General Information

This webpage only contains the most important information about German passports and are meant for the very few German citizens who do not speak German. Please check the German version of our website for complete information about German passports.

Online appointment booking system

Application for a German Passport (ePass) at the Consulate General in Hong Kong

General information
You can apply for a passport at the German Consulate General in Hong Kong, if you are a resident in Hong Kong or Macao AND you are not registered in Germany anymore.
If you are registered in Germany or any other state than Hong Kong or Macao the application of a passport is only possible in exceptional cases and after consulting with the competent German passport authority. Not only will that cause a prolonged processing time but also increases the total cost of the passport. Additional charges of 70.00 EUR (if under the age of 24 years the additional charges amount to 37.50 EUR) are due at the time of application.

Applicants must be present in person at the Consulate General, as it is obligatory to have the applicant’s fingerprints scanned during the application process. This especially affects all passport applicants of 6 years and older.
Please note that it is also obligatory for children under the age of 6 to be present at the application together with all persons having the custody of the child. Since 2012 child entries in the parents’ passports are not valid anymore, therefore all children need their own travel documents when travelling abroad.

To file your passport application you will have to arrange an appointment. Please note that you will have to book an appointment for each applicant. Further information regarding our appointment system can be found on our website.

Processing time
It generally takes approx. 4 - 5 weeks from application to pick-up of the passport. If the passport is needed earlier, it is possible to shorten the normal processing time to about 2 weeks for an additional fee of 32.00 EUR.
The current passport will be handed back to you right after the application process is completed. You need to bring it back when picking up the new one!

Important notice
If the issuance of a temporary passport (equals an emergency passport with a 1-year validity) is unavoidable, please note the processing time for an emergency passport is 1-3 working days.

Validity of the passport
Applicants up to the age of 24 will receive a passport with a 6-year validity; over the age of 24 years the passport will be valid for 10 years. It is impossible to prolong the validity of a passport or to add pages when the passport is full before it expires.

All documents must be presented in original or as certified copies.
Please provide all necessary documents in original. Documents issued in Hong Kong need an Apostille.

Fees
All fees are payable either in Hong Kong Dollar (cash) or with a credit card (Visa or Mastercard only) on the day of your application!
Passport up to 24 years: 68.50 EUR
Passport over 24 years: 101.00 EUR
Express fee: 32.00 EUR
48 pages surcharge: 22.00 EUR
Additional fee if the Consulate General in Hong Kong is not your competent passport authority:
70.00 EUR for over 24 years of age and 37,50 EUR for under 24 years of age

Required documents

• A fully filled in and signed application form
• One up-to-date biometric photo
• Your birth certificate* (a legible copy is sufficient. If you do not have your German birth certificate anymore, please contact the registry office Standesamt in the town of your birth in order to receive another copy of it)
• Cash (HKD) or credit card (Visa or Mastercard)
• Your current passport or police report if the passport was lost or stolen
• If you are bi-national, your foreign passport
• Hong Kong ID card
• Proof of residence with a utility bill (electricity, gas or water)
• De-registration certificate (only necessary if you have a German, Swiss, Austrian, Belgian or Dutch place of residence in your passport)
• If applicable, marriage certificate*
• If applicable, documents proofing a name change through marriage / divorce or others
• If applicable, certificate of naturalisation
• If applicable, documents of adoption process
• If applicable, granting of a doctorate (when the PhD was not acquired in Germany you have to present a letter from the competent Ministry of Education of any German federal state (place of your last German place of residence etc.) that includes the permission to have “Dr.” as title without any endorsement)

For minor children please provide additionally:

• Passports of all persons having the custody of the child
• Hong Kong ID cards of all persons having custody of the child
• If applicable, marriage certificate* of the parents
• If applicable, proof of a name change through marriage* or divorce*
• If applicable, certificate of naturalisation of the persons having custody
• If applicable, acknowledgement of paternity
• If applicable, documents proving only one parent has custody over the child or death certificate if one parent is deceased

Please note that in individual cases it might be necessary to present further documents.

German ID Card (“Personalausweis”)
In order to apply for a German ID card you have to present all above-mentioned documents as well; additionally: your previous German ID card.

You can find further information at www.personalausweisportal.de.
The fee for a German ID card is 52.80 EUR for under 24 years old and 67,00 EUR for applicants aged 24 years and above.

If you apply for a passport and an ID card at the same time, it is not necessary to present all documents double; just the fee for the ID card is sufficient.

You can find more relevant information regarding the application for a German passport here:

Passport application form for adults
Passport application form for minors
Information on biometric passport photos

Change of Address

Please find information on how to change the address in your German passport as well as the application form under the following link:
Application for change of address in a German passport

Important Information

German Nationality Acquired through Notification of Birth Occurring Abroad (After 1999)

German Nationality Acquired through Notification of Birth Occurring Abroad after December 31, 1999

For German nationals who were born abroad after December 31, 1999, the following generally applies: Their children born abroad shall acquire German nationality only if the parents report the birth of the child to the competent German foreign mission within one year.

The relevant passage Section 4 (4) of the German Nationality Act is worded as follows: (4) In case of a child born abroad, German nationality shall not be acquired pursuant to Para. 1 if the parent was born abroad after December 31, 1999, and has his/her habitual residence there, unless the child would otherwise be stateless. The legal consequence pursuant to sentence 1 shall not enter into force if, within one year of the birth of the child, an application pursuant to Section 36 of the Civil Status Act is filed to have the birth recorded in the register of births. To meet the deadline, it shall also be sufficient if the application is submitted to the competent foreign mission within this time period. If both parents are German nationals, the legal consequence of sentence 1 shall enter into force only if both have met the conditions cited thereunder.
Birth of a child (in German)