Emergency travel document for foreigners; application

If you are a foreign national and discover shortly before you leave Germany that your travel documents have expired, you can apply for an emergency travel document under certain conditions.

Apply for replacement documents on the website of the Federal Police
To speed up the process of obtaining the required passport replacement document, you can use the online application to send your personal details and the relevant travel data electronically to the relevant border authority, which will contact you quickly. They will also inform you of the arrangements for collection.

For contact details of the responsible authoritiy and local valid information select under "Select location" a location.

The emergency travel document is issued by the border authorities. Border authorities are the Federal Police and other state and federal authorities responsible for the police control of cross-border traffic.

As a foreign national, you can apply for an emergency travel document, known as an emergency travel document, in the event of an acute emergency to leave the country.
Acute emergencies exist if undue hardship is to be avoided or if there is a particular public interest.
You can use the emergency travel document to leave Germany and then re-enter the country. It is generally only valid for the duration of the respective trip, but for a maximum of one month. The emergency travel document is not a full replacement for a passport. It is only issued to you if you do not have time to go to the passport office before you travel.
You can only enter another country with an emergency travel document if the country recognizes your document as a travel document. The other country is under no obligation to recognize your emergency travel document. There is also the possibility that airlines may refuse to carry passengers with this travel document.
You have no legal right to be issued with an emergency travel document.

For example, you may be refused if:

you wish to travel to a country that does not recognize the emergency travel document or
the passport authority can issue you with a temporary identity card or passport on request.

Note: In the following countries, it is not the Federal Police but a state or federal authority that is responsible for carrying out police checks on cross-border traffic:

in the Free State of Bavaria at the airports of Nuremberg and Memmingen as well as the airfields that are authorized as border crossing points, the Bavarian Border Police is responsible,
in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg at the port, the Hamburg Water Police is responsible,
in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein in various ports and in Baden-Württemberg at Friedrichshafen Airport, the customs administration is responsible.

You can apply for an emergency travel document in person at the border authority, such as the Federal Police at the airport. You can also send the application to the border authority digitally in advance to speed up the process. You must still appear in person at the border authority before starting your journey.

Applications for emergency travel documents can be made by

Nationals of a member state of the European Union (EU), the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland and their family members entitled to freedom of movement,
nationals of a country listed in Annex II to the EU Visa Regulation,
third-country nationals who are entitled to return to the above-mentioned countries, i.e. holders of a residence permit (category C Schengen visas are excluded) or a long-stay visa for residence in Germany,
civilian ship personnel of a ship operating in maritime or coastal navigation or in Rhine navigation for shore leave or
civilian flight personnel for a stay on the airport premises, in the airport community or for a transfer to another airport in order to take off from there.

Further requirements:

You can prove your identity and belong to the group of persons entitled to apply.
The issuing of a regular passport or passport replacement by your own diplomatic mission abroad or the foreigners authority is no longer possible or cannot be expected in good time before the start of the journey.
No interests of the Federal Republic of Germany are affected.
There are no security concerns.
The purpose pursued by a possible wanted notice is not impaired.
The destination state recognizes the emergency travel document as a border crossing document.
In the case of minors, the consent of all legal representatives must be obtained.

Notes:
For children, the emergency travel document can be applied for by the legal guardian or an authorized person. Independent application is only possible from the age of 18. If both parents are not traveling with the child, both custodial parents must consent to the trip. The situation is special for parents who are permanently separated and have joint custody: only the parent with whom the child usually resides may apply for the passport. The parents must provide credible evidence of permanent separation. This also applies if one of the parents with custody is permanently absent, for example if they have moved away unknown.

Required document/s
For the application and collection you need:
- Proof of your identity and nationality by means of:
  - expired passport or temporary passport or
  - expired identity card or temporary identity card
- when applying for a child:
  - expired children's passport or
  - Birth certificate (only if applying for a child)
- Proof of entitlement to long-term residence
  - German residence permit in check card format or
  - Residence permit of another Schengen state in check card format
- Current, biometric photo
Note: If this is not available, a photo will be taken at the authorities. You will not incur any costs for this.

You can apply for the emergency travel document in person or online at the border authority, for example at the airport with the Federal Police.

Personal application

You go to the border authority and ask for an application form, which you fill in and sign.
An identity check will be carried out on site. To do this, you must prove your identity and nationality or that of the person for whom you are applying for a travel document as a passport replacement.
You must present a current biometric photo or have one taken on site at the authority.
You must pay the processing fee in cash on the spot.
The emergency travel document will then be issued to you.

Digital application

You can also submit the application online and send it to the border authorities for processing to speed up the procedure.
To do this, complete the application in the federal portal and send it off.
After submitting the application digitally, you can contact the relevant border authority.
Before starting your journey, you must appear in person at the border authority to:
- sign the application,
- carry out an identity check,
- present a current biometric photo or have it taken by the authority and
- pay the processing fee.
The emergency travel document will then be issued to you.

Issue of an emergency travel document for adults: EUR 43.00
Issue of an emergency travel document for minors: EUR 34.00

Note: Please note that the fee for the emergency travel document will not be refunded if:

you withdraw your application,
after processing has begun,
you are refused the emergency travel document or
the transport company refuses to carry you despite having issued you with an emergency travel document.