Identity card - apply for issue due to name change on divorce

Related forms and processes

Prerequisite

You changed your name after the divorce.

Responsible department

The identity card 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' offices or the citizens' offices fulfil the tasks of an identity card authority.

The identity card 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.

Please note

Your application for an identity card must also be processed by an identity card authority that does not have local jurisdiction if you can provide an important reason. An identity card may only be issued with the authorisation of the locally competent identity card authority. This also applies to German nationals residing abroad.

Procedure

• You must submit the application in person at the identity card office.
• You must provide a formally valid signature and complete the declaration of German citizenship.
• When applying, you can have the photo taken on site - depending on the facilities at the authority - or you can have the photo taken in advance by a certified service provider (e.g. photographer or photo service at dm drugstores). The service provider will send you a printout of a data matrix code (similar to a QR code), which the authority can use to retrieve your photo from the cloud.
• Since 2 August 2021, fingerprinting has been mandatory for people aged 6 and over. They are stored on the ID chip. If an index finger is missing, the quality of the fingerprint is insufficient or the fingertip is damaged, another fingerprint is taken as a substitute. Fingerprints are only not taken if this is impossible for medical, permanent reasons.
• Since 17 February 2025, you will receivea PIN letter when you apply for your ID card- regardless of your age. This contains asecret number(five-digit one-time PIN)and an unlock number (PUK)for using the online ID card function.You can use the online ID card from the age of 16 as soon as you have set your own six-digit PIN.When the new ID card is issued, you will receive a letter with the blocking password so that you can block the online ID card if necessary (for example, if you lose the document).
• The ID card is produced centrally by Bundesdruckerei in Berlin.
• You can collect the finished ID card from the authority in due course.Depending on the municipality, you will be notified as soon as you can collect your ID card. The notification information from the ID card authority usually also contains a form for authorisation to collect your ID card. This allows you to collect your ID card yourself or have it collected by an authorised person. The authorised person must identify themselves to the ID card authority beforehand and present the authorisation to collect.
• You must hand in your old ID card when you receive the new document. If you wish, you can take your old ID card back with you as a souvenir.
• From 1 May 2025, you can also select the "direct delivery" option in the application process, which is subject to a charge, and receive the document delivered to your home address where it can be delivered.You must be at least 16 years old and submit the ID card application within Germany to the authority at your place of residence. In addition, you must personally identify yourself to thepostal delivery service at the door of your home with a valid German ID document (in this case: passport) and have your old ID card cancelled when you apply for the new ID card.Residents of Büsingen (Hochrhein) and Helgoland cannot use the direct delivery service.

Deadlines

Application:

as soon as possible after the name change

Period of validity:

The period of validity of the new identity card depends on your age:

• under 24 years: ID card is valid for six years.
• from the age of 24: ID card is valid for ten years.

It is not possible to extend the period of validity of the ID card.

Required documents

• old identity card
• Certificate of change of name, certified printout from the marriage register with current name or certified printout from the birth register with current name
• a current biometric photograph

Notes:

• The biometric photographs must comply with the relevant formal requirements. Assistance is provided by theSample photo table for identity documents.
• From 1 May 2025, only digital photographs will be accepted for ID card applications. Depending on the equipment at the authority, you can take the photo when applying on site or you can have the photo taken in advanceby a certified service provider (e.g. photographer or photo service at dm drugstores).The photo is then stored by the service provider in a secure cloud. You will receive a printout of a data matrix code (similar to a QR code), which the authority canuse to retrieveyour photo from the cloud .During the transition period, a paper-based photo may also be accepted in exceptional cases and under certain conditions.Please contact your authority in advance to find out about the options available there!

Costs

• applicants aged 24 and over:
  • from 1 January 2021: EUR 37.00
• applicants under the age of 24: EUR 22.80
• for photo production at the authority when using Bundesdruckerei's photo technology: EUR 6.00
• for the optional direct dispatch: EUR 15.00
• are free of charge:
  • first-time activation from the age of 16
  • Blocking the online ID function in the event of loss
  • Changing the transport PIN to a personal PIN
  • Changing the address in the electronic storage and processing medium
  • subsequent activation of the online ID function
  • Changing the PIN at the Citizens' Registration Office (e.g. forgotten PIN)
  • Unblocking the online ID function
• Costs for an electronic signature certificate: determined by the respective provider

Please note:

• For some of these services, a surcharge of EUR 13 is levied for processing outside office hours.
• You can also submit the application to an identity card authority that is not locally competent. This authority must process your application if you provide important reasons. This authority may also charge a surcharge of EUR 13 for processing, or EUR 30 for German nationals living abroad.
• A different fee may be charged if the photo capture technology of a manufacturer other than Bundesdruckerei is used at the authority.

Processing time

about three to six weeks

Miscellaneous

• You must hand in your old ID card or have it cancelled at the latest when you receive your new ID card.
• If entries in the ID card have become incorrect, you must present the ID card to the relevant office. If you move house or move abroad, your address will be changed (change of address on the ID card).
• You are obliged to report the loss of your identity card to the identity card authority immediately. If you use the electronic proof of identity or the signature function, you must have these functions blocked immediately. You can find details on this in the text"ID card - applying for issue due to loss".

Appeal

• Opposition
• Action

Legal basis

Personalausweisgesetz (PAuswG):

• § 1 Ausweispflicht; Ausweisrecht
• § 6Gültigkeitsdauer des Ausweises; vorzeitige Beantragung; räumliche Beschränkungen
• § 27Pflichten des Ausweisinhabers

Verordnung über Gebühren für Personalausweise und eID-Karten für Unionsbürger und Angehörige des Europäischen Wirtschaftsraums (Personalasuweis- und eID-Karten-Gebührenverordnung-PAuswGebV):

• § 1 Gebühren für Ausweise

Release note

Machine generated, based on the German release by: Innenministerium Baden-Württemberg, 02.05.2025