If you want to benefit from the statutory pension, you have to provide some proof of your insurance periods. Because many facts for the pension must be proven by documents and other documents. Original documents are often not required for this.
The Deutsche Rentenversicherung maintains an insurance account for each insured person. Each insured person receives an individual insurance number so that the incoming data can be assigned to the correct account. However, in order for the relevant data to be recorded at all, the help of the insured is required.
Many facts for the pension must be proven by certificates and other documents, for example the end of an apprenticeship by the certificate of birth, the birthday by the birth certificate. You can send in these documents as originals and receive them back afterwards. However, copies can also be sent.
A confirmation of a copy is only required if the pension insurance institution has justified doubts. In cases of doubt, the confirmation will be requested later. The confirmation is made free of charge by health insurance companies, citizen registration offices and of course also by the advice centers of the pension insurance. You must bring the original with you for confirmation. If original civil status documents are not available, they will be reissued by the registry offices free of charge.
Irrespective of this, many policyholders entrust the Deutsche Rentenversicherung with important documents by post - in the original. However, this is not only risky (postal service providers lose a shipment every now and then), above all it is often not necessary at all.
Because if the pension insurance needs requested documents such as references, deeds or certificates in the original or as a certified copy, they will expressly inform their customers. Otherwise, a simple copy will suffice. And it doesn't even need to be on paper: sending a scan is quicker and often easier for everyone, for example via www.eservice-drv.de. If there are still unanswered questions after processing the copy or scan, it may be necessary in individual cases to submit the original. But the pension insurance will also inform you about this.
(This article was first published on Monday, August 08, 2022.)
