German citizens over 16 years of age are required to have a valid identity card or a valid passport.
The period of validity depends on your age at the time of application:

• Application under 24 years of age: Identity card is valid for 6 years.
• Application from 24 years of age: Identity card is valid for 10 years.

A temporary identity card is valid for a maximum of three months. You can apply for your identity card at your Bürgeramt at your main place of residence. Applications can be made at any other citizens' office if you can show good cause. In this case, an incompetence surcharge will apply.

You must apply for your ID card in person at the Citizen's Office. If you do not apply for your ID card at your main place of residence, you need an important reason and a surcharge will be added to the fee. If you contact your chosen Bürgeramt beforehand, you can find out whether and to what extent the Bürgeramt recognizes your reason.

• Young people over 16 years of age can apply for the identity card themselves.
  • If young people over the age of 16 do not fulfill their obligation, the persons with legal power of representation must apply together with the young person until he or she reaches the age of 18. A custodial parent may be represented by proxy by the other parent when filing the application.
• For children and adolescents under 16 years of age, all custodial parents file the application jointly. The children and adolescents must also always appear in person, as the Citizens' Registration Office checks their identity. They must also sign if they are 10 years or older at the time of application.
• Two fingerprints are taken for storage in the document each time an ID card is applied for -.
  Exception: children under the age of 6 are not fingerprinted.
• The identity card is produced centrally by Bundesdruckerei GmbH in Berlin.
• You can make an appointment to pick up your ID card online, by e-mail or by phone at many Bürgerämter. You can find out what options your Bürgeramt offers, for example, on its website.

Contact the Citizen's Office at your primary residence.

The obligation to apply for an identity card applies to you if you

• have German citizenship
• have reached the age of 16
• are registered in Germany,
• do not have a valid passport.

For the application outside of your main residence:

• You must be able to present an important reason why you are not applying for the ID card at the ID card authority that is responsible for your main place of residence.
• Exception: The temporary ID card cannot be applied for abroad.

• biometric passport photo: The photo must be
  • be current and
  • meet the requirements for e-passport photos.
• if available and not yet cancelled: old passport or children's passport (valid or already expired).
• if no valid passport or children's passport available: birth certificate or marriage certificate
• for children under 16 years of age: if applicable, declaration of consent of the custodial parent who is not present
  • in case of only one parent additionally the proof of custody

• EUR 37.00 for applicant aged 24 and over
• EUR 22.80 for applicant under 24 years of age
• EUR 10.00 for temporary identity card
• EUR 13.00 surcharge for application outside office hours or not at the main place of residence
• EUR 30.00 surcharge for issuance by consular or diplomatic representation abroad

Fee reductions or exemptions are possible for people in need. This is at the discretion of the identity card authority.

If you have just turned 16, have German citizenship and are registered in Germany, the application must be submitted immediately, unless you have a valid passport document, i.e. passport or temporary passport.

From the time of application, it usually takes at least 2 weeks until you can pick up your ID card at the Bürgeramt.

Applications can be submitted to any other Bürgeramt if you can show good cause. In this case, a lack of jurisdiction surcharge will apply.

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs

22.09.2022