German citizens must carry a passport and show it on request when leaving or re-entering the Federal Republic of Germany via the border. However, the holder of a valid German passport also fulfills his or her statutory obligation to produce identification within Germany. In this respect, the passport replaces the identity card, although unlike the latter it does not contain the holder's address. The ID card, on the other hand, is only sufficient within Germany, but not usually for entry into other countries - exceptions exist in particular for travel within the European Union (EU).
A passport can also be applied for for persons under 18 years of age. You can find all information on this in our service description "Applying for a passport - for persons under 18" (see: https://www.service.bremen.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=bremen128.c.1156018.de).
The validity period of the passport depends on the age of the passport holder. Before the age of 24, the passport is valid for six years, and after the age of 24, for ten years. A temporary passport is valid for a maximum of one year.
Even before the expiry date, a passport or a temporary passport is invalid if it does not allow the identity of the holder to be established properly or if it has been altered or if entries are missing or, with the exception of information on the place of residence, are incorrect.
In general, passports are issued with 32 pages. For an additional fee, you can obtain a passport with 48 pages (for frequent travelers with additional pages for visa entries).
Note: Passports are produced centrally by the Bundesdruckerei in Berlin. Temporary passports are produced by the passport office.
It is not possible to change personal data (e.g. name after marriage) in the passport. In these cases, a new passport must be applied for if necessary.
When traveling to the USA or Canada, please note:
German citizens must also be in possession of an electronic entry permit for visa-free entry into the USA - in addition to a regular (machine-readable Bordeaux red) passport - which can be applied for via the electronic travel authorization systems of the USA or Canada.
Important: This is a service under municipal responsibility. Therefore, in principle, you can only visit a service that is located at your (main) place of residence.
Exception: If an important reason is presented, the application for a passport must also be processed by a passport office that is not locally competent. A passport may only be issued with the authorization of the locally competent passport authority. In this case, the fee is doubled if this is done by a non-authorized authority at the instigation of the applicant.
e.g. identity card or old or invalid passport
Validity:
Change in German passport law
Due to a European legal regulation, there is an important change in German passport law as of 26.06.2012:
All entries concerning children, which were still made in the passport of the parents (or one parent) on the basis of previous passport regulations until 31.10.2007, will become invalid as of 26.06.2012 and no longer entitle the child to cross the border. As of this date, all children must have their own travel document when traveling abroad. For the actual passport holder, however, the document remains valid without restriction (unless expired).
For more information, call (0421) 361-88660.
4-6 weeks due to heavy workload at Bundesdruckerei
in express procedure approx. 3-4 days
60,00 EUR for persons over 24 years
37,50 EUR for persons up to 24 years
32,00 EUR in addition for express delivery
22,00 EUR additionally for the 48-page passport
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Full information only available in German language
Last update at 21.09.2023