Emergency travel document for foreigners; application

If, as a foreigner, you discover shortly before leaving Germany that your travel documents have expired, you can apply for an emergency travel document under certain conditions.

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 charged with carrying out police control of cross-border traffic.

As a foreigner, you can apply for an emergency travel document, the so-called 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 special public interest.
The emergency travel document allows you to leave Germany and then re-enter. 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-fledged substitute for the passport. It is only issued if you do not have time to go to the passport office before the start of your trip.
You can only enter another country with an emergency travel document if the country recognizes your document as a travel document. The other state has no obligation to recognize your emergency travel document. There is also a possibility that airlines may refuse to carry travelers with this travel document.
You have no legal right to be issued an emergency travel document.

For example, issuance may be denied if:

You wish to travel to a country that does not recognize the emergency travel document, or.
you can be issued a temporary identity card or passport by the passport authority upon 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 in Nuremberg and Memmingen, as well as at the airfields that are approved 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 at various ports and in Baden-Württemberg at Friedrichshafen Airport, the Customs Administration is responsible.

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

Applications for emergency travel documents can be submitted 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 state listed in Annex II to the EU Visa Regulation,
third-country nationals entitled to return to the above-mentioned states, i.e. holders of a residence permit (Schengen visas of category C are excluded) or a long-stay visa for the purpose of staying in Germany,
civilian ship personnel of a ship operating in maritime or coastal shipping or in Rhine shipping 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 to depart from there.

Other requirements:

You can prove your identity and belong to the group of those eligible to apply.
The issuance of a regular passport or passport replacement from your own foreign mission or the aliens' registration office is no longer possible before the start of your journey or cannot be expected in time.
No interests of the Federal Republic of Germany are affected.
There are no security concerns.
The purpose pursued by a possibly existing search notice is not impaired.
The country of destination 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 guardians or an authorized person. An independent application is only possible from the age of 18. If not both parents are traveling with the child, both custodial parents must consent to the trip. In the case of permanently separated parents who share parental custody, the situation is special: 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 a custodial parent is permanently prevented from attending, for example if he or she has 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 at the Federal Police.

Personal application

You go to the border authority and ask for an application form, which you fill out and sign.
On the spot, an identity check is performed. For this purpose, you must prove your identity and nationality or that of the person for whom you are applying for a travel document as a substitute for a passport .
You must present a recent biometric photograph or have it taken on site at the office.
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, fill out the application in the federal portal and send it.
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,
- perform an identity check,
- present a recent biometric photograph or have it taken by the authority, and
- pay the processing fee.
After that, the emergency travel document will 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 to you if:

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