Apply for an identity card
As a person with German citizenship, you can have an identity card issued. If you have reached the age of 16 and do not have a valid passport, you must apply for an ID card.
The period of validity of your ID card depends on your age at the time of application:
- Application under the age of 24: ID card is valid for 6 years.
- Application from the age of 24: ID card is valid for 10 years.
Your ID card loses its validity before the expiry date entered on it if
- Entries no longer apply or
- your photo is no longer clearly suitable for identification purposes. This may be the case in particular with ID cards for infants or very young children.
There is one exception: a change of address or height will not invalidate your ID card.
You also have the option of applying for a temporary ID card. This is valid for a maximum of 3 months.
You can submit the application to your identity card authority at your main place of residence, which is usually the Citizens' Registration Office.
If there is an important reason, you can also apply for an ID card at an authority outside the jurisdiction of your place of residence. This may result in additional costs.
Who should I contact?
The responsibility lies with the municipality, the Joint Community and the city in which the main residence is located.
Responsible authorities
Samtgemeinde Spelle - Fachbereich Ordnungsverwaltung/Bürgerservice
Contact
- Spelle:
- Activity as a market trader or showman Admission
- Activity exempt from a travel trade card Admission of exemptions for the implementation of certain sales events
- Activity in a municipal cemetery Admission across borders as a gardener
- Activity in municipal cemetery Permanent gardener
- Activity in the municipal cemetery Temporary admission as gardener
- Advertisement Change of person in the case of legal entities
- Advertisement of a restaurant
- Agriculture: damage caused by game
- Apply for a new ID card when it expires
- Apply for a new identity card because of theft
- Apply for a new identity card if lost
- Apply for a postal vote
- Apply for a simple certificate of good conduct
- Apply for a temporary identity card
- Apply for a travel trade license
- Apply for an identity card
- Apply for an identity card as a person under 16
- Apply for an identity card for German citizens with permanent residence abroad
- Apply for an identity card for the first time
- Apply for identity card because of name change after divorce
- Apply for identity card because of other name change
- Apply for permission to sell goods at trade fairs, festivals and special events.
- Auctioneering trade - apply for permission
- Burial place: Permit - to create/expand
- Business re-registration
- Certificate of eligibility
- Certificate of good conduct extended
- Certificate of voting rights
- Change of identity card due to change of address
- Change of residence
- Childcare services for seniors
- Children's Passport Extension
- Children's Passport Issue
- Children's Passport Status Query
- Children's passport change due to change of address
- Children's passport notification due to loss
- Children's passport notification due to relocation
- Children's passport report for theft
- Citizens' advice
- Confirmation of landlord
- Confirmation of registration issuance
- Construction site: Issuance of construction site orders under traffic law
- Day care
- Deregister trade
- Documents and copies: Certification
- EU funding
- Elections
- Employment at the municipal cemetery Permanent admission as a stonemason, sculptor or gardener
- Entitlement to a place in a day-care centre
- Event: Display
- Events in public transport areas: Permission
- Examination eligibility certificate
- Exemptions for the auctioning of perishable goods Admission to weekly markets
- Exemptions on Sundays and public holidays
- Explosive ordnance: elimination
- Express passport issue
- Findings from the background check Certificate
- Fischer test: Acceptance
- Fishing License Exhibition
- Gaming arcade license
- Have address and personal data changed
- Have your identity card brought up to date
- Helping the homeless
- Hiking Camp Display
- Holiday offers
- House number: Fixing
- Identity card issue
- Identity card notification due to retrieval
- Identity card notification due to theft
- Identity card status query
- Information blocking device
- Information from the Central Trade Register Application
- Information in the population register Granting to landlords
- Information in the population register Provision of group information
- Information on the population register Provision to parties and voter groups
- Life certificate for submission to the pension insurance: Issue
- Limited traffic zones
- Lost property
- Markets and festivals
- Measures to ensure public safety and order
- Memorials
