apply for a passport
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).
Basic information
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.
Requirements
- German citizenship
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.
What documents do I need?
- Proof of identity
e.g. identity card or old or invalid passport
- 1 current biometric passport photo according to the photo sample board (not older than three months)
- in the case of a change of name, a document or certificate from the registry office.
