Apply for a passport

You must apply for a passport in person on site:

• Make an appointment at your local citizens' office.
• Bring all the necessary documents with you to the agreed appointment.
• The application will be completed by the authority staff with you on site. All you have to do is sign the application.
• Your fingerprints will be taken. As a rule, these are the prints of your two index fingers.
  • Your fingerprints will only be taken for storage in the passport chip and stored until you collect your passport from the Citizens' Registration Office. After that, your fingerprints will be deleted and will only be stored on the chip in your passport.
  • Children under the age of 6 do not have to give a fingerprint
• A signature must be provided by children aged 10 and over; younger children are permitted to sign if they are able to write.
• Your Citizens' Registration Office will inform you when you can collect your passport. You can authorise another person of legal age in writing to collect your passport from the authority.
• Alternatively, you can pay a fee to have the ID document sent by post to your home address in Germany and handed over in person at the front door.

• You have German citizenship.
• You are present in person when you apply for your passport.
  • If you are applying for a passport for your child or a person in your care, they must also be present at the application.
• for children under the age of 18:
  • You are entitled to custody.
• There must be no grounds for refusing a passport. This includes, for example, the assumption that you will be prevented from travelling abroad by
  • a criminal prosecution,
  • the execution of a sentence or
  • want to evade a statutory maintenance obligation.

• Biometric digital passport photo: taken on site at the authority or by a registered domestic photo service provider (photographer). Different regulations may apply abroad and a paper passport photo may still be accepted.
• if available and not yet cancelled: Your previous
  • Passport
  • temporary passport
  • Identity card
  • temporary identity card
  • Children's passport
• your birth certificate, if applicable
• in children or adolescents under the age of 18:
  • Identification documents of the custodial persons present
  • If applicable, a declaration of consent and a copy of the identity card of the person with parental authority who is not present
  • Proof of custody if only one person has custody of the child
• Certificate with current name, if applicable, for example
  • Birth, marriage and marriage certificate
  • Family book
  • Declaration on the use of the name
• Further documents may be required, for example
  • In the event of loss due to theft: police report

• § Section 6 (1) Passport Act (PassG)
• § Section 1 Ordinance on the Implementation of the Passport Act (Passport Ordinance - PassV)
• § Section 15 Ordinance on the Implementation of the Passport Act (Passport Ordinance - PassV)

You must be present in person when applying for a passport so that your identity can be verified. If you cannot be present in person, only a temporary passport can be issued. The identity check must then be carried out when the document is issued, otherwise the temporary passport will not be issued.
 

The temporary passport does not contain an electronic storage medium (chip).
 

In some countries - for example the USA - a normal, electronic passport is required for visa-free entry.

If you are travelling to these countries with a temporary passport, a visa is also required.

• A passport is required when travelling to most countries outside the EU
• Passports can be applied for any person of any age, including infants and young children
• Application:
  • can be applied for in Germany at a citizens' office
  • can be applied for abroad at a German representation
  • If necessary, you can also apply for a passport at an authority outside your place of residence
    • Additional costs may arise