Every foreign national must possess a recognized and valid passport or passport substitute. If you do not have a passport or passport substitute, you must therefore apply to the diplomatic mission of your country of origin to have such a document issued.

The Travel Document for Foreign Nationals is a German passport substitute that may be issued as an alternative in special exceptional cases.

You can apply for a Travel Document for Foreign Nationals if you are a national of a non-EU country, do not possess a passport or passport substitute from your home country, and cannot reasonably obtain such a document.

It is generally considered reasonable to

• applying for the renewal or extension of a passport or passport substitute in your home country well in advance of its expiration and cooperating with the official procedures, as well as
• paying the fees set by your country of origin for this purpose.

It would not be considered reasonable, for example, if you are granted asylum in Germany as a politically persecuted person and are therefore unable to visit the embassy of your country of origin. High costs for obtaining a passport in your country of origin do not, in and of themselves, make obtaining a passport unreasonable.

When applying for a travel document for foreigners, you should, if possible, be able to provide evidence of your previous efforts to obtain a passport.

In cases of only temporary statelessness, the issuance of a travel document for foreigners is considered only if compelling reasons require it.

In addition to the unreasonableness of obtaining a passport, another requirement is that

• your stay in Germany is lawful, i.e., you either already hold a residence permit (residence permit, settlement permit, or long-term residence permit under the EC) or are to receive one together with the travel document.
• You are to be enabled to leave the federal territory permanently.
• you are in the asylum process, and
  • there is an urgent public interest in issuing the travel document, or
  • compelling reasons require the issuance of the travel document, or
  • the denial of the travel document would constitute undue hardship

and the conduct of the asylum proceedings is not jeopardized.

The Foreigners’ Registration Office may stipulate that the travel document is valid only for certain countries or continents.

If the country of origin refuses to issue a passport or passport substitute for reasons that also exist under German passport law, a travel document cannot be issued.

• You are a national of a non-EU country.
• You do not have a passport or passport substitute from your country of origin.
• You can prove that it is not possible for you to obtain a passport or passport substitute from your country of origin without unreasonable effort.
• You meet one of the following requirements:
  • You either hold a residence permit (residence permit, settlement permit, or EC long-term residence permit) or are scheduled to receive one along with the travel document.
  • The travel document is intended to enable your final departure from the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany.

You are in the asylum process, and there is an urgent public interest in issuing the travel document; compelling reasons require it; or it would constitute undue hardship if the travel document were not issued to you; and your asylum process is not jeopardized by the issuance of the travel document.

Submit an informal application and send it to the Mainz Immigration Office. Once we have received and reviewed your application, we will contact you to arrange an appointment.
During the appointment, we will verify your identity and check your documents (please bring the original documents with you to the appointment if possible).        

If we are able to order the travel document, you will be notified and can pick up the document at the relevant office (service point). If your application is rejected, you will receive a rejection notice.

• There is no legal entitlement to the issuance of a travel document for foreigners. Each case is decided on an individual basis.
• Travel documents for foreign nationals contain the following visible information: issuing authority, date of issuance, period of validity, serial number, and the holder’s personal data (last name and, if applicable, maiden name, first names, doctoral degree, date and place of birth, gender, height, eye color, place of residence, nationality, photograph, and signature).
• Travel documents for foreign nationals are generally issued with biometric features—that is, with an electronic storage and processing medium—(exception: provisional travel documents and travel documents for children up to the age of twelve).
• Once travel documents issued with biometric features expire, a new travel document must be issued. Temporary travel documents may be extended under certain conditions.
• Biometric travel documents cannot be extended.
• Recognized refugees and stateless persons may also receive a travel document.

An emergency travel document may be issued to nationals of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA), as well as Switzerland.

Application deadline: The application should be received by the immigration office at least 8 weeks before you need the travel document.

Period of validity: The travel document for foreigners is valid for 2 to 3 years. We issue temporary travel documents with a validity period of up to one year. In individual cases (for example, if the travel document is issued for final departure from Germany), the validity is usually limited to a maximum of one month.

approx. 8

Further information on processing time:

It takes about 4 to 6 weeks for the Federal Printing Office to produce the travel document.

• A recent biometric passport-sized photo (45 x 35 mm)
• Proof of identity and nationality (for example, expired travel documents, certificates, or affidavits)
• Current residence permit, travel document, or current temporary residence authorization, if available

In individual cases, the Foreigners’ Registration Office may require fewer or additional documents.

Card payment preferred