Military Spouse Overseas: SBP / RCSBP Spouse Concurrence & Notarization

DoDI 1332.42 (December 30, 2020; Change 1 July 29, 2025) provides that if the spouse is not geographically co-located with the member, the spouse may sign a separate spouse concurrence statement approved for use by the Secretary concerned.

The separate statement must contain the same information as the concurrence appearing on the official DD Form 2656 or DD Form 2656-5 for the election being made. Under the Instruction, the spouse's signature on that separate form must be notarized and constitutes acknowledgment of free and voluntary concurrence with knowledge of the options.

This is DoD policy authority for a branch-approved separate instrument. It is not permission for the member or spouse to draft a substitute form that merely looks similar.

There is no single public “universal overseas spouse SBP concurrence” PDF that every service uses. The Secretary concerned approves the statement format for that Military Department or component.

Do not download a civilian affidavit template, invent your own wording, or reuse an old letter from a different retirement year unless the current servicing personnel office or SBP counselor confirms that exact instrument is still approved.

Ask for the current approved separate concurrence statement, any cover instructions, and the return channel (personnel office, finance, or other designated submission path) before scheduling a notary.

The separate concurrence statement mirrors whichever official form the member is using. DD Form 2656 records initial Survivor Benefit Plan elections in the pre-retirement retired-pay package. DD Form 2656-5 is the Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan (RCSBP) Election Certificate used when a Reserve or Guard member receives a Notice of Eligibility (NOE / 20-year letter).

Timing rules differ. DD Form 2656 concurrence sequencing is tied to the member's retirement-date workflow. RCSBP elections on DD Form 2656-5 follow the 90-day NOE clock described in DoDI 1332.42 and form instructions—not the same retirement-date checklist as active-duty DD Form 2656.

Not every RCSBP option requires spouse concurrence. Concurrence is generally implicated when the married member elects coverage that reduces or eliminates the spouse's protected interest under the options shown on the form. Confirm the option boxes with an SBP counselor before assuming concurrence applies.

DoDI 1332.42 ties the separate statement to the member's election date: the spouse signs on a date on or after the date the member made the election. The spouse's signature on the separate form must be notarized.

Keep the spouse concurrence unsigned until the authorized notarial session unless applicable law and the notary expressly permit the requested act for a previously signed record. Do not backdate the spouse signature or notarial certificate to match an earlier date.

The notary completes the authorized notarial act for the spouse's signature on the approved statement. The notary does not choose SBP or RCSBP coverage, interpret DoD Financial Management Regulation annuities, or certify that declining coverage is financially advisable.

A commissioned U.S. online notary—or an in-person notary—verifies identity and completes the notarial act under the law that authorizes that notary. That answers whether the notarial ceremony was performed correctly.

A separate question is whether DFAS, the Military Department, or the servicing personnel office will accept that notarial format, electronic original, certificate language, and delivery method for the spouse concurrence attached to the member's election.

Remote online notarization is performed under the law of the online notary's commissioning state. Lawful performance does not automatically mean DFAS or the service will accept the finished packet for SBP or RCSBP processing.

Living overseas, being deployed, or being geographically separated explains why a separate concurrence statement may be used. It does not, by itself, authorize remote online notarization for that statement.

DoDI 1332.42 requires notarization of the spouse's signature on the separate statement. The Instruction does not expressly authorize remote online notarization as a blanket execution method for every component and packet.

Recipient confirmation is required. Confirm with the servicing personnel office, finance office, or SBP counselor whether remote online notarization is accepted for the approved separate concurrence statement in your case—including electronic PDF vs. wet-ink originals and any apostille or authentication instructions if a foreign notarial path is directed instead.

Treat remote online notarization as a possible path only after official confirmation for your exact statement, form edition, and submission channel. Do not book based solely on the word “notarized” or on the fact that the spouse is overseas.

This guide is educational. It does not recommend which SBP or RCSBP election to choose, calculate annuity amounts, or replace DoDI 1332.42, DFAS enrollment materials, or service-specific procedures.

An online notary verifies identity and completes the authorized notarial act. The notary cannot invent a concurrence template, waive geographic-separation rules, fix an out-of-sequence election, or promise DFAS approval of a returned packet.

For co-located DD Form 2656 mechanics, use DD Form 2656 spouse concurrence. For how recipients evaluate remote notarization generally, see confirming recipient acceptance. Return to the retirement document center for TSP, OPM, and private-plan guides.