General information

Applications for passports and ID cards can be submitted at the Embassy in New Delhi as well as at the Consulate Generals in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. Please apply at the German mission responsible for your area of residence.

Please make sure to book an appointment for the application and collection of passports and ID cards. Walk-ins are not allowed at any German mission in India.

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 in the same appointment (e.g. passport and ID card for the same person).

The collection of passports and ID cards is handled differently by each German mission. 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 along with the minor. As an exception, an absent custodian may sign the consent letter as per this form.

Please note: Adolescents above 16 years of age can apply for their ID card without the consent of their custodians.

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

Necessary documents

Kindly bring the following documents either in original or in attested copy to your appointment:
- Duly filled and signed application form
o For adults
o For minors
- 2 biometric passport photos (3,5 cm x 4,5 cm, not older than 6 months)
- 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 and/or ID card
- Current Indian residence permit or Indian visa
- For minors: marriage certificate of the parents, if applicable acknowledgement of paternity as proof of parentage as well as passports and if applicable certificate of naturalization of the parents

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

Please note that the consular section might ask for additional documents depending on your individual case.
If you are applying for a German passport or ID card for the first time, a verification of your Indian documents might be needed. For more information regarding the fees and the procedure, please read here (LINK to new English article on verifications).

You can obtain biometric passport photos, among others, at these photo studios:

New Delhi
Reflections Digital Photoshop
Shop No. 25, NDMC Market, Malcha Marg
New Delhi 110021
Tel: 0091-11-9910272944,
0091-11-99 68 00 85 87

Bangalore
All locations of GK Vale Photo Studios

Chennai
DINA COLOURLAB
53/1 CP Ramaswamy Road
Abhiramapuram
Chennai 600 018
Tel.: 0120-2499 7239
VFS: Tel. 0120-664 1070

Mumbai
Atlanta Photo Shop
Atlanta Bldg., Shop No. 7, Ground Floor, Nariman Point
Mumbai - 400 021
Tel.: (022) 2204 2762, 2287 2587, 4002 0130
Fax: (022) 3022 8484
Email: atlantaphotoshop@yahoo.in

Kolkata
Shree Vision Studio Digital Photo Centre
B.K. Market, 16B, Shakespeare Sarani, Entrance Pretoria Street
Kolkata - 700 071
Tel.: (033) 2282-4796 / 7595 874 347
Email: shreevisionstudio71@gmail.com

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, you can 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 for a name declaration or an application for the registration of a foreign birth.

Fees

Consular fees are fixed by law in EUROS. At 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.
A 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 shipping are estimated between six to eight weeks.
These processing times start after the completion of the process at the consular section. Should there be any delays (e.g. because of an incomplete application), the processing times extend accordingly. If a verification of your documents is part of the passport/ ID card application, the processing times extend for another six to eight weeks.

With the express service, the Federal Printing Office prints the passport and sends it for dispatch in a shorter time. The processing time usually does not take more than four weeks. The express surcharge covers only the accelerated priority processing at the Federal Printing Office. Paying the express surcharge does not speed up the delivery of the document to the German mission abroad.

Any information we provide regarding expected delivery times is non-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 contact the competent mission directly to understand the procedure.

Validity

Biometric passports and ID cards are valid as follows (starting from the date of application):
Persons aged 24 and older: 10 years
Persons younger than 24: 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 collecting documents vary depending on the German mission. Please contact the competent mission directly to understand the procedure.

For collection of passports or ID cards, it is usually not necessary that you come to the German mission in person. You may give another person of your choice a Power of Attorney for this purpose.

I lost my passport. What next?

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-functional 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 at the passport/identity card office at the Embassy, the Consulate General, or any other identity card authority.

You must come in person if you are applying 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 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 address in India.
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 phoned from abroad, fees apply): Phone: 0049 180-1-33 33 33

To cancel you will need your name, date of birth and your cancellation password (Sperrkennwort).

Please additionally report your ID card lost or stolen to the issueing authority.

Change of residence

You have moved to India, but your passport/ ID card still mentions your old address in Germany? Then, you can have your address changed in your German identity document by following this procedure.
Please bring the following documents in original as well as a simple (not necessarily attested) copy to your appointment:
- Duly filled and signed application form https://india.diplo.de/in-de/2674590-2674590
- 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 another person. Then, you do not need to be present at the appointment. Please find the template 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 3 – Appointment booking.

The change of address itself is free of charge.