Life Certificate - "Lebensbescheinigung"
Once a year pensioners living in the U.S.receive the form Lebensbescheinigung (life certificate). You will have to sign the form and have your signature notarized. The authorities who are entitled to certify your signature are listed on the form. To certify your signature the officer will need to see a valid ID, for example a driver’s license, senior citizen ID card or a valid passport.
If, for any reason, you did not receive your annual life certificate form, please contact your insurer directly.
If the pensioner cannot sign the form himself due to old age or disability, a family member should contact the pension authority in Germanydirectly and ask how to proceed.
Please make sure that the pension authority has your current address on record at all times. Inform them directly and immediately about changes of address to avoid delays in payments. You can also inform the Deutsche Post at the following link (in German language):
Änderungsmitteilungen online über die Deutsche Post
about the change of address. In case you fail to submit the Lebensbescheinigung on time, your pension payments might be discontinued.
