If you are entitled to receive German retirement benefits from the statutory pension insurance or the statutory accident insurance and supplementary pension systems, you will be asked once a year to show proof of life.

You will receive this request regularly when you are notified of the adjustment to your pension amount. Starting in 2024, the annual proof-of-life certificate can be submitted digitally or in paper form. We recommend that you use the digital process. For further information about both procedures, please consult the websites of the German pension service:

www.rentenservice.de/LB (paper proof-of-life certificate)

www.rentenservice.de/DLN (digital proof-of-life certificate)

We recommend that you use the digital procedure, which is secure, free-of-charge, and convenient, as you can complete the process from home, without having to consider public holidays and business hours. You can submit the proof-of-life certificate from your smartphone/table using a QR code. This procedure is particularly advantageous because some agencies are unable to provide a confirmation of receipt.

The letter for the digital proof-of-life certificate, including the relevant QR code, will be sent to you along with the notification regarding your pension adjustment amount and the paper version of the proof-of-life certificate.

Please note that if you intend to obtain confirmation for your proof-of-life life certificate, you can also consult local authorities (such as the German Society of the City of New York, the police, local city administrations, pension insurance providers, health insurance providers, financial institutions, the Red Cross, parish offices, rabbinates) to notarize the certificate. You do not necessarily have to come to a German mission or a German honorary consul. However, if you would like to come to a German mission, please follow these instructions:

Please book an appointment online for the appropriate category.

Please appear in person for the appointment and bring a valid government-issued photo identification document (e.g. passport, personal ID).

If, for unforeseen health reasons, you are unable to keep the appointment, another person can come to the German mission on your behalf. A doctor’s certificate (no older than 48 hours) must be attached to the proof-of-life certificate under section C1 (reverse side).

The proof-of-life certificate is issued free-of-charge for purposes of receiving retirement and pension benefits, except in cases of company pensions or supplementary pensions, for example, from private or foreign pension plans. In these cases, there is a prepared form and the fee is 34,10 euro.