Does anyone have experience of reinstating a pension withdrawn by DRV on the ground of lack of cooperation?

Unknowingly, something went wrong with the initial submission of the documents requested each year. Due to the time it takes for European post to reach you in Thailand, the withdrawal notice was issued before receiving the reminder.

Communications with DRV have been painful for months, be it by post or online. Despite multiple attempts to follow the DRV objections' procedure, there is still no response or even an acknowledgement. Calling has proved impossible without speaking German.

Finding help in Germany from AI/ Google is not obvious; perhaps someone has a contact?

Kind regards

1 hour ago, EcureuilTenace said:

Does anyone have experience of reinstating a pension withdrawn by DRV on the ground of lack of cooperation?

Unknowingly, something went wrong with the initial submission of the documents requested each year. Due to the time it takes for European post to reach you in Thailand, the withdrawal notice was issued before receiving the reminder.

Communications with DRV have been painful for months, be it by post or online. Despite multiple attempts to follow the DRV objections' procedure, there is still no response or even an acknowledgement. Calling has proved impossible without speaking German.

Finding help in Germany from AI/ Google is not obvious; perhaps someone has a contact?

Kind regards

Not sure what you mean. Do you mean the yearly confirmation that you are still alive? If yes you can download the form at the DRV website and send by courier or EMS to them.

Thank you for taking the time to post.

The documents in questions are declarations of earnings. In this case, DRV need them every year, just like they request a life certificate every year too. These are two separate matters.

For declarations of earnings, DRV needs a copy of these, not a form and they can be sent online (the S8003 process) or by EMS/ courier as you say.

For life certificates, the DRV request contains the form or you can download it as you say. Then you can send it online or yes, by EMS/courier. Alternatively, you can use the PostIdent mobile app which doesn't require a form but to take a short video of yourself. That method works and gives an acknowledgment that they have received and accepted the documents.

The underlined point above is crucial. Sending online or by EMS/ courier doesn't give you an acknowledgement that you are in the clear.

Sequence of events in this case:

-          Initial request at the end of July 25 - received mid-September 25 - online submission of the earnings. I guess something went wrong with that submission.

-          After 5 months of blissful ignorance, 13 January 26 DRV reminder received 19 February 26 - EMS re-submission the next day. The DRV pension withdrawal notice had already been issued on 12 February 26 …

-          12 February withdrawal notice received mid-March 26. DRV suggestion to cooperate followed by re-submitting, both EMS and online. Payments stopped.

-         Beginning of May 26, no DRV response received so formal objection submitted (earnings included again) following the procedure explained in the notice (online, DHL and email).

-         End of of May 26, re-submission of the objection (online and DHL)

-          Mid-June, request for an update (earnings included again) online and by mail. DRV mail answer that the mail had been forwarded to the relevant department but no follow up.

-          Mid-July 26, repeat of the above

Despite multiple submissions, the last meaningful communication from DRV was the withdrawal notice back in March.

Proof of submission and DRV acknowledgement of receipt are two separate things. I have proofs of all the submissions (online, Ems/DHL, emails, even phone bills *) but not a single acknowledgement.

(*) Not speaking German proved calling completely unproductive.

I’m quietly confident that the pension will be reinstated one day as I have evidence of all these submissions and DRV are legally obliged to act on the formal objection. But it will be a painful and costly road to get there, probably legal action, and I have exhausted all the options I can deal with myself. There are German companies like fundsback helping foreigners but they specialise in the administrative side of German pensions refunds.

Edited July 28Jul 28 by EcureuilTenace
A missing event in the list