Benefits

Getting your pension contributions refunded after leaving Germany (Beitragserstattung)

If you are a foreign national moving away from Germany, you can have the part of your pension contributions you paid yourself (for employment, the employee share) refunded once you have not been compulsorily insured for at least 24 calendar months and are not entitled to voluntary insurance – according to the DRV even if you have already completed the 5-year qualifying period; Vietnam is not on the DRV list of countries with a social security agreement, and nationals of such non-agreement countries generally cannot insure voluntarily while living abroad. From abroad you apply with the bilingual form V0901 (including official confirmation of your citizenship and a payment declaration) to the responsible pension insurance institution or via a German embassy or consulate; the claim always covers all refundable contributions, and afterwards no pension rights remain from those periods.

Last updated: 8 October 2026 · Draft – not yet editorially reviewed.

If you have paid into Germany’s statutory pension insurance and move abroad, you may be able to request a contribution refund (Beitragserstattung). Moving away does not by itself make you eligible: your citizenship, where you live permanently and your right to voluntary insurance matter. A refund ends your existing German pension insurance relationship, so consider its effect before applying. 3 7 8

Who needs this

One route for someone who has left Germany is that they are no longer subject to compulsory German pension insurance and have no right to voluntary insurance. German citizens who move abroad retain the right to voluntary insurance, so they cannot obtain a refund on this basis. For other citizens, eligibility depends in part on citizenship and the country of residence. 4 7 8
Other grounds include reaching the statutory retirement age without completing the general qualifying period or, in certain circumstances, being exempt from compulsory insurance without completing that period. Eligible survivors may also request a refund if the qualifying period was not met and no survivor’s pension is payable. The general qualifying period is five years. 2 4 8
Before deciding, check whether keeping your contributions could be valuable. Social security agreements can help periods of insurance in different countries count towards pension entitlement; an entitlement already acquired does not disappear merely because you later work in another country. You can ask German Pension Insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung) for individual advice. 1 2

Step by step

Check which refund ground applies to you. For the route based on no longer being subject to compulsory insurance, confirm whether you have a right to voluntary insurance in your country of residence. German Pension Insurance recommends seeking advice on this question. 7 8
If you live abroad, select your pension insurance provider in the contribution-refund form package and complete the bilingual application for residence abroad (V0901). The package offers German–English and German–French versions; it also lists a German–Turkish application for Turkish citizens. 3
Complete the payment declaration included in the bilingual form for a transfer abroad. Send the completed, signed application by post to your pension insurance provider, or hand it in at a local German Pension Insurance advice centre in Germany. 3

Documents

An application from abroad requires officially confirmed proof of citizenship or confirmation of citizenship by an official body abroad; the package includes form V901 for this purpose. The application asks for your insurance number, the date you left Germany and your last German address. 3 5
If insurance documents are requested, send photocopies unless originals or specifically confirmed copies are expressly requested. 5

Cost and time

German Pension Insurance offers free individual advice. If a confirmation of documents is required, the confirmation described in form V0901 is free. 2 5
A refund generally returns the contributions borne by the insured person, not the employer’s share. Special rules apply to some contribution types. If you have already received a benefit from the insurance, only contributions paid afterwards can be refunded. 8

Deadlines

A refund requires 24 calendar months to have passed since compulsory insurance ended, without compulsory insurance starting again. The application cannot be limited to selected contribution periods: once refunded, the previous insurance relationship ends and claims based on those periods cease. 8