![[Logo Auswärtiges Amt]](/images/logo.gif){kind=logo}
Passport
Important information: The following webpages contain only the most important information about German passports and are meant for the very few German citizens who do not speak German. Please check the German version of this webpage for complete information about German passports.
The German foreign missions in the United States issue passports to German citizens residing there ("European passports"). For children under the age of 12 with German citizenship, a child’s passport may also be issued instead of a regular passport.
A new passport law has been in effect since Nov. 1, 2007. Under this new law, fingerprints also must be stored on a chip contained in German passports. This affects all passport applicants six years and older.
It is therefore absolutely necessary that you personally go to the foreign mission responsible for your consular district to apply for the passport. Passport applications received by mail can no longer be processed
Please keep in mind that you must thoroughly complete the application form, submit the proper passport photos, and include all the necessary documents. You will thus avoid unnecessary callback and help yourself and us to keep the processing time to a minimum.
In certain cases, e.g. when you wish to include a name change in your passport, when the name of your child has yet to be determined for the German legal sphere, or when your last passport has long expired, it may be necessary under the circumstances to present further documentation. In such cases, we will, of course, inform you accordingly. In the vast majority of cases, however, the cited documents will be sufficient.
