Pension question, Germany
Do I need a life certificate for my German pension abroad?
For a person who lives outside Germany and draws a German pension, Deutsche Post AG's Renten Service checks once a year that the person is still alive, and the life certificate must be 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.
What to do next
- Keep the yearly letter's arrival date in your diary.
- Tell the pension service your new address well before you move.
- Run our free check to see whether another country also holds a pension for you.
Check your own working life for free
Tell us where you worked. The free check shows which countries may hold a pension for you, and which can be ruled out and why. No sign in, no charge.
Run the free checkQuestions people also ask
Do I have to report a move abroad?
A pensioner moving to another country must tell the Renten Service of Deutsche Post AG at least two months before the move.
Do you give advice on what to do?
No. We identify where a pension is likely held and the official route to it, and we name each source with the date we read it. We do not give financial, tax or legal advice.