General information

All applicants must be present in person when the application is submitted (for identification and fingerprinting).

When applying for ID documents for children, both the children (including newborns/infants) and all legal guardians must be present in person (for identification and, if necessary, taking fingerprints).

An appointment must be booked in advance for all applicants, e.g. for two people you also need two appointments etc.

You can apply for several documents in one appointment (e.g. passport and identity card for the same person)

Adolescents can apply for identity cards from the age of 16 without the involvement of the legal guardians.

Processing times

Biometric passports and ID cards are produced centrally by Bundesdruckerei in Berlin. Estimated processing times are as follows:

These processing times apply from the time the embassy orders the documents from Bundesdruckerei. If there are delays in the application process (e.g. due to missing documents), the processing times will be extended accordingly.

The express surcharge is only charged for preferred and accelerated processing at Bundesdruckerei. The dispatch of the document to the German mission abroad cannot be accelerated by paying the express surcharge.

Unfortunately, the Federal Printing Office and the German missions abroad have no influence on the delivery time. In view of the recurring delays in international air traffic, we unfortunately cannot guarantee delivery of the pass on a specific date. All information on the expected delivery time is non-binding.

Validity of ID documents

Biometric passports and identity cards have the following validity

• Persons 24 years and older: 10 years
• Persons younger than 24: 6 years
• Provisional passports: 1 year
• Travel document for return: max. 4 weeks

What happens to your old ID document?

You have the following options:

• Your previous passport/identity card is already invalid: the document will be canceled on site when you apply and returned to you
• Your previous passport/identity card is still valid when you apply: the document will be canceled on site and returned to you after the new passport has been handed over

Changes since last application and first application

If there have been significant changes in your circumstances since the last application, or if you are applying for a passport for yourself or your child for the first time, you should check whether and which further steps may be necessary before you apply for a passport.

Example 1:

You got married and want to take your spouse's surname. A name declaration is then required before the application is submitted. More information can be found here.

Example 2:

You have had a child and this should now receive a German passport. For this purpose, a name declaration and, in the case of children of unmarried parents, an acknowledgment of paternity are regularly required. More information can be found here.

Example 3:

You want or have been naturalized in Ghana. Make sure you have previously received retention approval. Otherwise you risk losing your German citizenship.

Fees

Oerview of the fees for German ID documents and additional services:

The fees are to be paid on the day of application in GHS at the current exchange rate of the embassy. They cannot be paid in EUR.

How to book an appointment?

As soon as you have compiled all the documents, you can book an appointment via our central appointment system.

Please note that a separate appointment must be booked for each passport applicant, including children.