Late repatriates and displaced persons are treated as if they had spent their entire insurance history in Germany. Recognition as a repatriate or late repatriate is granted in accordance with the Federal Displaced Persons Act. As these people generally have no pension-insured earnings in Germany prior to their arrival, their periods of residence can be credited under the so-called Foreign Pensions Act (FRG). The value of these periods corresponds to the average earnings of comparable insured persons in Germany.
If you meet the relevant requirements, your contribution periods and periods of employment will be taken into account. Your qualifying periods spent in your country of origin – for example, due to incapacity for work, school or university attendance, or illness – will also be taken into account.
For contribution periods from 1950 onwards, table values are assigned according to qualification groups – for example, with or without vocational training, with a master craftsman’s qualification, with a university degree – and economic sectors, such as the construction industry, trade and transport, in order to arrive at an income assessment that is as realistic as possible. The values are then generally reduced to 60 per cent of the full value. This is intended, in particular, to provide an adjustment for insured persons who have lived in structurally disadvantaged areas of Germany and earned significantly less than the average.
The statutory pension insurance schemes
The statutory pension insurance providers are:
You must apply in writing for recognition of the periods of insurance completed in your country of origin.
Given the complexity of the legal issues involved, it is advisable to submit your application for a pension account review to the local authority, your local council, the relevant insurance offices, voluntary insurance advisers, or directly to the regional centres and branch offices of the pension insurance providers.
You will receive a separate notice of assessment regarding the recognition of pensionable periods.
The decision sets out the recognised periods in accordance with the current legal situation. If the legislature amends the legal basis before your pension actually commences, this may mean that decisions have to be adjusted to reflect the new legal situation.
There is no time limit for submitting an application for account clarification.
Tip: To avoid delays later on – for example, when applying for a pension – it is advisable to submit the relevant application as soon as you receive your certificate of late repatriation. This also makes it easier to obtain the necessary documents.
When it comes to recognising contribution periods and qualifying periods, any documents that show the nature and duration of employment – or, where applicable, any breaks in employment – are helpful. These are primarily the original insurance documents, such as:
In addition, for the recognition of
Proof of status as a late repatriate is provided by the late repatriate certificate or the displaced person’s identity card.
Important: On the basis of the documents submitted, your pension insurance provider will decide on a case-by-case basis whether a contribution period has been substantiated or proven. For the periods to be recognised as proven periods, there must be no doubt as to the accuracy and completeness of the facts claimed. If the contribution periods are substantiated, the table values determined in accordance with the preceding explanations are increased by one fifth
There are no costs involved.
Several months, depending on the scope of the account reconciliation.
Benefits under the FRG must not exceed a certain maximum limit. This limit applies to all persons who have moved to the Federal Republic of Germany since 7 May 1996.
The maximum permissible amount is 25 earnings points per beneficiary, which is on a par with the integration allowance. 25 earnings points currently (as at July 2026) correspond to a gross monthly pension of EUR 1,063.00.
Spouses and beneficiaries living in a marriage-like relationship receive a combined maximum of 40 earnings points for their periods under the Federal Pension Act (FRG). These currently correspond to a gross monthly pension of EUR 1,700.80.
Before moving abroad, you should seek advice from the German Pension Insurance scheme.
Important: Those entitled to benefits primarily include displaced persons and ethnic German repatriates. Spouses or children of female ethnic German repatriates and ethnic German repatriates who have not themselves been recognised cannot therefore have periods of contributions or employment completed in their country of origin.
machine generated, based on the German release by: Deutsche Rentenversicherung Baden-Württemberg, 03.09.2026