A German passport for you or your child: how to apply

Urgent trip? Ask whether an express option is available

In Germany the passport is issued by the Passbehörde, the local passport authority, which is usually part of the citizens’ office in your town or city. You apply in person with a biometric photo and your old passport, and fingerprints are stored on the chip. Children now get a regular passport too, since the separate children’s passport was discontinued.

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How it works

Apply for or renew a passport

Find a passport office and see how to prepare for your appointment.

Passports are issued by the country of your nationality. Citizens living in the country apply at a local passport office, usually in person with a photo that meets the rules and their old passport. Children often need consent from both parents. Processing takes from a few days to a few weeks, so ask about a faster option if you need to travel soon. If you live abroad and need your own country’s passport, contact its embassy or consulate. Foreign residents who cannot get a passport from their own country may qualify for an alien’s passport or a refugee travel document.

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At a glance

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

Choose between standard and express, where offered

Passport offices near you

Appointment options and collection rules differ from one passport office to the next. Some ask for your old passport again when you pick up the new one, and parents applying for a child should find out what the office wants for children.

Passport offices

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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 German passports

Compare how local offices take passport applications and hand over finished passports, then check what to bring.

Passport offices in Germany

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