We list every obligation we have verified in Germany's pension system that runs on a time limit for someone who no longer lives there. Each row says what starts the clock, how long it runs and what is lost, with the official source and the date we checked it. We hold 17 rows for Germany. Where an official source is silent, we say so on the row rather than guess.
Pick the year and we open the free checker with Germany already selected.
Nordrhein Westfalen's own tax authority page on schaedliche Verwendung, which implements EStG Section 95, states that harmful use occurs if the holder's residence or habitual abode is outside an EU or EEA state from the start of the payout phase. The same page sets out a Brexit carve out: this does not apply if the holder's residence or habitual abode has already been continuously in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 22 June 2016 and the contract was concluded before 23 June 2016.
What the source does not say
This page does not mention any further grandfathering of Riester contracts concluded before 1 January 2027, so that point is not asserted here. We could not read EStG Section 95 itself on gesetze-im-internet.de, so this entry is sourced from the page of the Nordrhein-Westfalen tax authority (finanzamt.nrw.de).
A pension from your own insurance (old-age, reduced earning capacity, child-raising pension) must be applied for within three months of meeting all the conditions; apply later and the pension normally starts only from the month of application.
For pensions from the insured person's own insurance (old-age, reduced-earning-capacity and child-raising pensions) the DRV states a three-month application window from the month all conditions are met; if the application is made later, the pension as a rule begins only from the application month.
What the source does not say
The page was updated on 2 June 2026. The DRV glossary entry 'Rentenbeginn' carries the same rule: 'Wird der Rentenantrag nach Ablauf von drei Monaten, und somit verspätet gestellt, beginnt die Rente erst mit dem Antragsmonat.' The statutory basis is § 99 SGB VI, which the page does not cite.
A refund of the employee's share of German contributions can only be requested once you have not been subject to compulsory German insurance for at least 24 calendar months and are not permitted to insure yourself voluntarily.
If you live outside Germany and draw a German pension, Deutsche Post AG's Renten Service checks once a year that you are still alive, and you must have the life certificate confirmed and sent back.
DRV states that pensioners resident abroad must in principle provide a proof of life once a year; for countries where Germany matches death data automatically (examples given: Australia, Italy, Spain, Austria) no proof is needed, and only pensioners in countries without such data matching must prove each summer that they are alive. Pensioners in Germany need no proof, except those with a bank account abroad.
What the source does not say
The source is a DRV press notice of 31 July 2025 on the DRV site. The DRV guidance page on moving abroad carries the same annual rule ('überprüft der Renten Service der Deutschen Post AG in unserem Auftrag einmal jährlich, ob Sie noch leben') but states no consequence. The Renten Service FAQ on deutschepost.de only links on to rentenservice.de/LB.
DRV states that contributions can be refunded on application only when compulsory insurance in the German pension scheme no longer applies, at least 24 calendar months have passed since leaving compulsory insurance, and there is no entitlement to voluntary insurance in the German scheme.
What the source does not say
The page gives the condition (24 calendar months must pass) but does not say what happens to an application made earlier. The statutory basis is § 210 SGB VI.
Deutsche Rentenversicherung's own press material states that Nachversicherung in the statutory pension scheme applies to a person who leaves insurance free employment without an entitlement to a Versorgung, for example Beamte, Richter, Berufssoldaten and Soldaten auf Zeit, as well as teachers or Erzieher; Nachversicherung then treats them as if they had been a member of the statutory pension scheme from the outset. Separately, Deutsche Rentenversicherung's own legal commentary on Section 184 SGB VI (Faelligkeit der Beitraege und Aufschub) explains that the existence of an Aufschubgrund (deferral ground) under Abs. 2 Satz 1 postpones the Nachversicherungsfall itself; one such ground is an expected take up of another insurance free position within two years of leaving, and since a 1992 change it is the employer (Dienstherr), not the authority, that decides on the deferral. While an Aufschubgrund persists, no Nachversicherungsbeitraege fall due and the record accordingly shows no corresponding entries for that period.
What the source does not say
The pages fetched today did not return the full operative text of Section 184 SGB VI itself, only its legislative history commentary (Gesetzesmaterialien) notes referencing Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nummer 1 and 2 and the 1992 change to who decides on deferral; the exact overall duration cap on an Aufschub, and what happens once it lapses or ends, is not stated in what could be retrieved. gesetze-im-internet.
DRV states it pays the small widow's or widower's pension for at most two years after the death of the spouse or registered partner; under the 'old law' (married before 2002 and one partner born before 2 January 1962) it is paid without time limit.
No action deadline exists; the two-year limit is a payment-duration rule.
What the source does not say
The page adds: 'Denn der Gesetzgeber geht davon aus, dass Sie nach dieser Übergangszeit selbst für Ihren Lebensunterhalt sorgen können.' The page is dated 17 May 2026 and was updated on 8 July 2026. The statutory basis is § 46 SGB VI, which the page does not cite.
This page is part of our Cross-Border Pension Deadline Register. If you find an error, tell us and we will publish the correction.