Where to get help with your social security number in Germany

Advice centres of the pension insurance, city by city

Insurance numbers come from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung, which runs advice centres in many cities. Several regional insurers share the work, so the name on the door varies and it is worth confirming which one is responsible for you. For your city you can see how its centre takes requests, whether to phone ahead and whether a simple proof can be ordered without a visit.

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1 office in Gelsenkirchen

  • Gelsenkirchen

    Deutsche Rentenversicherung — Auskunfts- und Beratungsstelle Gelsenkirchen

    Grasreinerstraße 1, 45879 Gelsenkirchen

    Call first to find out whether a lost proof or a name change can be sorted remotely or needs an appointment.

    Office website0800 1000 480 11

    Have identity details, any existing insurance correspondence and the reason for the request ready. Follow the insurer’s individual instructions. No passport photo is needed for the insurance-number document. If you are starting work, ask whether the employer’s reporting process already handles allocation before requesting another registration. For a self-employment enquiry, have any existing pension-number evidence, your activity and its start date ready. DRV (German pension insurance) form V0020 covers assessment of statutory pension-insurance duties and, where requested, compulsory insurance on application; clarify which purpose applies before submitting. It is not simply an insurance-number request or a voluntary-contribution form. A three-month reporting duty can apply to the groups covered by §190a SGB (German Social Code) VI. Ask the responsible insurer which starting date and deadline apply to your situation, and retain the submission confirmation.

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