Sending in an application
Entitled to a policy
In the restoration of rights after the war, by far the greater part of the life insurance policies confiscated by the Nazi robbery bank Lippmann, Rosenthal & Co was restored. In many cases the insured amount was paid to surviving relatives of the Jewish insured persons. However, part of the policies could not be paid out because no legitimate beneficiaries came forward or could be found. The surrender values of these policies were transferred to the State around 1955 as ‘estates without known heirs’. Smaller policies have, in many cases, not been robbed and not been systematically restored.
If you think that you are entitled to a benefit payment from a life insurance policy contracted before or during the war, you can send in an application for a claim to us until 1 January 2025. Claims that had already been dealt with before 9 November 1999, will not be dealt with again.
List of names
Immediately after the start in 2000, SIVS has made a list of life insurance policies that have probably never been paid out. This list, which is on the website and which can also be requested from the secretariat by telephone, has always been kept up to date. The list now contains some 2000 names. Do you recognize the name of a relative on this list? Then you can send in an application to us. If the names of your relatives are not on this list but if there are indications that they did have an insurance policy, then you can also send in an application.
As of 1 January 2020, the Foundation will no longer accept undocumented applications for settlement. This means that only applications will be settled that relate to a specific insurer or policy, or to a name that appears on the list of names published by the Foundation. In the past period, it has become clear that the settlement of undocumented applications – in which only a general request for investigation is made to all relevant companies – involves much time and very seldom leads to a positive result.
Relevant information
It is important that when you send in an application, you supply us with as many relevant data as possible. The data that are minimally required to be able to deal with your application are:
- Your own name and address;
- Full first names and surname of the person concerned;
- Date and place of birth of the person concerned;
- Your relationship to the person concerned;
- Information concerning the insurance policy (e.g. name insurance company or policy number).
SIVS will then perform a thorough investigation in the archives of Dutch insurers and in other relevant Dutch archives. We will keep you informed about the results of the investigation in these archives.
What may result from the investigation in the archives?
In summary, there may be three results of the investigation:
- No insurance data are found. This can mean that there never was an insurance policy. It can also mean that the insurance was paid out after the war or that the data are no longer in the archives.
- Insurance data are found and these data indicate that the insurance was already paid out to the beneficiaries after the war.
- Insurance data are found, but these data indicate that the policy has not been (fully) paid out.
Subsequent to the results of the investigation, the Board of the Foundation will make a decision about your application for a benefit payment. The Board will assess entitlements to a benefit payment from motives of reasonableness and fairness. The starting points for this assessment are the insurance law and the law of succession in the Netherlands. Lost interest on a possible benefit will be compensated until the moment of payment. If goes without saying that you will be informed of the decision (in writing).
Objection Committee
In case you disagree with a decision of the Board, you can lodge a notice of objection within six weeks after the date on which the letter with the Board’s decision was sent. Your notice of objection will be passed on to the independent Objection Committee of the Sjoa Foundation for Individual Insurance Claims. You can send the notice of objection to the postal address of the foundation.
How long does it take?
The investigation in the archives that is made with respect to your application is largely done by hand. This takes time. Furthermore, you must also bear in mind that the archives of insurance companies and other institutions are no longer complete because these may be cleared after the statutory retention period has expired. The archives that may need to be investigated are also spread across the country in various companies and institutions. It may take some time before you receive an answer. We kindly ask your understanding for this!
For sending in applications and for further information you can contact:
- Sjoa Foundation for Individual Insurance Claims (SIVS)
- P.O. Box 91475, 2509 EB The Hague, The Netherlands
- Telephone: +31 70 3338546 (between 14.00 and 16.00 hrs)
- E-mail: info@stichting-sjoa.nl
- Internet: www.stichting-sjoa.nl
Download the application:
Application form