How to get a Social Security Number in Germany?

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Public Health Insurance

Not a member yet?

You need to get a social security number (Sozialversicherungsnummer) if you want to work in Germany. Your employer will ask you to apply for health insurance (sometimes they do it on your behalf) in order to get this number on your first day at work. You cannot get paid without having a social security number!

Note that you must have a registered address in Germany to apply for a German social security number. You cannot apply for your German social security number from abroad. The social security number can only be sent to a German address, i.e. the address where you are officially registered.

Find more details about the public health insurance on this page.

Already a member?

In case you’re already covered by statutory health insurance (i.e. TK or AOK) but haven’t received your social security number yet, you could contact the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) using this Online Form. It’s a simple form and, most importantly, it is FREE.

1. Fill in the online form and you will get your Sozialversicherungsnummer forwarded to your registered German address within 2 to 4 weeks. The online form is in German, so follow the instructions below to complete it:

• Access the Online Form on the German pension office website,
• tick the box “Neuausstellung eines Sozialversicherungsausweises wegen Verlust / Zerstörung / Unbrauchbarkeit“,
• insert your insurance number in the field “Versicherungsnummer” (your insurance number can be found on your health insurance card),
• add your details in the last section: first name (Vorname), last name (Familienname) & birth name (Geburtsname) if applicable,
• click on “Absenden” to submit your request,
• and be patient, it could take up to 4 weeks to get the so-called Sozialversicherungs­ausweis with your social security number by post (see image at the bottom of this page).

2. Alternatively, you could contact your public health insurance fund and ask them for a certificate of insurance (in German: Versicherungsbescheinigung). The social security number will be indicated on that document. To request it, follow the instructions below:

• Go to your health insurance website and access your personal area (i.e. Meine TK or Meine AOK),
• once logged in, search for “Versicherungsbescheinigung” (certificate of insurance),
• depending on your insurance provider, you will either have to click on “herunterladen” (Download) or send an email to your insurer to request your social security number.

3. Another way to get your SSN is by contacting directly the Deutsche Rentenversicherung by email or by phone. Choose your local German pension office here to obtain the contact details.

Unfortunately, they mainly work in German, so it could be challenging! If you decide to go that road, give them your date & place of birth, your full name and your current registered address, and you will receive the Sozialversicherungs­ausweis with your social security number by post (see image at the bottom of this page).

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Private Health Insurance

Not a member yet?

If you are not a member of the German social security system because you are not part of the public health insurance system or because you don’t have yet private insurance, then you will have to find a private insurance coverage for unemployment, accident and pension insurance. Find more details on this page.

For questions about German social security (Sozialversicherung), you should always address the German pension office (Deutsche Rentenversicherung). Check out the English section of the German pension office website here.

Already a member?

1. If you already have private health insurance and need to apply for your social security number in Germany, you could contact the Deutsche Rentenversicherung using this Online Form. It is FREE.

Fill in the online form and you will get your Sozialversicherungsnummer forwarded to your registered German address within 2 to 4 weeks. The online form is in German, so follow the instructions below to complete it:

• Access the Online Form on the German pension office website,
• tick the box “Neuausstellung eines Sozialversicherungsausweises wegen Verlust / Zerstörung / Unbrauchbarkeit“,
• insert your insurance number in the field “Versicherungsnummer” (your insurance number could be found on your health insurance card),
• add your details in the last section: first name (Vorname), last name (Familienname) & birth name (Geburtsname) if applicable,
• click on “Absenden” to submit your request,
• and be patient, it could take up to 4 weeks to get the so-called Sozialversicherungs­ausweis with your social security number by post (see image below).

2. Alternatively, you could contact the Deutsche Rentenversicherung by email or by phone. Choose your local German pension office here to obtain the contact details.

Unfortunately, they mainly speak German, so it could be challenging! If you decide to go that road, give them your date & place of birth, your full name and your current registered address, and you will receive the Sozialversicherungs­ausweis with your social security number by post (see image below / source: deutsche-rentenversicherung.de).

3. What you could also do is go in person to your German pension office together with your passport/ valid ID (incl. visa, if applicable) as well as your city registration document (Anmeldebestätigung) and they will give you the Sozialversicherungsnummer on the spot.