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

The travel document for foreigners is a German passport substitute that can be issued in special exceptional cases.

You can apply for a travel document for foreigners if you come from a non-EU country, do not have a passport or passport substitute from your home country, and cannot obtain such a document in a reasonable manner.

As a rule, it is considered reasonable

• applying for a new passport or passport substitute or for an extension of your passport or passport substitute in your home country in good time before it expires, cooperating with the official procedure, and
• paying the fees specified for this in your country of origin.

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

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.

If you are only temporarily without a passport, a travel document for foreigners will only be issued if there are compelling reasons for doing so.

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

• your stay in Germany is legal, i.e., you either already have a residence permit (residence permit, settlement permit, EC long-term residence permit) 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 the issuance of the travel document, or
  • compelling reasons require the issuance of the travel document, or
  • the refusal of the travel document would constitute undue hardship

and the asylum procedure is not jeopardized.

The immigration authorities may stipulate that the travel document shall only be valid for certain countries or continents.

If the country of origin refuses to issue a passport or passport substitute for reasons that also exist in German passport law, no travel document can be issued.

• You are a citizen 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 reasonably possible for you to obtain a passport or passport substitute from your country of origin.
• You meet one of the following requirements:
  • You either hold a residence permit (residence permit, settlement permit, EC long-term residence permit) or are to receive one together with the travel document.
  • The travel document is intended to enable you to leave the federal territory permanently.

You are in the asylum process and there is an urgent public interest in issuing the travel document, compelling reasons require this, or it would be unduly harsh if you were not issued the travel document, 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 entitlement to the issuance of a travel document for foreigners. Each case is decided on an individual basis.
• Travel documents for foreigners contain the following visible information: issuing authority, date of issue, period of validity, serial number, personal data of the document holder (surname and, if applicable, maiden name, first names, doctorate, date and place of birth, gender, height, eye color, place of residence, nationality, photograph, and signature).
• Travel documents for foreigners are usually issued with biometric features, i.e., with an electronic storage and processing medium (exception: temporary travel documents and travel documents for children under the age of 12).
• Once travel documents issued with biometric features have expired, a new travel document must be issued. Temporary travel documents can be extended under certain conditions.
• Processing media cannot be extended.
• Recognized refugees and stateless persons can also obtain a travel document.

An emergency travel document can be issued to citizens of European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries, 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.

Approximately 8

Further information on processing times:

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

• Current biometric passport-size photo (45 x 35 mm)
• Proof of identity and nationality (e.g., expired travel documents, certificates, or affidavits)
• Current residence permit, travel document, or current temporary residence permit, if available

In individual cases, the immigration office may request less or more evidence.

Card payment preferred