Applying for a temporary passport
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If a passport - even "express" (within 3-4 days) - can no longer be issued in time before departure, you can obtain a temporary passport.
Basic information
The temporary passport is generally issued only in connection with the application for a "normal" passport.
Requirements
Since 12.12.2005, this must be machine-readable. As a rule, a temporary ID card is only issued if a new passport (ePassport) is applied for at the same time or has already been applied for. In very exceptional cases (for example, if a person who is older than life can prove that the passport is only needed for a one-time trip abroad), only a temporary passport can be issued.
If the applicant is under 18 years of age or if a guardian has been appointed for him or her (for the purpose of determining the child's place of residence), all legal guardians must consent to the issuance of the temporary passport, but in any case the custodial parent with whom the child has his or her habitual residence legally (with the consent of the other parent or on the basis of a court decision).
Important: This is a service under municipal jurisdiction. Therefore, you can only go to a service that is located in your place of residence.
What documents do I need?
- Proof of identity
e.g. old or invalid identity card, valid (child) passport or birth certificate in the case of infants or young children who do not yet have a (child) passport or identity card.
- 1 current biometric passport photo according to the photo sample board (not older than three months)
Important information for appointments from 01.05.2025:
- Due to new legal requirements, you are no longer allowed to bring your passport photo with you. From 01.05.2025, you will be able to have your photo taken directly on site at one of our new self-service terminals in all offices of the Citizens' Registration Office. The usage fee is 6.00 euros per document. Alternatively, you can have your photo taken by a participating photographer and made available via a certified cloud. In this case, you will receive a QR code from the photographer to bring with you, which we can use to retrieve the photograph from the cloud during the application process. Please note that when applying for documents for younger children, we recommend having your photo taken by a participating photographer.
Note for appointments until 30.04.2025:
- The previous photo booths in all offices of the Bürgeramt are operated by external companies and do not work reliably. It cannot be guaranteed that passport photos can be taken on site. The new self-service terminals are not yet available at all locations. We therefore currently advise you to bring passport photos with you to your appointment.
- Declaration of consent by the person with custody
as well as their identity documents (also possible as copies) and, if applicable, proof of custody
- Proof of custody
with a single guardian