Starshollow

if you move to another EU-member-state you can just freeze the RIESTER-plan. If keeping the capital there is a good deal or not depends of course on what kind of plan you have with what initial and ongoing costs. It might make sense to pay some extra fees and switch it to a different kind of RIESTER plan with better investment options for the long term. The good news is that when waiting for this investment to grow, you'll get the payout later based on the full "Zulage" (direct subsidy) and all because other EU-member-state are to be considered like if staying in Germany. If you move outside of the EU, though, it will become a different ball-game altogether. Because if you move outside the EU, you basically have to repay the ZUlage AND the tax advantages received at once (meaning this will be deducted from your accrued capital in the plan). Without that and due to the initial costs for the plans (commissions and all) it will then most certainly be a loss. But you can simply claim a deferral of the liquidation of the RIESTER plan by stating a (vague) intent to return back to Germany later in retirement. That way the capital remains in the plan in full and continues to grow. And that means there are profits from your net investment as well as from the capital come out of the tax savings and the subsidy/Zulage. This will act like a profit leverage on your net-investment and can be significant over time... depending, as said above, what ongoing costs your plan has.   There are advisors here in Germany who can assist you with this in a transparent, fee-based consulting. Might be worth paying some fees to get clarification and perchance protect some good future profits in this plan for you.   Cheerio  

for this initial time, I good Expat insurance or international insurance should be sufficient. You have no legal access to German public health insurance system at this initial stage on one side and no German private health insurance company is going to touch your application with a barge pole as long as you have no proof of sustainable income.   Cheerio  

sadly enough, legally what happened to you is correct per se. Sorry. Of course the Krankenkasse should have speeded up the process of getting you set up right away when you wanted them to, but since you technically/legally "belong" into their coverage system all along, the back-charges are warranted.   Cheerio  

This statement is only partially true, I am afraid.  Yes, while it is compulsory to have health insurance in Germany since 2009, there is no direct fine or anything if you are found without one. though you can face serious back-charges in such case. However, what is illegal and an Ordnungswidrigkeit that can lead to fines and even deportation is the lack of the equally compulsory Pflegepflichtversicherung (long-term nursing care insurance). Which you can only get in direct combination with either a German public health insurance or a German private health insurance policy. They are not being offered as a stand-alone solution (trust me, I tried for oh so many years to help people who are insured quite well with international health insurances). Therefore and thru this back-door, not having a compliant health insurance is illegal in the end because you won't have the required Pflegepflichtversicherung, either.   Cheerio    

  yes. there is such law...and it makes actually a lot of sense, both socially and financially speaking.  Said law clearly states that if you opted out from the German social system (i.e. out of public health insurance) you can't just decide to get into it again when it suits you better.  That is particularly right if you have been with private health insurance for a long time. The rationale behind it is simple: the public health insurance system is based on income. Because it offers really good health insurance for all kind of people, those with low and those with high income, those with major medical conditions or even disablement etc.  Consequently, it is more expensive regarding the monthly contributions for people with higher incomes. Which makes it attractive for those who can (self-employed and employees with a gross income in excess of certain levels) to take private health insurance instead. Because private health insurance - when you are young and healthy when entering it - can be significantly lower in monthly costs in comparison. Moving to private health insurance means, however, that you are leaving (!) the public health insurance for good. And because your decision means that you won't pay into the public pot, you can't later just reverse this decision, it would create otherwise a massive Free-rider-problem in public health insurances. While up to the age of 55 there are some ways to get back into public health insurance thru employment, there is no such way back into public system after that age-threshold. Therefore it is correct that your husband cannot go into public insurance now anymore and that also means - from what John wrote above about your situation - that you can't, either for lack of sufficient prior public health insurance in Germany or another EU-memberstate.   Cheerio  

