Apply for and collect your passport

The German passport allows you to travel to over 160 countries worldwide for tourism purposes without a visa. You need a passport above all if you want to travel to countries outside the European Union (EU). If you have German citizenship, you can apply for a German passport.

Passport for children

Passports can be issued for children from the age of 0. If you are planning to travel to other EU countries with your child, you should apply for a biometric passport instead of a children's passport. This is because some travel countries, such as the USA, do not recognise children's passports or ID cards for visa-free tourist entry.

Application

You must be present in person when you apply for your passport so that your identity can be verified. If you are unable to collect the passport yourself, you can also authorise another person who is 18 years or older and can identify themselves in writing. You can find the "Authorisation for a representative to collect the identity document" under "Forms". If you wish to apply for a passport for your child, the child must be present in person. To collect your child's passport, you only need the authorisation if the child is 16 years or older.

If you cannot be present in person, only a temporary passport can be issued. You must then collect it in person; a proxy is not possible in this case.

You can apply for a passport at the Citizens' Registration Office at your place of residence. If you have more than one place of residence, the Citizens' Registration Office at your main place of residence is responsible.

It is also possible to apply to a different passport authority if you can provide an important reason. Due to the increased administrative effort of the passport authority without jurisdiction - it must obtain an authorisation from the locally competent passport authority - a surcharge must be paid in addition to the fee for the passport you have applied for.

If you live abroad, the German representation abroad is responsible for passport applications. If you have lost your passport abroad due to loss or theft, apply for a new passport at the German representation abroad.

If the regular processing time is too long for you, you have the option of applying for your passport using the express procedure. If you need the travel document at very short notice and cannot wait for delivery of the passport using the express procedure, you will be issued with a temporary passport.

• Apply for a passport using the express procedure
• Apply for a temporary passport
• Federal Foreign Office - Travel advice

• § Section 6 (1) of the Passport Act (PaßG)
• § 1 Passport Ordinance (PassV)
• § Section 15 Passport Ordinance (PassV)

• Proof of identity (passport, identity card, child's identity card, child's passport),
• biometric photograph,
• your previous passport, if applicable,
• your birth certificate, if applicable,
• when applying for a child:
  • ID of the custodian present
  • Declaration of consent and a copy of the identity card of the parent or guardian who is not present or proof of custody if there is only one parent or guardian.
• Additional documents, such as civil status certificates, may be required when the licence is issued for the first time or when moving to a municipality.

From 1 May 2025, only digitally created biometric photographs will be accepted in the application process.
The photograph can be taken by external service providers (e.g. photographers) who make it available to the passport or ID card authority in a cloud for retrieval.
Alternatively, digital photographs can usually also be taken at the passport or ID card authority.
If necessary, find out before your appointment whether the photo can be taken at the authority.
Printed passport photos that you have brought with you can only be processed in exceptional cases.

• You have German citizenship.
• There must be no grounds for refusing a passport, such as the assumption that you wish to evade criminal prosecution, enforcement of a sentence or a statutory maintenance obligation by leaving the country.

• You must apply for a passport in person.
• As a rule, you make an appointment for this at your local citizens' office.
• Bring all the necessary documents with you to the agreed appointment.
• The application is filled out on site with the processor. All you have to do is sign it.
• If the person for whom the passport is being applied for has reached the age of 6, the submission of fingerprints for storage in the document is required by law (usually a flat print of the left and right index finger). Once the passport has been produced, it is sent by the passport producer to the citizen's office making the application.
• You will receive instructions from your Citizens' Registration Office as to when you can collect your passport.
• You can then collect your passport from your local citizens' office. You can authorise another person of legal age in writing to collect your passport.

• Authorisation for a representative to collect the identity document

• General information on passports and identity cards on the website of the Federal Foreign Office

Complaints or appeals against decisions made by the passport authority can be lodged with the superior authority or the State Ministry of the Interior. In all other respects, the administrative courts would be the relevant channel.

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• Apply for a passport in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

  Display of performance in the source portal

Your municipal, local or city administration (passport authority).

Abroad, the passport authorities responsible are the foreign missions of the Federal Republic of Germany designated by the Federal Foreign Office. The passport authority in whose district the applicant or passport holder usually resides is responsible.