Apply for or renew a German identity card

Issued to German citizens by the citizens’ office where they live

The Personalausweis is a card-sized identity document for German citizens, and it carries an online ID function for logging in to government services. You apply in person at your local Bürgeramt with a biometric photo and your old card if you have one, then collect the finished card once it is ready. People who are not German citizens use their own passport or residence document instead.

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How it works

Apply for or renew a national ID card

Find where citizens apply for or renew their national identity card.

National ID cards are issued only to citizens of the country. You usually apply in person, because the office takes or checks your photo and sometimes your fingerprints. Bring your old card or passport and a photo that meets the rules, and check the rules for children, who often need a parent with them. You collect the new card after a few weeks, sometimes at a separate appointment. If you are a foreign resident, you need a residence card instead.

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At a glance

Offices
94 offices in 39 cities
Book online
At 92 of 94 offices
Apply online
Not offered

Photo options and booking rules vary by city

Where to apply for your ID card

Some offices have a photo machine on site, others ask you to bring a studio photo, and many work by appointment. Whatever your city does, take your old card along if you have one.

See offices by city

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Other countries

The same task in other countries

Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.

Where to next

Offices that issue the German ID card

Find the citizens’ office near you that issues the Personalausweis and check how it takes applications and hands out finished cards.

ID card offices in Germany

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