After leaving Germany

Your pension after leaving Germany

Q: Can I still draw my Germany pension if I live abroad?

The Digitale Rentenübersicht needs a German or EU electronic identity plus a tax ID, which a third-country leaver cannot get, so the digital route is shut. Beyond that, the genuine difficulty is occupational (bAV), which has no national register at all and where employer continuity over decades is the bottleneck.

Q: What happens to a Germany pension if I do nothing?

The record never lapses by inaction, but late application permanently forfeits months past the §99 3-month window (post-67 delay partly offset). DRV stops proactive contact ~3 years after leaving.

Q: Do you give financial advice on what to do with a Germany pension?

No. We identify the scheme and access route. We do not advise on transfer, consolidation, drawdown, or taxation, those decisions belong with a regulated adviser in your country of residence.

Q: What if you find nothing?

Full refund. Our report is a fixed $99 fee, paid up front. If we find nothing material, we refund you in full.

The free official route for Germany is Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Mein Kundenportal. Statutory pension insurance account, contribution history, and pension forecast. Voluntary contributions for a calendar year are only effective if paid by 31 March of the following year (SGB VI §197(2)).

Source: deutsche-rentenversicherung.de, read 6 September 2026
Source: gesetze-im-internet.de, read 21 August 2026

PensionHunter is independent and not affiliated with the institutions named here.

The §210 contribution refund irreversibly extinguishes the ENTIRE record (old-age, disability, survivor cover, all credited periods), yet with 60 totalized months you may already hold a vested pension; plus the Mütterrente child-raising screen.

Start a $99 Country Pension Identification Report

Full refund if we find nothing material.

Verified country facts

Every line below comes from our country research. Where we have not found a published source, we say so rather than fill the gap.

Time-critical dates

Voluntary back-pay door: Voluntary contributions for a calendar year are only effective if paid by 31 March of the following year (SGB VI §197(2))Official source, checked 21 August 2026
Refund clock: A contribution refund is only possible once 24 calendar months have passed since compulsory insurance ended (SGB VI §210(6))Official source, checked 21 August 2026
Late-application window: SGB VI §99: a pension starts from the month the conditions are met only if applied for by the end of the third calendar month after that month; a later application starts the pension from the month of applicationOfficial source, checked 21 August 2026
Survivor backdating: 12-month cap; 30-day Sterbevierteljahr lump-advance window

How records are reached

Getting your own record: Digitale Rentenübersicht (German/EU eID + Steuer-ID; third-country leavers locked out)

No digital route for a third-country leaver: the Digitale Rentenübersicht needs a German or EU eID plus a Steuer-ID

Cross-border

Totalization across EU/EEA/CH + ~18 bilaterals (incl. US, CA, AU, JP, IN); German periods <12 months absorbed by the other EU state.

Primary sources: deutsche-rentenversicherung.de · gesetze-im-internet.de (SGB VI)

Everything above is drawn from the verified Germany dossier. The Germany country page sets out what we identify, what it costs and who it is for.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still draw my Germany pension if I live abroad?