Passport issue new due to name change in case of divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership

If your surname has changed (e.g. due to marriage or divorce), your previous passport with the previous name has an incorrect entry and has therefore become invalid.

If your surname has changed (e.g. due to marriage or divorce), your previous passport with the previous name has an incorrect entry and has therefore become invalid. You are obliged to present the invalid passport immediately to the passport authority, which will then usually be confiscated. If you still need a passport, you will need to apply for a new document.

The passport authority (mayor) of your place of residence is responsible for issuing a new passport.

Please contact the citizens' office of your place of residence, which performs the tasks of the passport authority.

You can find out which documents you need to apply for a new passport, e.g. on the website of your citizens' office.

• A passport is only issued upon application, which you must provide personally.
• In addition to the photograph, fingerprints are also stored on the electronic chip in the passport. Therefore, fingerprints in the form of the flat imprint of the left and right index fingers will be taken from you when applying.

Note: In the absence of an index finger, insufficient quality of the fingerprint or injuries to the fingertip, the flat impression of either the thumb, the middle finger or the ring finger will be taken instead. Fingerprints shall not be taken only if removal is impossible for medical reasons which are not merely temporary.

• You can be represented at the pick-up. The representative must present a power of attorney from you and identify himself with his identity document (usually identity card or passport).
• You may keep an old, invalid passport, for example for souvenir purposes. For this purpose, the passport authority must indicate the invalidity of the passport by stamping or perforation.

You are obliged to present the invalid passport immediately to the passport authority.

It usually takes at least two weeks from the date of application before you can pick up your passport at the Bürgeramt. If you need your passport faster, you can also apply for it in the express procedure: If the express application is received by the passport producer by 12:00 noon, your passport is usually ready for collection at the Bürgeramt on the following third working day (Mon-Fri counts, excluding holidays). There is a surcharge for this service.

€37.50 for people under the age of 24; 60,00€ for persons who have reached the age of 24. The fee shall be doubled if the official act is performed at the initiative of the applicant outside working hours or with a non-competent authority.

Fiancées can apply for their new passport or identity card after registering the marriage with a certificate from the registry office, so that it is ready on the day of the marriage. After the marriage, the passport can be collected upon presentation of the marriage certificate.