Mostly arranged for you at your first job, with advice available if something goes missing
German social insurance covers pensions, health, unemployment, accidents and long-term care, and one lifelong insurance number ties it together. The Deutsche Rentenversicherung, the pension insurer, issues it, usually after your employer registers you, and it appears on a proof document sent by post. If that document is lost or the details are wrong, an advice centre can help.
How it works
Get a social security number or register for social insurance.
You usually need a social security number before you start work, and your employer often uses it to register you. Self-employed people normally register themselves. Depending on the country, you apply to the social security office yourself or the number is linked to your address registration. Bring your passport or ID and, if you have them, your employment contract or business registration. A social security number does not by itself give you health cover or benefits; those may need separate applications.
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At a glance
Many centres expect a call or booking before you come
Your number is issued by the pension insurance, so the people to ask are its advice centres, not the city registration office. Each centre has its own routine, and a simple request can sometimes be settled online.
Guides
Related services
For people who cannot cover rent, food or other basic costs. See whether the Sozialamt or the Jobcenter is your starting point and how to reach them.
For freelancers, sole traders and new business owners. See how tax registration works, what the Steuernummer is for and which tax office can help.
For people who already live in Germany and move to a new home. See how to update your registered address and which office takes it.
For students, workers and family members from outside the EU. See which office handles your stay and how applications start.
For anyone moving into a home in Germany from another country. See what the registration involves and which office in your city deals with it.
For anyone who has to show where they live. See what the certificate covers and which office in your city issues it.
Other countries
Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.
Most offices in Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville
Most offices in Warsaw, Kraków, and Bydgoszcz
Most offices in Aalst, Antwerp, and Bruges
Where to next
See which pension insurance centres help in your city, whether you must phone first and when an online request is enough.
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