Pension payments to more than 14,000 citizens in Tajikistan have been temporarily suspended after they failed to complete mandatory identity verification, the Agency for Social Insurance and Pensions under the government said.
The agency explained that pension payments would resume only after pensioners undergo re-registration and confirm their identity.
The nationwide identification campaign, which includes biometric Face ID registration, began in the second half of November 2025 and was expected to be completed by the end of March this year.
Under the procedure, pensioners must visit local branches of the pension agency with identification documents. Their photographs and personal data are then uploaded into a separate digital system.
An official source within the agency told Asia-Plus on May 1 that 14,022 pensioners had not completed re-registration, leading to the temporary suspension of payments to their bank cards. However, the agency did not specify when exactly the payments were halted.
According to another source within the agency, the affected pensioners are located both inside the country and abroad.
“Citizens whose pension payments have been suspended will have their pensions restored from the moment of suspension after contacting the agency and verifying their identity. All withheld funds for this period will be fully paid,” the source said.
The agency also stated that the identification process is mandatory for all pensioners nationwide. It clarified that authorized representatives cannot complete facial identification on behalf of pensioners living abroad, even if they hold a valid power of attorney.
“The personal presence of the pensioner is mandatory,” the agency said in its response to Asia-Plus.
Tajik lawyer Khurshed Qurbonshoyev said the Constitution of Tajikistan guarantees every citizen the right to social security under Article 39. He also noted that Article 99 of the country’s law “On Pension Provision for Citizens of the Republic of Tajikistan” allows pensions to be received through a power of attorney.
According to the lawyer, the state has the right to introduce biometric re-registration measures to control pension payments, but such measures must remain within the framework of the law and should not restrict citizens’ constitutional rights.
“If citizens located abroad are not provided with a real opportunity to undergo re-registration remotely through consulates, diplomatic missions, or alternative mechanisms, then suspending payments regardless of a power of attorney may constitute a disproportionate restriction of rights,” Qurbonshoyev said.
He added that citizens may challenge such decisions through the courts or other relevant authorities if no alternative registration options are provided.
The pensioner identification campaign is being conducted under a government protocol adopted on October 31, 2025.
According to the Agency for Social Insurance and Pensions, as of May 1, some 830,907 pensioners had completed identification procedures. The agency also reported that 854,370 pensioners are officially registered in the country, noting that the statistical difference is linked to the registration of new pensioners.
