Child passport

When crossing a foreign border, it is mandatory for children from birth to carry an independent, valid travel document. Depending on age and destination this is: Children's passport (possible until the age of 12), passport or identity card.

Some countries do not recognize the children's passport or only to a limited extent. Please inform yourself in good time before departure at the respective foreign representation of your destination about the specific entry regulations and required identification and passport documents.

Information on this can be found, among other things, in the travel and security information of the German Foreign Office.

    • Personal presence of the child is required for applications from the age of 10 due to signature and identity check.
    • When submitting an application, the presence of only one parent is sufficient if all the required documents are available.

    Deadlines / Duration

    • Since 01.01.2021, the validity period for new issuance, extension or updating is only 1 year, maximum until the child reaches the age of 12.
    • Renewal and/or updating (attachment of a new photo and change of body size and eye color, if applicable) is only possible within the period of validity; thereafter, a new child passport must be issued
    • Issue period: will be issued immediately upon presentation of all required documents

    Required documents

    • Birth certificate
    • old passport or children's passport (if available)
    • 1 current biometric photo (not older than 1 year) You can take a digital photo in the waiting room of the Bürgeramt at our Self-Service Terminal (SST). There is no printout on photo paper, the fee is 9.00 Euro (Note: The SST is rather unsuitable for babies and small children).
    • Signed declaration of consent of the legal guardian
  • The issuance/renewal of a child passport requires the written declaration of consent of both parents, provided they are jointly entitled to parental care.

    Otherwise, the legally binding divorce decree or custody order, the appointment of the guardianship court or the joint custody declaration certified by the Youth Welfare Office or the confirmation of the non-issuance of a joint custody declaration (negative certificate) must be submitted. If the consent of the legal guardian(s) is granted, the passport authority must verify the authenticity of the signature(s). Identity cards or passports of the custodial parent(s) must therefore be presented.

    • 13,00 Euro for new issue
    • 6,00 Euro for renewal / update

    Method of payment: cash or EC card with PIN

    The fee is to be paid at the time of application.

  • Loss:

    As your child's legal representative, you are required by law to immediately report the loss or theft of the child's passport to your local identification authority or the police. The same applies if the document reported as lost has been recovered. The police will advertise the lost document in the INPOL property search in order to counteract any possible misuse of the child passport. Of course, this also applies abroad. When doing so, have the foreign police station provide you with a written confirmation of your lost or stolen document. After your return, please present this written confirmation to your responsible identification authority.

    If the loss of the children's passport has already been reported to a German police station, please bring the copy of the loss report from the police with you when applying for a new children's passport.

    Please note: It is an administrative offense for a legal representative not to report the loss of a child's passport or not to report it in time . The misdemeanor may be punishable by a warning fine or fine.

    Recovery: If the child's passport that was reported lost or stolen is recovered and comes into your possession, you as the parent or guardian are also legally obligated here to immediately report the recovery to the responsible identification authority in order to avoid problems with future foreign travel, among other things. The reason for this is that all ID and passport documents reported as lost or stolen are listed in the police's INPOL property tracing system both nationally and internationally. Only when you have officially reported the child's passport as "found" will a corresponding entry be deleted from the police. Therefore, you should immediately go in person to the relevant identification authority and present the recovered children's passport. The identification authority will then delete the passport entry in the INPOL property tracing system in cooperation with the police.

    Please note: Germany cannot influence whether and how other countries set up their national police information systems or whether and how frequently these are updated. Therefore, in individual cases, foreign authorities may not recognize the recovered child passport for use abroad or may even confiscate it. If you want to avoid such potential inconveniences during your vacation abroad, it is advisable to apply for a new document at your local citizens' registration office if your child's passport is lost or stolen and to refrain from using the child's passport after it has been recovered.