Gültigkeitsgebiet: Bundesweit
Here you will find information on your rights and obligations when traveling abroad, as well as necessary travel documents for minors and the loss or expiration of travel documents.
Travel documents for trips abroad
The duty, in the event of a border crossing a valid passport or identity card to carry with oneself, continues to exist both for travel within the European Union and to third countries. Anyone who does not carry a valid travel document commits an administrative offense. The fine is at least EUR 5.00 and at most EUR 1000. For third-country nationals and persons entitled to freedom of movement, the fine is EUR 3000 (cf. Section 98 (5) in conjunction with (3) No. 3 of the Residence Act (AufenthG) or Section 10 (3) in conjunction with (4) of the Freedom of Movement Act/EU (FreizügG/EU)).
Within the European Union, citizens with the nationality of an EU member state can also solely with their valid national identity card travel freely and use this as a travel document. Regarding the necessary documents (passport and visa) for Travel of third-country nationals within the European Union please consult the pages of the European Commission (Your Europe Portal).
When traveling outside of the European Union is mostly a Passport necessary. It should be noted that some destination countries have specific requirements regarding the minimum validity of the passport. There are various regulations here. In some countries, the passport must be valid for at least 3 months, in others for 6 months.
Travel documents with multiple nationalities
For visa-free travel within the European Union, Union citizens and citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland who are in possession of multiple nationalities are, during a trip, to carry a passport or identity card of the State issued by the Member State of the European Union of which he or she is a national, and to present it upon checks. The passport of a non-EU state is not sufficient then.The same applies accordingly to entry into or exit from third countries. When traveling between the European Union on the one hand and a non-EU state on the other, it can therefore happen that travelers must take two passports or identity documents with them: on the one hand, a passport of the EU state and, on the other hand, a passport of the destination state.
Travel documents for minors
To facilitate travel, unaccompanied minors entering or leaving Germany should—although not legally required—in addition to their own valid travel document (passport or identity card), carry a document signed by their legal guardians Consent form carry with oneself. This should ideally be issued in the languages of the home country and the destination country.
The consent form should contain the following information:
To facilitate the issuance of an emergency travel document abroad in the event of the loss of passports or identification papers, care should be taken before starting the journey that Photocopies the travel documents used for the trip (and later lost) are carried by the unaccompanied minor.
For minors traveling alone or accompanied by only one parent, it is advisable to obtain from the non-traveling legal guardians a Power of attorney to have it issued with the contact details of the person or persons with custody. This can prevent delays at border controls, such as lengthy investigations, and help manage exceptional situations. This enables control officers to contact the non-accompanying custodian in case of doubt.
The implementation of border controls regarding minors is governed by the Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code). Pursuant to Article 20(1)(f) in conjunction with Annex VII thereof, minors are thereby special Attention dedicated. This is intended to prevent these persons from being unlawfully removed from those with custody or leaving the territory against the will of the person or persons with custody. In addition, for certain exceptional situations, such as in the event of illness during travel, it may also be prudent as a precaution to carry a power of attorney from the non-traveling parent or guardian who also holds custody rights. In this way, for example, decision-making authority for initiating necessary medical treatments for the traveling child can be demonstrated to an attending physician.
Validity of travel documents for minors
If you want to apply for a document for your child that is valid for several years, you can Identity card or a Passport apply for. With an identity card, your child can easily travel across borders within the EU. Identity cards for children are valid for a maximum of 6 years. If you are planning an international trip beyond the EU, you should obtain a for your child. Passport apply. Children's passports are valid for a maximum of 6 years.
Please noteThe facial image, especially of infants and toddlers, can change so much within six years that identification with the original identity document is sometimes no longer possible well before the printed expiration date is reached, and therefore the identity document becomes prematurely invalid. In this case, please apply for a new identity card or passport for your child in good time before starting your trip.
If you needed an identity document for your child for a trip, there was until recently an identity card, passport or Child's passport – however, the latter became a abolished on January 1, 2024. Therefore, it can no longer be reissued, extended, or updated. Child passports that have already been issued can continue to be used until the end of their validity..
