New Passport - Where to get it?

Will need to renew my UK passport in the comiing months. I am registered as resident in Germany, so can I have a German passport issued, or do I have to go through the usual UK routine.? Thanks.

Sorry can't help you on this one ... but want to know how you managed to keep your British passport, and get a German one? I thought that was illegal ...

If you are maried to a German Citizen then you can aply for a German Passport but you will have to hand in your British one. If you have kids...then they can carry dual nationality up until you give up your British one and your kids lose the british nationality automaticly...That´s how it used to be...not sure if it has changed.

If it's just a basic renewal of your British Passport and you aren't wanting a German one then go here...as you now live in Germany you have to get your UK Passport issued via Düsseldorf..you can download the forms on this site and then just send them in. http://www.britischebotschaft.de/en/consular/passports/

The Britisch Consulate in Düsseldorf is responsible for issueing British passports in Germany. Find out what you need to know here.


Being regestired as resident here doesn't qualify you for a german passport, you have to take on German nationality for that. As somebody else pointed out, you have to give up yor British nationality for that.

The consular people in Düsseldorf are very friendly and very helpful. If follow the instructions, you get your Passport renewed within 5 days by post. In urgent cases, you can go along there and they will do a same day service, if you agree it by telephone beforehand. Both times I renewed, I went there with all that was needed, and had my passport with registered post the next day.

A german passport needs 14 days, if you are a citizen, and you have to go to their office to apply, and again to pick up the passport.

No brainer really

Questions to the Editors:

* Wouldn't it be an idea to set-up an FAQ Thread about all these recurring questions?
* Why has the "HTTP:/" link insert started ignoring the [URL=text] and just inserting the link?

Thanks to all for the fast responses to my question. Nice to see you all out of bed nice and early ... not like these lazy Natives. LOL.

Ah well, I was obviously too late in getting up, but I'm glad to see the usual suspects have answered your question Raffles!

Hi Raffles,

I sent off my application to Düsseldorf 3 days ago so will let you know if I get the 5 day turnaround.
One thing to check is the FAQ on the consulate web site for the new rules relating to the photos. I am not sure my application will be accepted or not beacuse of this!

Photos1

and of course the addendum:
Photos2

Neil

And I thought Germany was bad!

This isn't quite correct. The rules have changed.

Nationals of all EU countries that reciprocate dual nationality, plus a few non-EU countries with historic ties to Germany, can apply for Dual Nationality in Germany. This is not restricted to EU-Nationals you have married German citizens but also allows people to qualify on residency. I can't remember off hand how long the residency is before you can apply for citizenship but it was also reduced recently.

This means that all British citizens that have either married a German or have been resident in Germany long enough can apply for Dual Nationality. Children born of German/British parents will ne able to keep dual nationality for ever.

The only Bundesland that is currently causing problems on this is Bavaria. Here you basically have to take the authorities to court to push through the application.

would you all like to have both? I can't see much advantage in having both?

Hannah, I think for some the chance to vote in the election may be a reason.

But, before getting German passports for yourself or your kids remember the rules about military service.

I could imagine being "German" would be useful so I could vote, and to get into Turkey for nothing.

I would never pass the "cricket" test though ..

by the way, for those too young / foreign to understand my last comment, this was an infamous quote by the then home secretary (?) Norman Tebbitt about the allegiances of naturalised Britons in the event of a cricket game between England and the country of their birth ..

to be fair, if the German cricket team were to play the England team they'd need all the support they could get...

in fact, even if they were playing Bangladesh they'd probably need all the support they could get...

I'd still be supporting the opposition though

What about adopted or step children from British/German parents?

It took them about 3 weeks to do my passport. I called them after 2 weeks to ask where it was as they have a "charter" to try and sort all passports in 10 days. And they said it would take longer, so I can only assume they are busy at the moment.

Neil

Well I got mine done the same day I made the application back in the UK at Christmas.

I did have to pay over 100 quid for the privilage though!!

Dunc.

Just been looking on the site for a new passport and it seems that it's going to cost me over €140, is this true?

I got a new one a year ago and I think it was about 110€ including sending it there and back recorded delivery.

