Passport - apply for the first time or after expiry

• You must apply for your passport in person.
• You must provide a formally valid signature and complete the declaration of German citizenship.
  A signature is required for children aged 10 and over.
• The submission of fingerprints (flat print of the left and right index finger) is required by law for the application. No fingerprints are taken of children who are not yet 6 years old. If a travel document without fingerprints is expressly requested for children after the age of 6 and up to the age of 12, only a provisional passport can be issued. Note: If an index finger is missing, the quality of the fingerprint is insufficient or the fingertip is damaged, the print of another finger will be taken instead. Fingerprints will only not be taken if this is impossible for permanent medical reasons.
• When applying, you can have the photograph taken on site - depending on the equipment at the authority - or you can have the photograph taken in advance by a certified service provider (e.g. a photographer or the photo service of a drugstore). You will receive a printout of a data matrix code (similar to a QR code) from the service provider , which the authority can use to retrieve your photo from the cloud.
• The passport is produced centrally by Bundesdruckerei in Berlin.
• You can collect the finished passport from the authority in due course. Depending on the municipality, you will be notified as soon as you can collect your passport. The notification information from the passport authority usually also contains a form for authorisation to collect your passport. This allows you to collect your passport yourself or have it collected by an authorised person. The authorised person must identify themselves to the passport authority beforehand and present the authorisation form.
• You must hand in your old passport when you receive the new document. If you wish, you can take your cancelled old passport back with you as a souvenir.
• From 1 May 2025, you can also select the "Direct delivery" option in the application process, which is subject to a fee, and receive the document at your home address where it can be delivered. The prerequisites are that you are at least 18 years old and submit the passport application within Germany to the authority at your place of residence. In addition, you must present yourself in person at the door of your home to the Postal delivery service with a valid German identity document (in this case: identity card or, if applicable, a second passport) and have the old passport cancelled when applying for the new passport. Residents of Büsingen (Hochrhein) and Helgoland cannot use the direct delivery service.

Please note:

For children and young people under the age of 18, both parents submit the application jointly if they have joint custody. The legal representatives are normally the parents. One parent can be represented by the other with a power of attorney when submitting the application. The children and young people for whom the application is made must always appear in person, as the competent authority must check their identity.