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Germany - Brazil | German Pension Refund | All Rights Reserved
Are Brazilian Citizens Eligible for a German Pension Refund?
The German Social Code regulates the refund process for the German pension system, and the Social Security Agreement between Germany and Brazil specifies how these rules apply to citizens from Brazil.
According to this agreement, Brazilians living outside the EU who haven't qualified for a pension may be able to claim a refund.
This applies to those who worked in Germany for less than five years, covering any periods they were on unemployment or parental leave benefits.
To be eligible, you need to have waited a minimum of 24 months since your last retirement pension contribution to the German pension insurance.
Please note that Brazilians holding dual citizenship with another European Union member state cannot claim a refund.
Check Your Eligibility – It’s Completely Free
Still not sure if you qualify for a refund as a citizen of Brazil from the statutory German pension insurance? Use our free-of-charge eligibility check. While other companies charge for this service, you can enjoy it completely for free. After the results are ready, we’ll make sure to give you a clear explanation of your specific situation regardless of the outcome.
Discover whether you’re eligible for a refund of your German pension contributions, free of charge. This service is available to non-EU citizens only.
How do I check if I’ve already met the 60-months contribution limit?
In Germany, the pension office considers any work performed during a month, no matter how short, as a full month's contribution. This means that even if you only work for a single day in a month, it counts as a full month of contribution towards your pension.
For example, if you begin working on October 31st, that one day of work will be counted as a complete contribution for the entire month of October, counting as “one month”.
Once your pension balance holds more than 59 months, you cannot claim a refund. Instead you will have to wait until you reach the German retirement age to claim the retirement pension from Germany you have qualified for.
How long do I need to wait before I can return to work in Europe after applying for a refund?
As a Brazilian citizen, you can start working in the European Union the day after you submit your refund application. The pension refund process is based on your eligibility at the time of submission, so any changes in your job status after that will not affect your claim.
What can I expect to receive from my German pension refund?
The average pension refund amount is around €11,800. Refundable contributions include:
· Full reimbursement (100%) of the pension contributions you paid to the German pension insurance that were deducted from your gross salary while you were employed in Germany.
· Half (50%) of voluntary contributions, made while freelancing.
· Adjustments made for contributions related to pension equalization after a divorce ruled in a German court.
Pension contributions have been 9.3% of your gross income since 2018, with a monthly contribution cap (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze). The current cap in Germany is €8,050, meaning that earnings above this limit are exempt from pension contributions.
What fees do I need to pay for claiming my pension refund?
For our service, we charge a fee of 9.75% of the amount you get as a pension refund. This also includes VAT and any legal costs that may come up during the claim process.
Besides that, there are no additional or hidden fees at any stage of the process.
Our payment model is based on success, which means you don’t have to pay any fees upfront.
You will only be required to pay once your refund has been successfully processed and the money has been transferred to your bank account. This way you are only charged after you have received the pension refund.
Is a German bank account required for my refund?
No, a German bank account is not required to receive your pension refund. To guarantee the highest level of security and efficiency we process refunds through an escrow account managed by a German law firm.
This way the refund transfers are processed much faster and the currency conversion and transaction fees are minimized.
The refund will be sent directly to the bank account of your choice, in the currency you prefer.
It does not need to be a German account, and it can even be in another person’s name.
FEB/13/2025
Very happy, strongly recommend!
I strongly recommend the company services! The whole process for getting my pension refunded could not be better conduced. Julia Kim (Client Success Manager) was very clear, communicative and made the whole beaurocracy seems simple (and trust me, I know how Germany can be very beauroucratic). I'm very happy with the service provided by the team and even happier that I got my money back earlier than it was planned.
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FEB/09/2025
Excellent customer service
Excellent customer service. Everything went according to the plan.
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FEB/06/2025
Great, fully recommended!
Working with Christian from GPR was great. From the beginning, he explained the whole process to me and kept updating me along the way until the money was returned. Fully recommended!
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Felipe Augusto da Silva
JAN/07/2025
Simple without any issues
Great service and customer support (in English). I had a great experience with this company and recommend it for everyone. My Pension refund process was very simple without any issues and in the informed timeframe.
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Gustavo Faelli
DEC/30/2024
Consistently supportive throughout
The entire process was incredibly simple and ran smoothly. Johannes and the team were consistently supportive throughout.
I highly recommend their services!
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OCT/31/2024
Communicative, responsive, kept me up to date
I left Germany over 12 years ago and always dreaded the idea of having to go through the claim process. I found Germany Pension Refund through a Google search and jumped into the opportunity scared about what was to come.
Fortunately the experience was very positive, Julia was communicative and responsive through the entire process and kept me up to date with was happening.
I got my money back today and am very happy with the outcome. I highly recommend them.
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SEP/25/2024
Quick...very efficient
Excellent! Quick and very efficient communication, all details informed. Great!
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Rudolf Peters
SEP/14/2024
Everything managed in less than 2 months
Everything managed smoothly, in less than 2 months
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Andre Japiassu
AUG/12/2024
Very good service
Very good service made by Christian and entire team. They domain the process and the organizations involved, and gives you feedback anytime you need. Very kind and trustable team.I was concerned at the beginning, but have received my refund as it should be without any problem. Thanks, Christian!
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AUG/01/2024
Communication was pretty good and fluid...never felt alone
I was in contact with Johannes all the time, the communication was pretty good and fluid, all questions and concerns were answered in a simple and objective way
From the first gathering data until the refund transfers I never felt alone even running the process overseas
Every single step was taken in a very carefull manner, explained, confirmed, so you feel like talking with a trust company that take its job very serious and smooth.
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Jul/25/2024
Guided me through the process smoothly
Great service and professionalism. Had my refund in less than 5 months without any issues. Julia provided prompt replies to all questions and guided me through the process smoothly.
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Bruno Ribeiro
APR/09/2024
Got my refund in less than a month
Got my refund back in less than a month after the first contact with them, great support from the team!
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How soon can Brazilian citizens expect their German pension refund?
While a self-submitted pension claim can take over 9 months to process, we’ve made sure to speed up this process.
With our streamlined approach, you can receive your pension refund in an average of 8 weeks instead of several months.
With years of experience managing German administrative processes and bureaucracy, we’ve refined each step of the refund process. In addition to that, our partner law firms are in direct communication with the German pension office, ensuring that your refund is processed more quickly.
Claim Your Pension Refund Today
Starting the process takes less than 5 minutes, thanks to our simplified approach and expert support. With an average pension refund of €11,800, there’s nothing to lose.
Read more about the social security agreement or working in Germany and Brazil from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung here.
German Pension Contribution Refund
Our service is Easy, Fast and Secure.
Thanks to our years of experience, we know exactly how to speed up the processing time of your German Pension Refund and we make sure that you enjoy a smooth, pleasant, and uncomplicated premium refund.
We are here for you. Read more
Free Eligibility Check
We provide Free Eligibility check - do not hesitate to claim your refund.
Feel free to Contact Us regarding your German pension refund, eligibility, residency, waiting period, or any other questions that might arise reading through our refund information. We are here for you.