- Naturalization: Approval - for foreigners entitled to naturalization
- New passport issue due to change of name on divorce or dissolution of civil partnership
- Organization of a trade fair, exhibition or wholesale market: fixing
- Organization of a weekly market
- Other games with the possibility of winning Permission in the traveling trade
- Other games with the possibility of winning: Permission
- Parking permit
- Passport Issuance of additional passports
- Passport change due to change of place of residence
- Passport issuance
- Passport issuance
- Passport issuance for adults for the first time
- Passport issuance for frequent travelers
- Passport issuance new due to change of name upon marriage or establishment of a civil partnership
- Passport issuance new due to change of other data
- Passport issuance new due to expiry of validity
- Passport issuance provisionally
- Passport issue for minors for the first time
- Passport message for retrieval
- Passport notification due to loss
- Passport report for theft
- Passport status query
- Pawnbroking - Apply for a permit
- Permission for the commercial display of persons
- Place of residence Deregistration of main residence
- Playground equipment with the possibility of winning Confirmation of the installation site
- Playground equipment with the possibility of winning permission
- Population register information Issue
- Population register information Provision of self-disclosure
- Population register information issuance extended
- Provision of information from the population register for commercial purposes
- Public holidays: approval - of exceptions to the general rest period
- Register a business
- Registration certificate issued
- Reporting obligation
- Reporting the loss of your own ID card
- Request simple information from the population register
- Requesting a vehicle to be taken out of service
- Residence Deregistration
- Residence Deregistration for boatmen and seafarers
- Residence Deregistration of secondary residence
- Residence Re-registration Change of status
- Residence Registration as main residence
- Residence Registration as secondary residence
- Residence Registration for boatmen and seafarers
- Restaurant operation Approval early start of operations
- Show traveling trade or activity exempt from travel trade card
- Show use of biocides
- Signatures: Certification
- Special obligation to register in accommodation establishments Registration
- Special reporting obligation in hospitals, homes and similar institutions Registration
- Store opening hours
- Tax Life Certificate: Issuance
- Temporary employment as a stonemason, sculptor or gardener at the municipal cemetery
- Traditional bonfire (Easter fire)
- Traffic space restrictions: approval
- Transmission blocks in the registration register
- Travel trade card-exempt activity Deregistration
- Travel trade card-exempt activity Re-registration
- View Gathering
- Work at the municipal cemetery Admission across borders as a stonemason, sculptor and gardener
- apply for identity card due to change of name on marriage
Requirements
- You have German citizenship
For applications outside your main place of residence:
- You must be able to provide an important reason why you are not applying for the ID card at the ID card authority at your main place of residence.
Applications / forms
Forms available: No.
Written form required: Yes.
Informal application possible: Yes.
Personal appearance required: Yes.
Online services available: No.
Which documents are required?
- Proof of identity, for example
- old identity card,
- valid passport or children's passport
- current biometric photograph
- birth certificate, if applicable
- If applicable: certificate with current name, for example
- birth certificate, marriage certificate, marriage certificate,
- family register
- Declaration on the use of the name
- for children under the age of 16: Declaration of consent by the legal guardian
- if there is only one parent or legal guardian, additional proof of custody
What are the fees?
- EUR 37.00 for applicants aged 24 and over
- EUR 22.80 for applicants under 24 years of age
- EUR 10.00 for the temporary identity card
- EUR 13.00 surcharge for applications submitted outside working hours or at a non-competent authority
- EUR 30.00 surcharge for application at any Citizens' Registration Office by Germans residing abroad
Fee reductions or exemptions are possible for those in need. This is at the discretion of the identity card authority.
What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?
If the validity of your old ID card has expired and you are over 16 years old, you must apply for a new ID card immediately if you do not have a valid passport document.
What else should I know?
The EU logo on the front of the ID card introduced on August 2, 2021 will not invalidate ID cards without this logo.