, not because confidentiality is unprotected after death, but because it is possible valid interests in having this information. In particular:
- find out if you are a beneficiary of the policy;
- check the compliance with the legitimate share hereditary;
Less frequent, but still possible, there is then the need to verify the legitimacy of the contract of insurance in light of theincapacity of understanding and will of the deceased. It therefore follows that only the bearer of these interests or possibly his lawyer with power of attorney has the right to request and receive information on the deceased’s life insurance policy.
Furthermore, the information that can be accessed also changes depending on the case. In particular, the possible beneficiary of the policy has the right to know if one has been stipulated policy in his favor to be able to collect it and nothing more. For example, he will not be able to know if there are other contracts, nor to know the identity of the beneficiaries or the amount of the prize.
The heirsin case of reduction of the legitimate right, they have the right to know theidentity of the beneficiaries and also theprize amount to be able to take legal action and obtain restitution. This orientation has been confirmed several times by the Court of Cassation, even if some uncertainties remain regarding the relationship between the insurance premium and the inheritance. Typically, it is only relevant in the case of legitimate violations.
Finally, it may be that the deceased’s family members want to initiate an investigation to contest the validity of the policy due to the incapacity of the owner. In this case though they have to take legal action against the insurancefrom which they are not entitled to know further details than just the existence of the policy.
How to find out if a person has a life insurance policy
Who has reason to be potential beneficiary of the life insurance policy of a deceased person can start a search directly from the electronic portal of the National Association of Insurance Companies (Ania) after registering or by sending the request to the address:[email protected] with the subject “life insurance search”.
The request can also be submitted directly to banks or at insurance companies of which the deceased was the customer, taking care to first notify the death certificate of the same and then formulating the request in written form (possibly both communications via registered mail with return receipt), so as to be able to contest any unmotivated refusal to provide information and without risking that the right becomes time-barred. Of course, you will need to document your entitlement, as an heir or family member.
