Leaving does not cut off the German mail stream — it only shifts it in time. The most important letters (money and legal deadlines) arrive months after departure, when strangers already live at your old address. Forwarding is the only way not to lose them.
Leaving: Mail and Forwarding
The Deutsche Post forwarding order redirects letters abroad too — critical, since deposit refunds, tax assessments and pension letters arrive for months after departure.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
I set up forwarding abroad a year before departure — 4 months later the deposit refund and a tax assessment with a refund arrived that way. Without forwarding both would have vanished.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
Alongside forwarding I left a key and authorisation with a neighbour: urgent registered letters that the post does not forward automatically, he scanned and sent to me. Double insurance.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why forwarding if I cancelled everything? ▾
Because money and decisions come AFTER: deposit refund (up to 6 months), final utility bills, tax assessment, the refund decision. A missed letter = lost money or a missed objection deadline.
Does forwarding work to any country? ▾
To most, but the rate and duration are higher than domestic. Set it up online in advance: activation takes a few days and nothing is forwarded retroactively.
Is a trusted person enough without a forwarding order? ▾
Risky: letters still go to the old address where others now live. The forwarding order catches them automatically; the trusted person only what you switched manually in advance.