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Which countries count your German years
Written by
Janine El-Saghir
Janine El Saghir is an editor at How-to-Germany.com, where she specializes in the practical aspects of daily life and integration for expatriates. With years of...
Reviewed by
Erkan Boga
Erkan Boga is the founder and CEO of qmedia GmbH, the publishing house behind How-to-Germany.com. He established the platform with the clear vision of creating...
- Inside Europe the EU coordination rules cover the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and similar rules apply to the UK.
- Outside Europe Germany has pension agreements with 21 countries, from the USA and Canada to India, Japan and Brazil, plus a posting-only agreement with China.
- What they do: you pay into one system at a time, your years count together for each country’s minimum, and each country pays its own pension.
If you have worked in two or more countries, an agreement decides whether those years add up to a pension or stay too short to count. Years in a country that is neither in the EU nor linked to Germany by an agreement do not help you reach the German five-year minimum. Whatever the agreements leave open, private savings can fill: the private pension guide compares the options, and the broker comparison shows where to start.
Countries with an agreement
| Country | In force since | Country | In force since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1 December 2017 | Kosovo* | 1 September 1969 |
| Australia | 1 January 2003 | Moldova | 1 March 2019 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina* | 1 September 1969 | Montenegro* | 1 September 1969 |
| Brazil | 1 May 2013 | Morocco | 1 August 1986 |
| Canada and Quebec | 1 April 1988 | North Macedonia | 1 January 2005 |
| Chile | 1 January 1994 | Philippines | 1 June 2018 |
| India | 1 May 2017 | Serbia* | 1 September 1969 |
| Israel | 1 May 1975 | Tunisia | 1 August 1986 |
| Japan | 1 February 2000 | Turkey | 1 November 1965 |
| South Korea | 1 January 2003 | Uruguay | 1 February 2015 |
| USA | 1 December 1979 | China (posting only) | 4 April 2002 |
| * Agreement originally concluded with Yugoslavia. Dates are those of the first agreement, later supplements are not listed. An agreement with Ukraine was signed in 2018 but is not yet in force. Sources: Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, list of bilateral agreements as of 1 February 2026, and Deutsche Rentenversicherung, retrieved 8 November 2026. | |||
Most agreements apply whatever your nationality, so a Canadian who worked in the USA and Germany benefits too. The agreements with Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey are the exceptions with restrictions. The China agreement only prevents double contributions during a posting, it does not add up periods or pay pensions.
What an agreement does for you
One system at a time. You normally pay into the system of the country where you work. A posting is the exception: if your employer sends you abroad for a limited time, you stay in your home system and are exempt in the other country.
Your years count together. If you have too few years in one country for its minimum, years in the other country are added. Example: three years in Germany and four in Canada meet the German five-year minimum. Germany then pays a pension for its three years, Canada for its own years if you qualify there. Periods can only be added within one agreement or within the EU, not across several of them. Only the newer agreements, such as those with Brazil and Uruguay, also let you add EU periods.
Pensions are paid abroad. Your German pension from work periods reaches you in the agreement country, while some special periods may not be payable there.
One application. If you live in the EU or an agreement country, file your pension claim with the pension authority there. It counts as a claim in Germany as well.
Posted workers and the certificate of coverage
How long a posting can last depends on the agreement. Within the EU, the employer applies for an A1 certificate before you leave, and a posting is planned for up to 24 months. For the USA the limit is five years, for India four years, and anything longer needs a special exception agreement. A posting from the UK to an EU country can keep you in UK National Insurance for up to two years under current UK guidance.
The certificate tells the other country where you are insured. Within the EU it is the A1. For a posting from Germany to the USA or India, the health insurer that collects your pension contributions issues it. If you pay no German pension contributions, as many self-employed people do not, the Deutsche Rentenversicherung issues it instead. Ask before the posting starts.
Countries without an agreement
Years in a country without an agreement cannot be added to German years. Your German pension is still paid there, from your work periods in full. If you are not German, a refund of your own contributions may be possible once you have left German insurance for 24 months. Before choosing between pension and refund, read leaving Germany.
Bottom line
Check the list before you move: in an agreement country your years add up, outside it they stand alone. Planning a posting, get the certificate of coverage before the first day abroad.
Part of the German pension system. Related: Germany vs. the US · Germany vs. the UK · Germany vs. Europe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not in one sum. German and UK years can be added under the European rules, and German and Canadian years under the German–Canadian agreement, but the three cannot be combined together, for example to reach 45 years.
Yes, through other rules. People who already lived or worked across the UK–EU border before 2021 keep the old EU rules under the Withdrawal Agreement. Everyone else is covered by the social security protocol of the UK–EU trade agreement. The details are on Germany vs. the UK.
That depends on the country. The agreement with India covers only pension insurance. For the USA the Deutsche Rentenversicherung describes it the same way, while US Social Security also names German health and long-term care contributions for posted workers, so ask before a posting. Others, such as the one with Morocco, also include accident and health insurance and child benefit.
Sources (as of 8 November 2026)
Sources (as of 8 November 2026)
- Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, bilateral social security agreements outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, as of 1 February 2026 (in German).
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Deutschlands Sozialversicherungsabkommen (in German) and International: adding periods, applications, payments abroad.
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Living and working in Europe: A1 certificate and posting within the EU.
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung, brochures Germany and the United States and Germany and India: posting and certificates.
- GKV-Spitzenverband, DVKA, posting to India (in German).
- GOV.UK, National Insurance for workers from the UK working in the EEA or Switzerland.