The government of Germany has adopted amendments to the passport and identity card administration regulations to simplify and digitize these procedures. The amending regulation must now be approved by the Federal Council.
The regulations implement the following facilitations:
- For persons immediately after naturalization, the application for German passports and identity cards will be simplified;
- Effective from the end of April 2025, the obligation to submit a paper-based passport photo will no longer apply. For this purpose, the government has created detailed regulations for the establishment of self-service stations at government offices for media-free digital recording of biometric information (photo, fingerprints, signature);
- The possibility of direct postal delivery of passports and identity cards to the domestic registration address of the applicant will be introduced from May 2025;
- On request, applicants will be able to store an email address, for example in order to receive a reminder for a renewal application in good time before the expiry of the respective identity document;
- The issuance of digitally generated change stickers will be simplified by eliminating the obligation of an official signature and date.
Erickson Insights and Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.