I got one a couple of weeks ago and it cost me 93 euros (including the registered post back).

I only realised that my old one had expired a week before my trip, and had a very nice man at the Consulate called Marc who processed my passport and got it back to me within 3 days.

It's true - it was in the news recently that there has been a considerable increase.

Who would have thought that I'd have to take out a mortgage just to get a new passport.

We had the same problem when we renewed our Canadian passports, they won't accept photos of you smiling! You have to frown, wasted what 20 euroes on a couple of photos

Thanks for the info.

Despite all the mentions here of a quick turnaround, I just want to add that it also took 4 weeks before I got my passport last year.
However, I didn't put down a "travel date", so maybe they stuck mine at the back of the queue.

D

Went and handed the forms in for mine today and the thing costs 142€.
must be Gold plated or something. Should take about two weeks but will post when it gets here.

Gold plated with diamonds on the front ??

Couldn't you have completed the English forms and got your parents to process it for you in England? Darn sight cheaper!

how come it was so expensive ? ...I got mine renewed last year and I paid 94€ incl. postage
...and I thought that was a rip-off

I would guess the price increases relate to the National Identity Register and biometric passports...

http://www.britischebotschaft.de/en/consul...c_passports.htm

http://www.passport.gov.uk/news/news.asp?s...intelement=1060


Maybe they should just extend the chipping scheme to include people as well as dogs and cats

BBulldog has ordered his this week and I've got to order mine in May, he said it's not easy to get the right size for the photo...

yes it is the new biometric passport you will get now and that is the costs to pay. I could have said no but that is me stuck here...

I just renewed mine and because I tend to be out of the country fairly regularly I persuaded my boss to pay for the flight back to the UK to do a same day renewal as I couldn't wait for Düsseldorf to process it.

I have to say it was the most efficient transaction you could ever see! My (German) wife came with me for the shopping ( ) and because I have been moaning for 5 years about German bureaucracy she was really looking forward to making me eat my words.

Anyway, having made the appointment by phone we duly went to the London office and got processed immediately with hardly any time to wait - even at the counter when they were checking the form. Ended up with a nice new passport for £96.50 which I paid by credit card.

(No rubber stamps or only paying cash, etc - my wife was sick!!)

I'm not sure if the new passports have made a difference, but you used to able to get a "while you wait" turnaround in Düsseldorf. I know I managed to get one straight away the last time renewed.

I renewed mine this year. I asked if I could make a personal appearance in Düsseldorf and get the new passport on the same day, but was told that this was not possible. Cost me 112 Euros in February - looks like the price has since gone up to 142.
I also had to wait a day for my photo, because the photographer had to process it on the pc to make sure that it conformed to the new regulations. It's no longer possible to just pop into a booth in the shopping centre.

Did your wife notice that you paid £45.50 for the privilege of same-day service?
Ten years ago I had to renew a passport urgently so I queued at Petty France (no appointment needed at that time) and got one in a couple of hours. I think the surcharge then was £5 or £10.

I need another one now, and as I can't spend three weeks in England at the moment I have a choice between the same-day service in London for £96.50 and the 4-week service in Düsseldorf for €147. I don't suppose it is a coincidence how close those amounts are.

Mike (in Böblingen)

I paid 24o EUR two years ago for 2 Passports and same day courier delivery. It took 3 days from me sending the old ones in till the courier rang the doorbell with the new ones.

just got mine back in the nik of time cost 147 euronies plus 30 for a courier

Got my passport yesterday so it took a total of 10 days and a cost of 142 for the passport and 5 for the postage. I took the forms myself to Düsseldorf. So the turnabout was not too bad.

That was really quick, now you're legal again here!

So ... where do I get these " special " photos taken, and at what price.?
Thanks.

Raffles.

Do a search... IIRC, there's a whole thread on passport photos.

I got mine done in a photo shop here, best take a copy of the regulations on the consulate page

http://www.passport.gov.uk/downloads/PLE_04Eng-Photo.pdf

Yeah, the british rules for passport photos are slightly different to the German one. Why they couldn't do one standard I'll never know, So print out the specs from the British consular website and bring it to the photographers shop.