General information

Passports and ID cards can be applied for at the Embassy in New Delhi as well as at the Consulates in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. Please submit your application at the German Mission responsible for your area of residence.

Please make sure to book an appointment for both the application and the collection of your passport and/or ID card.

All applicants must appear at the appointment in person. This serves the purpose of identity check and taking of fingerprints.

You can apply for multiple documents (both passport and ID card) in the same appointment.

The collection of passports and ID cards is handled differently by the German missions in India. Please contact the competent mission directly to understand the procedure.

For applications of minors (passport below 18 years of age, ID card below 16 years of age), all custodians need to appear in person to the appointment together with the minor. As an exception, an absent custodian may sign the consent letter as per this form.

You can find all information regarding the processing of your personal data within the passport and ID card procedure here.

Required documents

Kindly bring the following documents either in original or in attested copy to your appointment:

• Duly filled and signed application form
  • For adults
  • For minors
• 2 biometric passport photos (3,5 cm x 4,5 cm, not older than 6 months), please see here
• Birth certificate
• If applicable: certificate of naturalization, certificate of nationality or any other proof of your German citizenship
• Proof of residence in the jurisdiction of the German mission (in your old passport, rental agreement, electricity bill, etc.)
• If applicable: certificate of deregistration (“Abmeldebescheinigung”) of your last residence in Germany
• Current passport or ID card
• Current Indian residence permit or Indian visa
• For minors: marriage certificate of parents, if applicable acknowledgement of paternity or other as proof of legal paternity; as well as passports and certificate of naturalization (if applicable) of parents

If your residence is still registered in Germany, you will have to pay a jurisdiction surcharge. Furthermore, the consular section needs to receive the approval of the competent passport authority in Germany before issuing the new passport. This might take one or two days of processing time additionally.

Depending on your individual case, more documents may be asked for by the competent consular section.

If you apply for a German passport or ID card for the first time, a verification of your documents might be required. For more information regarding the fees and the procedure, please read here.

You can obtain biometric passport photos for example at these photo studios:

Appointment booking

Kindly keep in mind the following guidelines before and while booking an appointment:
- You can apply for multiple documents in one appointment (e.g. passport and ID card)
- Due to security reasons mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets and cameras are not allowed in the waiting area of the German missions
- There is a security check before entering the premises of the consular section
- Please be on time for your appointment; delays may lead to the cancellation of the appointment

Should you be in an emergency situation (e.g. death case or serious illness in the family or upcoming business trip) and need a faster appointment, we kindly ask you to contact the consular section via the contact form. Please explain your situation in detail and keep proof of your individual emergency situation ready. We will try to get in touch with you as soon as possible.

You can check at which German mission you need to apply here.

Please note that the German mission may refuse your application on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction, should you attempt to apply at a location other than your habitual place of residence.

For appointment booking click on this link.

Please note that you need to book a separate appointment if you wish to apply for a German birth certificate or wish to give a name declaration.

Fees

Consular fees are fixed by law in EUROS. In the appointment you need to pay the fee in cash in Indian Rupees (INR) as per the current exchange rate of the respective German mission.

Payment in cash in Euros is not possible.

Once you have paid the fees, the consular section will give you a fee receipt at the counter.

In addition, there might be fees for lack of jurisdiction (up to 70,00 €) as well as other fees, e.g. for the verification of documents.

Processing times

Biometric passports and ID cards are printed centrally by the Federal Printing Office in Germany. The regular processing times including shipment will approximately take between six to eight weeks.

These processing times start when the consular section places the order for the passport or ID card at the Federal Printing Office in Germany. Should there be any delays (e.g. due to an incomplete application), the processing time extends accordingly. If a verification of your documents is part of the passport / ID card application, the processing time extends to another six to eight weeks.

By paying the express fee, the Federal Printing Office will print the passport and send it for dispatch in the shortest possible time. The processing time usually does not take more than four weeks. The express surcharge covers only the priority processing at the Federal Printing Office. However, it does not speed up the delivery of the document to the German mission abroad.

