Can I keep my German bank account after leaving?

That depends on the bank, not on the law. Some keep EU residents only, some require a German address, some are relaxed. Ask in writing before you deregister, because opening a replacement account from abroad is harder than keeping an existing one.

Do I still file a German tax return for the year I leave?

Usually yes. In the year of departure you are taxed in Germany on the income up to the move, and foreign income from the rest of the year can raise the rate on it through the Progressionsvorbehalt (Section 32b EStG). Filing is often mandatory in the departure year, and it not rarely produces a refund.

What happens to my Riester contract?

This is the classic ambush. Moving outside the EU and EEA counts as harmful use (schädliche Verwendung): the state subsidies and tax advantages must in principle be paid back, though repayment can be deferred on application until the payout phase begins and lapses if you return to unlimited German tax liability (Sections 93 to 95 EStG). Moving within the EU and EEA is fine. If you hold a Riester contract and are leaving Europe, get advice on pausing versus cancelling before you move.

Do I need to cancel the broadcasting fee?

Yes, actively: the Rundfunkbeitrag does not stop by itself. Deregistering your address is the evidence; the cancellation with the Beitragsservice is a separate step. The same goes for German insurance contracts such as liability, household or legal insurance, many of which carry a special termination right when you move abroad.

Leaving Germany: what to sort out about money before you go

Some things keep running quietly after you leave, like your pension entitlement. Others stop the moment you deregister, like health insurance and Kindergeld. And one or two can produce a tax bill you did not see coming. The checklist, in the order it matters.

Leaving Germany is mostly paperwork, but a handful of the money decisions are one-way doors. Some things keep running quietly (your pension entitlement), some stop the moment you deregister (public health insurance, Kindergeld), and one or two can produce a tax bill you did not see coming. Here is what to check, in the order it usually matters.

This article is information, not financial or legal advice. Rules described are as of 2026; the specifics depend on your income, citizenship and destination country.

Deregistration starts every clock

When you move out of Germany you deregister your address (Abmeldung) at the local registration office, within two weeks of moving out (Section 17 of the Bundesmeldegesetz). Deregistration is the event most other systems key off: it ends your residence for registration purposes, feeds through to your health insurer, and is the document banks, insurers and authorities will ask for later. Keep the confirmation (Abmeldebestätigung) permanently. You will need it years later, for example when claiming your German pension from abroad.

Your pension entitlement does not disappear

Whatever you paid into the statutory pension insurance (gesetzliche Rentenversicherung) stays credited to you. What happens next depends on how long you contributed and your citizenship. If you contributed five years or more, you have a vested entitlement and will receive a German pension at retirement age, paid to almost any country in the world. If you contributed less than five years, EU citizens keep their months and can combine them with insurance periods elsewhere in the EU, while many non-EU citizens can instead apply for a refund of their own contributions, generally 24 months after leaving compulsory coverage (Section 210 SGB VI). The details, including the social security agreements Germany has with countries like the US, Canada, Australia, India and Turkey, are worth their own article.

Health insurance ends, and the gap is yours to cover

Membership in public health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) is tied to living or working in Germany (Section 3 SGB IV, Section 190 SGB V). When both end, so does your coverage, and Germany does not hand you off to your next country's system automatically. Inside the EU, coordination rules make the transition manageable. Outside the EU, arrange coverage in the destination country before you go, and ask your insurer about an interim solution (Anwartschaftsversicherung) that preserves your right to return to public insurance later. That right matters more than it sounds: coming back to Germany later in life with only foreign or private coverage can make re-entering public insurance difficult, especially past age 55 (Section 6(3a) SGB V).

Family benefits stop at the border, with EU exceptions

Kindergeld (259 euro per child per month in 2026) requires German residence or unlimited tax liability in Germany. It ends when you leave, unless EU coordination rules apply, for example when one parent still works in Germany (Regulation (EC) 883/2004). Elterngeld likewise assumes German residence in the standard case. If your move is mid-parental-leave, check the timing before booking flights, not after.

