Apply for a new passport due to name change

Your name has changed and you are planning a trip to a country outside the EU? Then you need to apply for a new passport.

If your name, for example

• family name,
• first names or
• their order

has changed, your previous passport with the old, no longer applicable details is automatically invalid. If you still need a passport, you must apply for a new document.

Name changes occur, for example, in the event of

• Marriage
• Registration of a civil partnership
• Change of name after divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership
• Change in the order of first names

You are obliged to present your previous passport with the old, no longer applicable details to the passport authority without delay. If you do not wish to apply for a new passport, you will at least need a valid identity card with the new name.

As a rule, you can apply for your new passport with the new name after registering the marriage with a certificate from the registry office. This can be done at the earliest 8 weeks before the planned date of the marriage. This way it will be ready on the day of the marriage.

Passport authority of the municipal or city administration

• Biometric digital passport photo: taken on site at the authority or by a registered domestic photo service provider (photographer)
• upon marriage: marriage certificate
• after divorce: certified copy of the change of name or civil status certificate
• Registration of a civil partnership: civil status certificate
• Dissolution of a civil partnership: certified copy of the change of name or civil status certificate
• If applicable, other civil status documents, e.g. marriage or birth certificate

• Your name has changed.
• You must not have any reasons for refusal, such as
  • Failure to fulfill a statutory maintenance obligation
  • Endangering the internal or external security of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • Assumption that you wish to avoid prosecution, execution of a sentence or a statutory maintenance obligation by leaving the country

You must apply for a passport in person:

• Make an appointment at your local citizens' office. The authority in which your main residence is located is responsible.
  • For important reasons, you can also apply for the document in another municipality or at a German diplomatic mission abroad.
• Bring all the necessary documents with you to the agreed appointment.
• The official staff will fill out the application with you on site. All you have to do is sign it.
• The submission of fingerprints for storage in the document is legally required for the application
  • A flat print is usually taken of the left and right index finger.
  • Children under the age of 6 do not have to give a fingerprint.
• If you have already applied for a passport before the wedding: After the marriage, you can collect your passport by presenting your marriage certificate.
• You will receive information from your Citizens' Registration Office as to when you can collect your passport.
• You can arrange a collection date online, by e-mail or by telephone at many citizens' offices. Alternatively, in many cases you can have the ID document sent to your home address by post and handed over in person at the front door.
• You can authorize another person of legal age in writing to collect the document from the authorities.

If you need a passport, for example because you do not have an identity card, you must apply for a new passport immediately.

A fee reduction or exemption is possible under certain conditions.

Reissue of the passport with 32 pages for persons aged 24 and over: Fee 70,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Reissue of the passport with 48 pages for persons aged 24 and over: Fee 92,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Reissue of the passport with 32 pages for persons under 24 years of age: Fee 37,50 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Reissue of the passport with 48 pages for persons under 24 years of age: Fee 59,50 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

New passport issued using the express procedure with 32 pages for persons aged 24 and over: Fee 102,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

New passport issued using the express procedure with 48 pages for persons aged 24 and over: Fee 124,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Re-issue of the passport using the express procedure with 32 pages for persons under 24 years of age: Fee 69,50 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Re-issue of the passport using the express procedure with 48 pages for persons under 24 years of age: Fee 91,50 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Issue of a temporary passport: Fee 26,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Changing a passport or temporary passport: Fee 6,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Surcharge when applying for a passport at a German diplomatic mission abroad: Fee 31,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Surcharge when applying for a temporary passport at a German diplomatic mission abroad: Fee 44,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Gebühr für Passfoto, wenn es durch die Behörde erstellt wird: Fee 6,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

Gebühr bei Versand an Ihre Wohnadresse: Fee 15,00 EUR (The amount is to be paid in advance) (Information on cost composition can be found here)

• Is the regular processing time too long for your travel plans? Then your passport office can issue your passport using the express procedure. You will then receive your passport within 3 to 4 working days.
• A temporary passport will only be issued to you if you are unable to receive your passport in time before your planned departure date, even using the express procedure, and the destination country accepts a temporary passport as an entry document. You will receive this immediately when you apply, so you do not have to wait for it.
• You may keep an old passport that has become invalid, for example as a souvenir. To do this, the passport authority must invalidate the passport.