The information provided above regarding expected delivery times is not binding.

If you need to travel urgently, you can also apply for a temporary passport. This type of passport is valid for one year and is produced at the German mission itself. Please note, however, that no biometric data is stored in the temporary passport and therefore different entry requirements apply in some countries (e.g. the USA) than for biometric passports!

As soon as the requested identity document is ready for collection, you will receive a notification from the consular section. The rules for collecting documents vary depending on the German mission. Please clarify the rules with the relevant office.

Validity

Biometric passports and ID cards are valid as follows (starting from the date of application):
Persons aged 24 years and older: 10 years
Persons younger than 24 years: 6 years

What happens to your old identity document?

Usually, the old identity document will get cancelled at the time you receive your new identity document and the old, cancelled document will be returned to you. However, the rules for collection of documents vary depending on the German mission. Please clarify the rules with the relevant office.
You are not required to come in person for the pick-up of the new passport or identity document. With this power of attorney you can also send someone else to take care of the pick-up on your behalf.

I lost my passport. What now?

Please note that exiting India on the same day after losing your passport is not possible! We strongly recommend to wait with flight changes or new flight bookings until step number 4.

Additional information about the electronic German ID card

The German ID card containing a contactless electronic chip is a multi-function card the size of a credit card. The applicant’s photo is saved on the chip. This biometric data may only be read by official agencies (e.g. border officials, police).

The cardholder may also activate the electronic ID function and thus use the qualified electronic signature function.

Please read the information concerning the “online ID” before applying for your card. You can find it here.

The online ID function can be activated or deactivated at any time during your ID card’s validity in the identity card authority of the Embassy, the Consulate General, or any other identity card authority in Germany or mission abroad.

You must come in person if you wish to apply for changes to an existing ID card which require your PIN code to be entered. These include applications for a new PIN (including the replacement of the initial “transport PIN”), activating the online ID function and unlocking an ID card.

You can also reset/change your PIN on your own card reader at home, if you have one.

Your PIN

All applicants aged over 15 years and 9 months at the time of application will receive a letter from the Federal Printing Office in Germany containing their personal identification number (PIN), personal unlocking key (PUK) and the password to be used to lock or unlock the card. You will receive this letter even if you do not want to use the online ID function, and should keep it in a safe place.

If you are no longer registered in Germany and live in India, you can ask to have your PIN letter sent directly to your foreign address.

If you have not received a PIN letter, you are entitled to insist that a new ID card be issued.

Lost or stolen ID Cards

If your ID card was stolen or lost and the electronic online ID function is switched on, you will have to cancel this ID card immediately, so your identity cannot be misused on the internet.

To cancel your ID card, please call the following hotline (24 hours, can also be reached from abroad, fees apply):

Phone: 0049 180-1-33 33 33

You will need your name, date of birth and your cancellation password (Sperrkennwort) for the cancellation.

Additionally, please report the loss or theft of your ID card to the issueing authority.

Change of residence

You have moved to India, but your passport / ID card still mentions your old address in Germany? You can have the residence in your German identity document changed by the passport/ID card authority of the competent German mission in India.

Please bring the following documents in original as well as a simple copy to your appointment:

• Duly filled and signed application form
• If applicable: signed power of attorney, see hints below
• Current passport / ID card
• Proof of residence in the jurisdiction of the German mission (rental agreement, electricity bill, etc.)
• If applicable: certificate of deregistration (“Abmeldebescheinigung”) of your last residence in Germany
• Current Indian residence permit or Indian visa

Please note that the consular section might ask for additional documents depending on your individual case.

For the change of residence in your passport you may also give a power of attorney to someone. This way you do not need to be present at the appointment. Please find the form for the power of attorney here.

For the change of residence in your ID card, you will need to come to the appointment personally!

Once you have gathered all necessary documents, please book an appointment with the consular section of your current place of residence. Kindly note the relevant information under headline number 3.

The change of residence itself is free of charge.