German pensioners must provide proof of life by September

Approximately 500,000 pensioners are required to provide a ‘proof of life’ (Lebensnachweis) by the end of September to ensure the continued payment of their German pensions. Failure to comply with this requirement risks a suspension of payments.

While the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) typically receives death notifications automatically through registration authorities, certain groups must manually verify their status. This includes pensioners living in countries that do not participate in automatic data exchange with Germany, as well as pensioners residing in Germany who use foreign bank accounts.

The requests are sent by the Deutsche Post pension service alongside annual pension adjustment notices.