An MRE who has worked in Germany and contributed in Morocco can combine the German statutory pension (gesetzliche Rentenversicherung managed by Deutsche Rentenversicherung) and the Moroccan CNSS, CMR or CIMR pension. The social security convention signed in Bonn on 25 March 1981 between the Federal Republic of Germany and Morocco allows period totalization to open pension entitlement in either country. The bilateral tax convention prevents double taxation. This guide details the practical steps for an MRE to claim both pensions.
Costs & fees
| German contribution statement (Rentenauskunft) | Check with the Deutsche Rentenversicherung | With the Deutsche Rentenversicherung |
| CNSS Morocco contribution statement | Check with the CNSS | Via cnss.ma online portal |
| Voluntary contributions (freiwillige Beitraege) | From EUR 112.16 to EUR 1,571.70 per month (2026) | Fill a gap beyond the 5-year minimum |
| Possible fees of a professional consulted | Check with the professional | Set by each professional |
| Cross-border pension transfer fees | Check with the bank | Depending on the bank and the DRV payment arrangements |
Timeline
Get your Versicherungsverlauf and your CNSS statement
Start by requesting a Rentenauskunft (pension statement) from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung. A periodic statement is provided to insured persons from age 27. Request it online at deutsche-rentenversicherung.de via the Online-Dienste portal, or by post. The document details your Versicherungsverlauf year by year, with the accumulated Entgeltpunkte (pension points) and a projection of the pension at 67. In Morocco, the cnss.ma portal shows your contribution history. Verify that every German period is credited, and flag gaps to the DRV.
💡 Tip: The DRV eService portal lets you download the full Versicherungsverlauf in PDF, more complete than the synthetic Rentenauskunft.
⚠️ Warning: The DRV records only periods contributed under your Rentenversicherungsnummer. Periods in a special fund (miners, sailors, farmers) must be requested separately.
Confirm the minimum entitlement (5-year Wartezeit)
To claim the Altersrente (German standard old-age pension), a minimum 5 years of contributions is required (Wartezeit von 5 Jahren = 60 months Beitragszeiten). With fewer than 5 German years, the 1981 Germany-Morocco social security convention allows totalization with your Moroccan periods to meet the threshold. For example: 3 years in Germany plus 4 years in Morocco open entitlement to the German Altersrente, calculated only on the 3 German years. The DRV applies the convention when your Moroccan periods are listed on the pension claim.
💡 Tip: If you have fewer than 5 years of German contributions, list your Moroccan periods on the pension claim so that the bilateral convention is applied.
⚠️ Warning: Totalization only opens entitlement, it does not increase the amount of the German pension. The calculation remains based on Entgeltpunkte accumulated in Germany alone.
Consider voluntary contributions if worthwhile
If you have left Germany before legal age and stopped contributing, you can pay voluntary contributions (freiwillige Beitraege) to fill gaps or boost your future pension. The 2026 monthly amount ranges from EUR 112.16 (minimum contribution) to EUR 1,571.70 (maximum contribution), according to the DRV. Voluntary contributions can help meet certain conditions for entitlement (for instance the 45 years of Beitragszeiten for the Altersrente fuer besonders langjaehrig Versicherte, which allows early retirement without reduction).
💡 Tip: A simulation of the effect of voluntary contributions on the pension can be requested from the DRV.
⚠️ Warning: The net effect of a payment (future pension, taxation) should be checked with the DRV before paying.
File the Altersrente claim with form R0100
The German pension claim uses form R0100 (Antrag auf Altersrente), downloadable from deutsche-rentenversicherung.de or filed via the eService portal. For an MRE residing in Morocco, the claim must state the foreign residence and the foreign periods. The legal age (Regelaltersgrenze) is rising to 67, reached in 2029 for those born in 1964 or later. For those born between 1947 and 1963 the legal age varies from 65 to 66 years 10 months. Early retirement at 63 is possible with reductions (Abschlaege) of 3.6% per advance year.
💡 Tip: Form R0100 (Antrag auf Altersrente) can be downloaded from deutsche-rentenversicherung.de.
⚠️ Warning: The conditions of access to the Altersrente fuer besonders langjaehrig Versicherte for insured persons residing in Morocco should be checked with the DRV.
Claim the Moroccan CNSS pension
The Moroccan CNSS pension opens from age 60, before the German legal age, provided all salaried activity has ceased (CLEISS). It takes effect on the first calendar month after the end of work if the claim is filed with the CNSS within 6 months of that date. Since Decree No. 2.25.265, insured persons with at least 1,320 days and fewer than 3,240 days of insurance may receive a minimum pension of 600 to 1,000 dirhams (maroc.ma), and the 1981 convention allows totalization with German periods. The CNSS pension is still calculated only on Moroccan contribution days.
💡 Tip: Explicitly mention your German periods on the CNSS claim and attach your Versicherungsverlauf as evidence.
⚠️ Warning: The CNSS pension is calculated on the average salary of the 96 declared months preceding the last month before retirement age (ACAPS).
Taxation of each pension under the bilateral convention
The Germany-Morocco tax convention prevents double taxation. General rule: private pensions (private sector DRV, company pensions, CNSS, CIMR) are taxable only in the recipient's country of residence. Civil service pensions (German state pensions, Moroccan CMR for former civil servants) remain taxable in the paying country. An MRE settled in Morocco therefore declares his private Deutsche Rente only in Morocco, in his IR return.
💡 Tip: The Finanzamt Neubrandenburg is the central tax office for people living abroad who receive only German pensions (finanzamt-rente-im-ausland.de).
⚠️ Warning: Germany taxes pensions under the besteuerung nachgelagert (deferred taxation) system. The taxable share of the pension depends on the year retirement begins. Check it on the Steuerbescheid.
In depth
German pensions rest on three pillars: the statutory pension (gesetzliche Rente, pay-as-you-go), the company pension (Betriebsrente, optional but common) and individual products (Riester or Ruerup, tax-encouraged). The 1981 convention remains a pillar of Germany-Morocco coordination and has allowed multiple generations of Moroccan Gastarbeiter to combine their entitlements. MREs who contributed in Germany between 1963 and 1985 (first migratory wave) generally have clear and complete Versicherungsverlaeufe, which simplifies claims today.
❌ Common mistakes to avoid
- ✕Failing to request the Rentenauskunft early enough and discovering too late missing periods that can no longer be proven.
- ✕Ignoring the 5-year Wartezeit minimum: without the 1981 convention, a short German career produces no pension entitlement.
- ✕Paying freiwillige Beitraege without having requested from the DRV a simulation of their effect on the pension.
- ✕Failing to list the Moroccan periods on the claim, which may delay their recognition.
- ✕Not asking the Finanzamt Neubrandenburg about the tax treatment of a Deutsche Rente paid abroad.
🔗 Official links and resources
Deutsche Rentenversicherung
Statutory German pension scheme, claims, Rentenauskunft, forms
Finanzamt Neubrandenburg
German tax office for pensions paid abroad
DRV - Voluntary contributions 2026
DRV press release on the minimum and maximum voluntary contribution amounts
CNSS Morocco - Member portal
CNSS statement and pension claim in Morocco
Cleiss - German social security regime
Reference summary on the German regime and bilateral conventions
❓ Frequently asked questions
Need an expert for your project?
Find a Moroccan professional verified by LesMRE to guide you step by step.
Find a verified expertCreate your free account
Registration is 100% free and opens every guide, kept up to date whenever the rules change, with the full detail of each procedure for Moroccans abroad.