That will very much depend on your ABH. It is not accepted - and IMO correctly so - by many ABH across Germany, especially for those where the perspective of a stay in Germany is undefined or theoretically unlimited. Cheerio  

this info is correct.  If he did not/needed not register his business formally at the city hall somehow, he'll probably need to declare the termination of his business in writing, shut down all websites, advertising and what not for good.   Cheerio

HI there, SALUS BKK is just another public health insurance - thus their monthly costs are little-to-no-different to TK. Since you are registered here, you need to sign up for German health insurance. But you already might have missed the 3-month-deadline for signing up with public health insurance (depending on when in January you registered here in Germany). Therefore move swiftly on this NOW ! Private German health insurances have zero interest in new clients who are unemployed - no chance in hell for you to get an application accepted in your current situation. Therefore - and also for a myriad of other reasons - for now, stay with public health insurance in Germany. (plus: private insurance won't be really any less expensive anyway). And stay away from any international private health insurances... they are not meant for people in a situation/status like you and are thus for you not a compliant means of health insurance here in Germany anyway. Cheerio  

there are a couple of things open to you: a) you can claim a tax deferral. There are online forms available for this. You can claim this deferal both for income tax as well as local business tax (Gewerbesteuer, but you are probably not liable for that anyway) b ) not sure if this also applies to public pension contributions, but check with the Bundesrentenanstalt directly for that. c) there are also offers from both the Federal governement and the states (I know for Berlin for sure) to get direct funds up to 5.000 EUR or so to keep you afloat.  Check if you can find this yourself, if not, let me know and I'll post something here on Toytown for everyone.   Cheerio  

I am checking with our mortgage expert (who is currently in lockdown in Spain... ) but I have not heard anything. But as was said above, it is definitely not the German government doing anything here on the law-side of things but rather the SEC or  IRS in the US coming up with some new regulation that makes it for German banks simply too complicated or risky financially to lend out to US-nationals. If that is the case at all... will know more soon, but will take some time.   Cheerio  

Hi Spider - these are UK pension pots you are talking about, right? Are they defined benefit schemes (DB) or defined contribution schemes (DC). Only in case of DB schemes with a value of >30k GBP is it required to involve a UK-based IFA for a so-called APTA (appropriate pension transfer analysis), something that was implemented to make the life of the typical scammers who have created so much hazards and losses for people with decent pension pots in recent years a bit harder. (you know what kind of "advisors" I am talking about, of course, as a long-time Toytowner).   If you need someone for an APTA, let me know. We do a large number of such transfers for our clients and have the right partners in UK for that kind of additional needs, too.   Cheerio  

timing of the markets is something that most of the times for most of the people does not work. Therefore time IN the markets is so much more important. While a little bit of fun and speculation can be a nice thing, please make sure that you have an overall balanced and fitting-to-you-personally set up an investment strategy for the long run. Where buy-and-hold is the main parameter to follow for good success. Cheerio  

For once I was actually at the receiving end of a cold-call... This guy called several times and eventually, I thought it could be a business partner of ours. thus I took the call and a script-trained talking monkey started to try to sell me some triple-A-rated business opportunity. When I told him that this was an illegal cold-call, he got very aggressive and offensive. After I told him to go to hell and hung up, he tried to call several times again, probably in a vain attempt to have the last word. What a (fill in an expression of your own fitting to the case/person :-) )   Anyway, fair warning for everyone out there: don't accept these calls. They are illegal cold-calling and you should never deal with someone who has to use such means to approach you. Violating such simple consumer protection laws in Germany is a bad calling-card if there ever was any.   Cheerio  

very interesting, thank you for all your efforts in this !   Cheerio  

Hi there - this is important info, albeit a bit late for this particular fella after  3+ years, I am afraid. But since you are a professional in this field: a) welcome b ) perhaps support Toytown by advertising? c ) perhaps write a WIKI here on Toytown about this topic to help informing and educating Expats who are looking for such info?   I am active here since 2006 and it is a great place to assist Expats and make a name for yourself by offering free and worthwhile information and content to those looking for such info..   Cheerio