The period of validity of your passport depends on your age at the time of application:

• Application under the age of 24: Passport is valid for 6 years.
• Application from the age of 24: Passport is valid for 10 years.

Your passport will lose its validity before the expiry date entered if

• Entries no longer apply or
• your photograph is no longer clearly suitable for identification purposes. This may be the case in particular with passports for babies or very young children.

The processing time can take up to 6 weeks. In the express procedure it is approximately 1 week.
Processing times may be longer at the beginning of and during the vacation season.

Please bring along

• Proof of identity (identity card, old passport)
• A current biometric photo (opens in a new tab)
  • You can use the self-service terminal(from 130 cm tall) at the Citizens' Office for a fee.
• If necessary: Certificate with current name, for example
  • Birth or marriage certificate,
  • Declaration on the use of name
• for children under the age of 18:
  • Declaration of consentPDF-File86,73 kB from the legal guardian not appearing in person
  • for unmarried parents: declaration of custody by the father

If applying for the first time after naturalization, the following is also required

• Certificate of naturalization
• If applicable: Envelope from naturalization office with passport photo
• Original passport and/or ID card (identity card)
• Last civil status certificate in original, as well as German translation by a sworn interpreter
  • for single persons: Birth certificate
  • for married and divorced persons: Marriage certificate
  • Please note: German documents have priority and must therefore always be presented.

For persons under 24 years of age: 37.50 euros (passport with 32 pages).

For persons aged 24 and over: 70.00 euros (passport with 32 pages).

For more information, please see our fee sheet.

Citizens' office: Card payment is preferred.

Local administrations: Cash and EC card payment is possible.

As a passport holder, you are obliged to

1. Present the passport to us if the entries are incorrect.
2. Hand in your old passport when you are issued with a new passport.
3. Report the loss of the passport and its recovery to us. If it is found again, also present it to us.
4. Inform us if you voluntarily join the armed forces or a similar armed organization of a foreign country of which you are a national.
5. Notify us if the passport has been sent,
   • if the shipment has been opened without authorization,
   • the passport is missing, damaged or contains incorrect information.

In principle, no one may hold more than one passport. However, if you can prove a legitimate interest, if possible by submitting documents, you may be issued with a second passport. This applies in the following cases, for example:

• You travel a lot for professional reasons and need a second passport due to time delays in obtaining visas.
• You wish to travel to a country where you are likely to be refused entry because your passport shows that you have stayed in certain other countries.

A second passport is generally valid for six years.

Please note! General reasons or frequent trips abroad alone are not sufficient as a legitimate interest. Likewise, the fact that your passport is already fully stamped with endorsements is not sufficient as a reason for issuing a second passport. Even if you were already in possession of a second passport, you must prove the reasons again when a new one is issued. Whether your reasons are considered sufficient is at the discretion of the passport authority.

Personal presentation is required (also for minors).

If parents and children have different surnames, the names of the persons with custody can be entered in the passport.

If you are getting married soon and your name will change as a result of the marriage, you can apply for your passport up to eight weeks before the wedding. This gives you the opportunity to collect your passport immediately after the marriage and use it for travel. Please bring the certificate of registration of the marriage with you when you apply. However, the passport will only be issued after the marriage if you present the original marriage certificate.

Please note
Due to a change in the law, it is currently not possible to pre-date the identity card if your marriage takes place after May 1, 2025.