Travel documents for children; application

CHANGE AS OF 01.05.2026

From 1 May 2026, people under the age of 16 will no longer receive a PIN letter when applying for an identity card, as they will not have reached the age of 16 by the time the document expires.

CHANGE AS OF 01.05.2025

In accordance with the Act on Strengthening Security in Passport, ID and Foreigners' Documents of 3 December 2020, only digital photographs have been used for applications for official documents since 1 May 2025 in order to prevent manipulated photographs from being introduced into the application process. Since 1 May 2025, the photograph can still be taken by the photographer, who must upload the photograph to a secure cloud. You will receive a printout of a data matrix code (similar to a QR code), which the authority can use to find and download your photograph in the cloud. Alternatively, the passport/ID card authority can offer to take photos electronically on site at the authority and transfer them to the application process without media discontinuity. Please contact the authorities to find out whether they have devices for taking photographs.

The direct delivery service introduced on 2 May 2025 is not available for children’s travel documents.

CHANGE AS OF 01.01.2024

The Children's Passport was abolished on 01.01.2024 with the Act on the Modernisation of the Passport, ID and Alien Law Document System, which was published on 12.10.2023. Since 1 January 2024, no new children's passports can be issued, extended or updated.

The validity of already issued children's passports remains unaffected.

It has no longer been possible to enter the child in the parents' passport since 1 November 2007. Previous child entries have been invalid since 26 June 2012 due to a European regulation. In this respect, children (from birth) need their own travel document to cross the border ("one person - one passport").

For your child who holds German nationality, you can continue to apply for passports valid for several years or identity cards (which serve as electronic proof of identity for those aged 16 and over), regardless of their age. Both are valid for six years for persons under the age of 24. National identity cards are recognised as travel documents within the EU and are sufficient for both adults and children. The passport allows visa-free travel for tourism purposes to over 170 countries worldwide and ranks among the top in international comparisons.

It is advisable to base the choice of ID document for children on their use or travel behaviour, as ID is only compulsory from the age of 16.

Since an identity document is invalid if it does not allow a proper identification, we recommend that you pay particular attention to the up-to-dateness of the photograph to prevent problems when crossing the border, as the appearance of babies and very young children in particular can change considerably during the period of validity.

Since 2 August 2021, the names of all custodial persons can be entered in the passport (or temporary passport) of minors upon joint application by both parents if the surname of the minor differs from the surname of at least one custodial person. This simplifies checks when travelling across borders. However, in the case of parents travelling alone with a child, this entry does not replace the written consent of the second person with custody, which may be required during the journey.

Responsibility

The municipality in which you or the child are registered for your/their residence, or for your/their main residence if there is more than one residence, is responsible for issuing an identity card or passport.

For children born abroad, the competent diplomatic mission abroad for the place of birth is generally responsible for issuing a German identity document for the first time, regardless of whether the child's habitual residence has been transferred to Germany.