Passport - apply for replacement due to loss

Have you lost your passport or has it been stolen? Then you are obliged to inform the relevant passport authority as soon as possible. You must also inform the passport authority if you find the document you thought you had lost. The same applies to temporary passports and children's passports.

You must apply for a new passport in person and bring the necessary documents with you. You need a passport, for example, if you

  • want to travel to a non-EU country or
  • You cannot fulfil your identification requirements by having a valid identity card.

In urgent cases, you can apply for a passport using the express procedure.

Tip: If you need a travel document until the new (express) passport is issued, you can apply for a temporary passport at the same time. The temporary passport is valid for a maximum of one year. You must return it when you receive your new passport.

The passport office will inform the police if your passport is lost. You can also report a theft directly to the police yourself.

Related forms and processes

Prerequisite

Loss of passport

Responsible department

The passport authorities in Baden-Württemberg are

  • the municipalities as local police authorities
  • the administrative communities,which perform or fulfil the tasks of the registration authority.

As a rule, the citizens' bureaux or citizens' offices there fulfil the tasks of a passport authority.

The passport authority in whose district you are registered with your home, or your main residence if you have more than one home, is responsible for you.

Important:

Your application for a passport must also be processed by a passport authority in your home country that is not locally responsible if you can provide an important reason. A passport may only be issued with the authorisation of the locally competent passport authority.

Procedure

You can report the loss informally in writing or in person to the passport authority at your place of residence or to the police.

On request, the passport authority will issue you with a certificate of loss and immediately inform the police of the loss or theft of the document so that it can be stored in the INPOL search system and the Schengen Information System (SIS).

If the issuing passport authority does not accept the loss report, the issuing passport authority will also be informed of the loss.

If you wish to apply for a new passport at the same time, you must do so in person and bring the necessary documents with you.

When you apply, your fingerprints will be taken, one flat print of the left and one of the right index finger.

Please note: If an index finger is missing, the quality of the fingerprint is insufficient or the fingertip is damaged, another fingerprint will be taken instead. Fingerprints are only not taken if this is impossible for medical, permanent reasons.

The passport is produced centrally by the Bundesdruckerei in Berlin.

Depending on the municipality, you will be notified as soon as you can collect your passport. You can also authorise someone in writing to collect your passport. The notification information from the passport authority usually also contains a form for the authorisation to collect the passport. The authorised person must present the power of attorney and their own ID when collecting the passport.

If you report the recovery of your passport, the passport authority will inform the police so that it can be deleted from the INPOL search system and the Schengen Information System (SIS).

Deadlines

  • Notification of loss: immediately after becoming aware of the loss
  • New passport application: as required or as soon as possible if you do not fulfil the identification requirement with an identity card

Required documents

If you wish to apply for a new document as part of the loss report, you will need certain documents. Details can be found in the service description "Applying for a passport for the first time or after expiry". If you apply for a new document at a later date, the certificate of loss is also required.

Costs

The following fees apply when a new passport is issued:

If you are under 24 years old, the fee is

  • for a passport: EUR 37.50
  • for a passport using the express procedure (surcharge: EUR 32.00) : EUR 69.50

From the age of 24 the fee is

  • for a passport: EUR 70.00
  • for a passport using the express procedure (surcharge: EUR 32.00) : EUR 102.00

The passport has 32 pages. You can also apply for a passport with 48 pages. In this case, you will have to pay a surcharge of EUR 22.

The fee (without surcharges) is doubled if

  • the passport must be issued outside official office hours or
  • the application is not submitted to the local passport authority (municipality of the main residence).

If you apply for a passport at a German embassy or consular mission, for example if you lose your passport, you will have to pay a further surcharge of 31.00 euros.

Processing time

The certificate of loss is usually issued immediately.

Miscellaneous

If you find your passport again, it can only be used once the passport authority has been notified that it has been found.

Please note: Germany cannot influence whether and how other countries set up their national police information systems or whether and how often they are updated. Therefore, in individual cases, foreign authorities may not recognise your recovered passport for use abroad or may even confiscate it. To avoid inconvenience, for example when you are on holiday, it is advisable to apply for a new document at your local citizens' office if your passport is lost or stolen.

Appeal

To apply for a new passport:

  • Objection
  • Action for annulment
  • Compulsory action

Legal basis

Passgesetz (PassG)

  • § 15 Pflichten des Passinhabers

Release note

machine generated, based on the German release by: Innenministerium Baden-Württemberg, 17.07.2024