Info on who can apply for a German ID card

I'm an Australian living in London but my Mother is german and I own a german passport.
I need to send my German passport away to get a Visa issued and they advised it may take up to 6 months to get back. This would mean I have no proof of right to remain in the UK (which means no travelling out of the country and I need to fly to Germany regularly for work purposes). The only other option is to send a German ID card (Personalausweis?).
Am I eligible to apply for an ID card if I do not live in Germany? I can fly to Germany to apply, that's not a problem, and my family still lives there.
Any advice would help, as I cannot find the relevant information on the internet.
Thanks!!
Danielle

You have to be registered (gemeldet) in Germany to get a Personalausweis. Germans residing outside Germany do not get to have a German national ID (i.e. they cannot apply for one, and if they de-register (sich abmelden) they have to turn it in). The only thing you could do is register in Germany (at an address of a relative) and then you would receive one, BUT you will also have to pay taxes in Germany then, I think.
Do you have an Australian passport that you could use while your German passport is away? Maybe you could have a temporary (German) passport issued for the meantime.

Where is it that they say they will take six months to issue a visa?
You should check with the German Embassy in London to ask about getting a second passport. Most countries will issue a second passport (usually for a shorter time than a full passport) if you have a reason such as yours.
http://www.london.diplo.de/Vertretung/lond...terbereich.html

I think youll find that Germany and particularly the UK would be extremely unhappy abouit issuing a second passport - They may issue you with a temporary passport, in fact most border guard posts in germany will issue an EU-citizen with a temporary travel document that will get you in and out of the EU in an emergency, second passports are a sensitive subject, however. There was a mini-scandal recently because Turkey will issue a Turkish passport even if you have a different nationality but Germany wont, so some Turks were registering as Germans and then applying for a second, Turkish passport and then registering twice to vote or for benefits etc.

andy M

It is possible to get an additional passport (Zweitpass).

For example, the city of Köln has the following information:
http://www.stadt-koeln.de/bol/meldehalle/p...9851/index.html

Listed as acceptable reasons are visa delays.
The passport can be issued for six years or in a temporary version for one year.

This doesn't really solve the problem of proving your address.

Im a UK Passport holder, resident here since 2004, and previously 1999 to 2003 / 1995 to 1998

The Aufenhaupterlaubnis (?!) is no longer issued to EU Passport holders, a permanent residence permit is automatically given (which is just a letter now, no entry in passport or Permit). This is great, as the renewal process can be a pain and waste of time. But the problem is that if you hold a UK Driving Licence, you have a UK Address on there (and in the case of the old License no pic at all), a UK Passport, no address. There is nothing to carry around to prove your address with, other than post! The Personalausweis is the perfect answer. Im registered in Munich, pay my taxes and I would like to be able to prove myself as to my address with such a card, and not be required to knacker or loose my NOW VERY EXPENSIVE passport (190 EURO from the Consulate in Germany) every time I have to go and get something from the post office or go to the bank...

There must be a way.

Dust...

Keep a copy of your Anmeldung with you then. There is simply no way to get a national ID as a non German citizen, even if you think there must be one. There is not (at the moment, it is possible that this will change one day). That you pay your taxes and live in Munich is fabulous, but you are still missing the main part of what qualifies you for a Personalausweis: German citizenship. Of course you are free to apply for that once you qualify (if you are married to a German citizen for three years, you do already, as far as I know).

Dual Citizenship? Is that possible?

No, you would have to give up the UK one. If you don't want to give up your other citizenship, you'll have no choice but wait until some form of ID for foreigners is introduced. I agree that this is an issue, something that should be addressed. I don't see why they do not issue a PA for foreigners, especially because it does even mention your citizenship on it (but it always says German as of now, of course), but as things are currently, they don't. I also wish they would reduce the size to credit card size.
Until then, for opening a bank account or something similar, you should be able to prove your address with a copy of the Anmeldung. I think you might still have to have your passport with you for something like that to prove your ID. But you are probably not constantly opening new bank accounts and maybe you could try running errands like this with a certified copy of your passport. That costs money, but the price is minimal compared to a new passport.

Give up my Nationality, er no.

Its a matter of convenience. I'm sick of my Passport looking worn out - its only a year old, and it looks terrible already. Its just not "portable" or "durable" to be used in the fashion that is required. As for bank accounts, no, staying as I am thanks!

Thanks anyway.

Dust

no you wouldn't. EU citizens are allowed dual citizenship as long as the other country reciprocates. Since the UK recognises and allows dual citizenship, the Germany authorities allow dual British/German citizenship.

However, on a side note, the Bavarians, being typcially Bavarian, don't believe that Federal law applies to them, and have up until now refused to issue passports to people from the UK wishing dual citizenship.

Oh, I didn't know that, I thought Germany generally didn't allow dual citizenship unless you were born with both.

Now thats interesting...typical about the Bavarian stance.

Have you done the same Owain?

There were some changes to German citizenship law as well as EU regulations that changed things a little bit.
I find German citizenship rules, however, to still be rather complicated. I've given up trying to understand all of the intricacies.

my colleagues (who are all eu citizen) got ID cards so do they sprouses, its pink instead of green but otherwise looks quite similar to the german Personalausweis, it also states their employer on it, dunno if they got it coz of where they work or coz everyone could apply for them

My children were born in Bavaria to me...their English mum and their Bavarian dad. They are automatically English as I am. Can anyone clear up whether they are British citizens or nationals and what the difference is.
They both travel using German passports only due to the fact that applying for a British passport for them was way more costly than the German one.
One child had their birth registered at the British consulate (at great expense) but they told me it makes no difference and they will always be British as they have a British parent so the second one did not have her birth registerd there, Six years on it makes no difference.
That's Ok for them, they can get a British passport and have a German Ausweis when they are old enough to need one. I can't, but it doesn't bother me one hoot.

Yeah in that case they can have dual citizenship because they got the citizenship by birth (not marriage or after staying in the country for so-and-so long). (I think not even Bavaria objects to that. ) Whether they have a passport or not doesn't change that.

englishrose, your kids are British citizens by decent and also German citizens. The "by decent" bit means that if their kids are born outside the UK they won't be British citizens. A person born in the UK is a Citizen other than by decent and there are no limitations on passing on their citizenship. According to OG.

Did they get them from their respective EU countries or from Germany? As far as I know, Germany doesn't issue any identity documents to non-Germans.
The German authorities issue residence permits, permanent residency docs, and driver's licenses to non-Germans, but there isn't any other sort of ID that I am aware of.

they are german documents, looking like the german id card just pink not green. but as i said i dunno if they got them coz of where we work that might be though, as its an european gov agency...

I'm sure they will be decent but you intended descent