The exit tax can reach ordinary investors now

Germany's exit tax (Wegzugsbesteuerung, Section 6 of the Außensteuergesetz) used to concern only people holding at least 1 percent of a company. Since 2025 the same mechanics also reach large investment fund holdings, via Section 19(3) of the Investmentsteuergesetz: broadly, fund or ETF positions where you hold at least 1 percent of the fund or your acquisition cost reached 500,000 euro or more in a given fund, provided you were subject to unlimited German tax liability for at least seven of the last twelve years. Leaving Germany can then trigger tax on the unrealized gains, as if you had sold. Most households are below these thresholds, but if your portfolio is large or concentrated, this is the item to check with a tax adviser before you set a moving date, because timing, instalment options and a planned return can change the outcome materially.

Your broker, your bank account, your ETF savings plan

German brokers and banks are not obliged to keep you as a customer abroad. Many keep EU-resident customers and terminate accounts for customers who move outside the EU; policies differ by bank and can change. Ask your broker in writing before you move. If you keep a German depot, your investment income generally becomes taxable in your new country of residence under the relevant double taxation treaty, and German withholding rules change because the exemption order (Freistellungsauftrag) assumes German tax residency.

If you keep property in Germany

Rental income from a German property stays taxable in Germany even after you leave (limited tax liability, Section 49 EStG). You will file a German tax return for it from abroad. Whether the income is also taxed in your new country, with a credit for German tax, depends on the double taxation treaty.

What this looks like as one picture

Each of these items is a line in your household's finances: an income that stops, an insurance that ends, an entitlement that keeps growing quietly. Miravel's emigration scenario lets you simulate the move as a whole, with your actual numbers, so you can see the shape of the change before you decide, not after. Where a rule is not yet modelled by the simulation, the scenario says so rather than guessing.

Sources

Section 17 Bundesmeldegesetz (deregistration): gesetze-im-internet.de/bmg
Deutsche Rentenversicherung, information for insured persons abroad: deutsche-rentenversicherung.de
Section 210 SGB VI (contribution refunds), Sections 50, 51 SGB VI (waiting periods): gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_6
Section 3 SGB IV, Sections 190, 6 SGB V (end of membership, re-entry past 55): gesetze-im-internet.de
Regulation (EC) 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems
Section 6 Außensteuergesetz and Section 19(3) Investmentsteuergesetz (exit tax): gesetze-im-internet.de
Section 49 EStG (limited tax liability), Sections 93 to 95 EStG (Riester, harmful use): gesetze-im-internet.de/estg
Familienkasse of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Kindergeld abroad: arbeitsagentur.de

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep my German bank account after leaving?: That depends on the bank, not on the law. Some keep EU residents only, some require a German address, some are relaxed. Ask in writing before you deregister, because opening a replacement account from abroad is harder than keeping an existing one.
Do I still file a German tax return for the year I leave?: Usually yes. In the year of departure you are taxed in Germany on the income up to the move, and foreign income from the rest of the year can raise the rate on it through the Progressionsvorbehalt (Section 32b EStG). Filing is often mandatory in the departure year, and it not rarely produces a refund.
What happens to my Riester contract?: This is the classic ambush. Moving outside the EU and EEA counts as harmful use (schädliche Verwendung): the state subsidies and tax advantages must in principle be paid back, though repayment can be deferred on application until the payout phase begins and lapses if you return to unlimited German tax liability (Sections 93 to 95 EStG). Moving within the EU and EEA is fine. If you hold a Riester contract and are leaving Europe, get advice on pausing versus cancelling before you move.
Do I need to cancel the broadcasting fee?: Yes, actively: the Rundfunkbeitrag does not stop by itself. Deregistering your address is the evidence; the cancellation with the Beitragsservice is a separate step. The same goes for German insurance contracts such as liability, household or legal insurance, many of which carry a special termination right when you move abroad.

Miravel simulates your household across the move: income, insurance, pension entitlement and assets, over the years, with visible assumptions. Your data stays in your browser. Start free now.