The validity period of children's passports is a maximum of 12 months. This limited period of validity applies to all standard identification documents without a chip issued by EU member states to their citizens. Documents with a lower level of protection must not be valid for more than twelve months. In contrast, regular passports have a longer validity period and feature numerous security elements as well as an integrated chip.
The acceptance of children's passports, especially those with extended validity, varies by country worldwide and in some cases within the EU. The recognition of German children's passports by other states cannot be influenced by Germany. Some countries require that the identification document has a certain remaining validity upon entry, usually three to six months. This further significantly restricts the usability of children's passports. For travel within the EU, an identity card is sufficient. For destinations beyond the EU, a passport is generally required.
Lost passport or identity card
At Loss of passports or identity documents in another EU country affected citizens turn with a police certificate about the loss of documents at their embassies and general consulates and apply for an emergency travel document as replacement passport. Since authorities in Germany are not available for necessary inquiries on weekends and public holidays, you must expect that issuance will only be possible on the next working day.
EU citizens can contact the Loss of passports in a third country (non-Schengen states) in which there is no diplomatic or consular representation of their home country, apply to the embassies or consulates of other EU member states for the issuance of a notarized document.
Carried Photocopies The identity documents used for the trip (and later lost) will facilitate the issuance of an emergency travel document abroad and the reapplication at your passport or identity card authority in Germany.
Please noteIdentity documents that were once reported lost or stolen should no longer be used as travel documents after being found. Even if the document reported as "lost" has since been reported as "found" to a passport authority, this does not automatically lead to the immediate deletion of the loss entry in the Interpol database and the corresponding adoption of this deletion in the national databases of countries worldwide. Therefore, it repeatedly happens that border police confiscate recovered identity documents without replacement due to the remaining alert entry.
Expired passport or national identity card
In the event of an expired passport or identity card, the Federal Police can issue an emergency travel document as a passport substitute for German citizens so that they can embark on a temporary journey. This only applies if the issuance of a (provisional) travel document by a passport authority can no longer be expected in time. In order to be able to return to Germany after the end of the trip, German citizens must apply for an emergency travel document as a passport substitute for return at the competent embassy or consulate in good time before their return. Reference is made to the explanations under „Lost passport or identity card“ for this purpose.
For EU citizens, the Federal Police can Emergency travel document issue if the passport has expired. EU citizens whose travel documents have been lost or stolen in Germany should be given priority alternative identity documents obtain through the home country's embassy. Only if this would constitute undue hardship in an individual case, may the Federal Police or local immigration authorities issue emergency travel documents upon application and upon presentation of the police report of loss.
The issuance of replacement documents to children and persons under the age of 18 is generally subject to the consent of their legal guardians. Identity and nationality must be proven by presenting official documents. These include, for example, an expired passport or passport replacement.
Germany has agreed with some member states of the Council of Europe that German travel documents should generally be recognized as proof of identity for up to one year after their expiration. Further details on this can be found on the Council of Europe website at European Agreement on Regulations governing the Movement of Persons between Member States of the Council of Europe can be found in (SEV No. 025).
However, this European agreement does not entail a travel guarantee or mandatory recognition of expired documents by transport companies, for example. To avoid any difficulties when traveling with expired documents, it is recommended to, only to travel with valid documents.
Travel documents for minors
Information on the specific features of individual destination countries as well as travel and safety advice for German citizens can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.
Furthermore, you can obtain information on the respective regulations in the destination country from the responsible foreign missions obtain.
Lost passport or identity card
On the website of the German Federal Foreign Office, you can find information on the required application documents and consular assistance for Loss of your passport.
Expired passport or national identity card
For further information, please contact Federal Police.
Required documents for traveling in Europe
For further information, please visit the Your Europe Portal.
Legal bases
Act on Identity Cards and Electronic Identification (Identity Card Act - PAuswG)
Act on the Residence, Economic Activity and Integration of Foreigners in the Federal Territory
