Under certain circumstances it is possible to have your accrued rights to unemployment benefits transferred to another Member State of the EU, EEA State or Switzerland or to countries with a Social Security Agreement. To what extent rights accrued in Germany will be recognised by the country you are relocating to can only be clarified in the respective country.

Within the EU, sections 61 to 65 of Regulation (EC) 883/04 regulate the aggregation of periods of insurance, employment and self-employment.

Art. 61 requires member states to take periods spent in other member states into account. Within this framework, periods of employment and self-employment are only recognised if they were regarded as periods of coverage in this member state. The member state in which the unemployed person worked immediately before becoming unemployed is responsible for them and therefore also liable for payment of their unemployment benefits. The principle of the country of employment applies.

This means that the unemployed person is not entitled to unemployment benefits in other member states in which they were previously entitled.

Therefore, if you are planning a research stay abroad within the context of an employment relationship, are made redundant and then return to Germany, you will be dependent on the benefits system of the country in which you were last employed and will usually only receive benefits from them if you make yourself available for work there.

Art. 64 of the regulation provides mitigation: it is also possible to travel to another EU member state to seek work there without losing your entitlement to benefits. The period in which benefits will be provided may be extended by the employment services in the country responsible (in which the unemployed person is no longer located) from the three months foreseen in the regulation to a maximum of six months.

Germany has reached agreements on social security benefits with many other countries. However, this international legislation has no direct impact for those affected. Instead it must be implemented by the national legislators.

Please see the website of the German liaison office for health insurance abroad ("Deutsche Verbindungsstelle Krankenversicherung") for the original wording of the agreements.

DVKA