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German ID Card for Applicants under 16 years of age
ID Cards can also be issued for children (from birth onwards). The application for children under 16 years of age must be submitted by the parent/guardian. The child must be present when applying.
German ID Card for Applicants under 16 years of Age
German ID Cards can also be applied for children (from birth onwards). For children under 16 years of age, the application must be carried out by the parent/legal guardian. The child needs to be present at the time of the appointment for the application.
Applications for German ID Cards can only be submitted in person at the Embassy or Consulate General responsible for your home state after making an appointment. The German ID Cards are printed at the Federal Printing Office in Berlin. Please expect a processing time of 4 - 6 weeks.
Important information for FIRST TIME passport/ID card applications: In some cases, a name declaration needs to be made before the passport/ID card application. More information can be found on our website: Information on Name Declaration
The validity of German ID Cards is 6 years for applicants under the age of 24.
Required Documents
The following documents are required for the application (original + 1 photo copy):
- completed application form
Child’s Passport Application Form PDF / 141 KB - two identical biometric recent passport photos (Please do not cut the photos yourself!)
Sample Photos for Passports PDF / 550 KB - birth certificate of the child stating the exact place of birth (it is not sufficient if only the county is mentioned on the US birth certificate, a “proof of birth letter” issued by the hospital with the name of the town must then also be provided). Please note that the birth certificate must state the parents' full names (“long version”)
- previous passport/child's passport (data page with photo)
- valid residence permit in the US (US Resident Alien Card, US residence visa, US passport, US Certificate of Birth Abroad or US. Citizenship Certificate)
- passports of both parents (data page with photo)
- valid residence permit in the US of the German parents (US Resident Alien Card or US residence visa)
- parents' marriage certificate (if parents were married in Germany: “Stammbuch” of the parents)
- if child was born out of wedlock, proof of acknowledgement of paternity
- Statement of Consent of the absent parent, signature certified by a Notary Public
Statement of Consent PDF / 146 KB - if applicable, certificate about the validity of a name declaration (“Bescheinigung über die Namensführung”) Information on Name Declaration
- if applicable, German Naturalization Certificate
- if applicable, US Naturalization Certificate with “Beibehaltungsgenehmigung”
- US driver's license or an utility bill of the parents as proof of residence
- if applicable, deregistration of last place of residence in Germany (“Abmeldebescheinigung”), if it is entered in the last passport/ID card
- Identity card fee
- In addition, some German missions in the United States require that a stamped envelope for mailing your documents already be submitted at the time of application. The missions abroad that have this requirement will inform you of this in your appointment booking confirmation.
Even if your child received the last passport or ID card at a different German mission in the US, we ask you to submit the aforementioned documentation again (except for the deregistration certificate). In particular, please also bring birth certificates, name declarations and marriage certificates. We would like to point out that your child's ID card application cannot be processed unless the aforementioned documentation is complete.
If you do not bring all of the required forms and supporting documentation for your child's ID card application, you may be required to reschedule your appointment and there will be a delay in processing the application.
This information refers to the majority of the cases occurring here. Due to the complexity of the German passport and German ID law and the diversity of possible scenarios, differences may occur in each application, and additional documentation could be required as needed.
Fees
A current list of fees can be found here: fees
Birth Name Declaration for Children
In some cases a name declaration is required for children, in order to determine or change the birth name of the child before applying for a passport/ID card. A name declaration could also be required even though the selected name is already stated on the non-German birth certificate. An appointment may be required for the name declaration. More detailed information can be found on the following website:
Scheduling an appointment
It is necessary that you schedule an appointment at the appropriate German Mission in the US, in order to apply for a passport or ID Card. If you would like to apply for both a passport and ID card for your child, you need to book two appointments, one for each application. Please consider the information about the right appointment procedure at the German mission that is responsible for your home state: Appointments
If you do not know which German mission is responsible for your home state, go to the following link: Consulate Finder