From May 1, 2025, new legal requirements for passport photos will come into force in Germany when applying for ID documents (e.g. ID cards or passports).
In principle, only digital passport photos will be accepted. Printed paper photos are no longer permitted from this date.

The technical problem with the processing of digital passport photos (with QR codes) has been resolved. Since Wednesday morning, 07.05.2025, the images can be reliably processed by the system again and can also be used for temporary ID documents.

CREATION OF DIGITAL PASSPORT PHOTOS

There are the following options for creating a digital passport photo:

• Photo studio or specialist store:
  • You can go to a certified photo studio that is authorized to take digital passport photos. The photo is taken there and transmitted directly to the authorities via a cloud procedure certified by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
    You will then receive a QR code, which you should bring with you to your appointment at the citizens' office or the local administration.
    Please find out in advance whether the photo studio or specialist store you have chosen is connected to the digital transmission system.
• Citizens' office and local administrations:
  • There are currently no suitable photo booths available on site.
    Due to technical requirements, the existing self-service terminals may no longer be used from May 1, 2025.
    It will therefore not be possible to take passport photos on site until further notice.
    We are working hard to find a solution and will inform you as soon as new photo booths are available.

TRANSITIONAL REGULATION FOR PAPER PHOTOS

In exceptional cases, a legal transitional regulation continues to allow the acceptance of paper photos. The following conditions apply:

• The paper photo must have a certain minimum resolution.
• Paper photos that do not meet these quality requirements may not be accepted and must be rejected.

⚠️ Important: The Citizens' Registration Office does not guarantee the acceptability of paper photos brought in!
We therefore strongly recommend that you have a digital passport photo taken in a certified photo studio to avoid problems when applying.

This switch to digital passport photos serves to increase document security and is intended to effectively prevent manipulation - in particular through so-called morphing techniques.

Please remember this:
Bring a digital passport photo (via QR code) to your appointment at the Citizens' Office or the local administration in good time!