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POSTIDENT by photo

Smartphone or tablet computer with the latest iOS or Android software

Stable internet connection

Personal e-mail address to receive e-mails from POSTIDENT

Valid photo ID

What is digital proof of life?

If you are entitled to German pension payments from a statutory pension or accident insurance provider and live abroad, you must submit evidence once a year that you continue to meet the requirements to receive those payments.  In the past, pensioners provided this evidence by completing the annual certificate of life and returning it, usually by letter mail, to Deutsche Post Renten Service in Leipzig.

If you reside in Australia, Chile, Canada, Kosovo, South Africa, Thailand or Ukraine, you are eligible to participate this year in our digital proof of life pilot project. The new service allows you to provide the required proof of life digitally using POSTIDENT by photo. 

POSTIDENT by photo is a service of Deutsche Post. Use of the digital proof of life service means that you agree to the use of POSTIDENT by photo and its terms and conditions.

The benefits for you:

Official confirmation of the certificate of life is no longer required, and you no longer have to return the completed form by letter mail to Germany. That saves time and money.

Accepted ID documents (excerpt)

 

Country

 ID card Passport Driver’s license
Australia x x x
Chile x    
Canada   x  
Germany x x x
Kosovo x x x
South Africa   x  
Thailand   x  
Ukraine x x x

 

A full list can be found here.

How does POSTIDENT by photo work?

1.
Download the POSTIDENT app from the Play Store or App Store and install it on your smartphone or tablet computer.
2. Scan the personalized QR code located on the top right of your 2022 digital proof of life letter.
3.  The POSTIDENT start page will open in your browser.
4. Enter your first name, last name and e-mail address in the highlighted fields.
5. The page will automatically display your 12-digit case ID.
6. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with a link at the e-mail address you provided. The link can be used at any time to access POSTIDENT until you have completed the identification process.
7. Switch to the POSTIDENT app.
You will now be led step by step through the identification process.
8. A list of the accepted ID documents can be found here.
9. Take a picture of the front and back of your official, valid photo ID document.
Important note: Ensure that the lighting is sufficient and that the data on your documents is easy to read.
10. Use the camera on your smartphone or tablet to record a short video portrait of your face.
Important note: The background must be neutral and not include any personal items or other people. 
11.

The verification process will be completed within 24 hours. 
You will be notified of the results by e-mail from POSTIDENT. 
12. The results of the ID check will be sent automatically by POSTIDENT to the Renten Service for further processing. You don't have to do anything else!
13. POSTIDENT will save your data for only as long as it takes to submit it successfully to the Renten Service. Additional details on data storage can be found in the supplemental data privacy information from POSTIDENT. 
14. The Renten Service will check if the identified person is the same as the pension recipient. 
15. The requirements for the further payment of your pension will be met following positive identification and the processing of your data by the Renten Service.
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POSTIDENT-App

Questions and answers about digital proof of life

Answers to frequently asked questions about digital proof of life can be found here 

Is my data secure?

All data is processed and stored exclusively on servers in Germany. The data exchanged by POSTIDENT and the Renten Service is encrypted.

GDPR-compliant data processing and encrypted data storage in data centers in Germany.

What data is collected by POSTIDENT and what isn't?

Use of digital proof of life means that you agree to the use of POSTIDENT by photo. POSTIDENT needs some of your personal data for the identification process.

The following data will be collected:

  • Last name
  • First and middle names
  • Name at birth
  • Date of birth
  • Street address and number, postal code and town/city (if this data is on your ID document)
  • Nationality
  • ID type
  • Issuing country
  • Validity

The following data will not be collected:

  • Eye color 
  • Place of birth
  • Gender
  • Height

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