The Social Security Number in Germany (Sozialversicherungsnummer) is a unique identifier for you in the German social security system. The Social Security Number serves the key purpose of identification in multiple administrative processes including employment, taxation, health insurance, pension and social welfare benefits.
Need to share your Social Security Number with your university or employer? Here's the scoop:
Governmental Health Insurance: If you're insured with a governmental health insurance company, no worries! Your Social Security Number will be automatically created.
Private Health Insurance: For private health insurance, you'll need to reach out to the Deutsche Rentenversicherung directly to request your Social Security Number. You can visit a branch in person or contact them online. Make sure to have your passport or a picture of it, along with your city registration handy. It's usually easier to find a branch in the big cities than in the small ones.
Here's the website of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung: https://www.deutsche-rentenversicherung.de/DRV/EN/Home/home_node.html