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FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
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Passport
FAQs regarding passport applications
Please use the online booking system. If you get an error message, close your browser session and start a new one to try again.
Please book one appointment per applicant.
If you want to apply for an ID card, please book a separate appointment.
No. You have to apply at the German mission in which consular district you have your place of residence.
In order to apply for a passport, you need either the original documents or copies certified by a German authority. Certifications by Tanzanian authorities (commissioner of oaths, police etc) will not be accepted.
If you no longer possess a document in the original, you can apply for a new one, see Getting a civil Status certificate from Germany or Tanzania
There is no central civil registry or passport registry in Germany. German citizens living abroad are generally responsible for maintaining their own personal archives. German Missions abroad do not keep permanent archives for German citizens.
When applying for a passport, you have to present all necessary proof of identity, citizenship, your legal name, etc.
There is no minimum waiting period.
Please lodge your application at least a few months before your old passport expires. Be reminded that according to Tanzanian rules and regulations the passport needs tob e valid for at least six months.
Please understand that we do not have the capacity to double check your application prior to your appointment, neither can we give binding information regarding individual applications in advance. Your documentation will be checked during your appointment.
Have you lived in Germany or outside of Tanzania in the past? Then you need to prove that your place of residence is with the German Embassy in Dar Es Salaam.
If you resided in Germany, read here
Did you reside somewhere else? If your last country of residence had an obligation of registration, you have to submit the proof of deregistration. If your last country of residence had no registration system, you need to prove that you now live in the consular district oft he German Embassy Dar Es Salaam (e.g. rental agreement, employment contract, municipal accounts, etc.).
No, you can authorise a third party to collect on your behalf with the following documentation:
- written and signed authorisation stating the full name of the person collecting on your behalf
- passport or ID of the third party
- your application receipt
- your previous passport
- all documentation that you were told to submit upon collection in the original
Only your German ID needs tob e collected personally
No. Having a German ID card only is useful if you often travel and stay in Germany.
No. German Missions do not have the authority to issue Tanzanian visas or residency permits. Please contact Immigration in Tanzania.
German Missions do not maintain archives for you. Under no circumstances do we keep original documentation. German citizens are generally responsible for keeping their own personal archives. If you are missing an original document or certificate, you can apply for it with the relevant issuing authority, see here
Passports for Minors
Children under the age of 18
Yes.
All legal guardians must be present in person. If one parent cannot come to the Embassy, the following documentation must be presented:
original consent form of the absent parent, certified by a German authority (Tanzanian certifications are not accepted; German certifications can be done by German notaries, embassies, consulates, honorary consul, municipal administrations) OR
proof of sole guardianship, i.e. court order OR
death certificate of the other parent
No, one parent can collect a child's passport.
Yes.
The regulations for biometric photos only apply to children of 6 years and older. Please read here about the regulations pertaining to babies.
Miscellaneous Questions about Passport
No. You can only apply for a new passport. Even if you have had a German passport before, you need to submit in the original all the documentation listed for passport application.
In principle, German citizens may hold only one German passport.
Only if a valid reason for the necessity of a second passport can be proven, an exception may be made. One example could be if your job involves regular trips to countries for which Germans require a visa, and you therefore often have to hand in your passport to other embassies for visa applications. If this applies to you, you must present a detailed letter from your employer and your previous visas and entry and exit stamps in addition to the usual documents required to apply for a passport.
If you are travelling between Germany and a foreign country, you must carry both valid passports with you. You would have to show your German passport to German border officials and possibly your foreign passport to foreign border officials (also depending on citizendhsip and/or residence permit). The airline might insist on seeing both passports.
Comprehensive and up-to-date information is available on the website of the German Embassy in London
If you got married in Tanzania, your name has not automatically changed in Germany. Not even if you already have a foreign passport in the new name. You must give a name declaration for the German legal sphere, see here
You are not required to deliver the passport to the German Mission. But please send us a copy of the death certificate.
If your father received a pension from Germany, you are obliged to promptly inform the pension authority in Germany of his passing.
We are legally not allowed to recommend an individual photographer. Please refer your chosen photographer to the requirements for biometric photos for German passports, see here
Citizenship and Naturalization
One cannot obtain German citizenship by marriage.
If you are married to a German citizen, you can apply for naturalisation after having lived with your spouse in Germany for at least 3 years.
You cannot apply for German citizenship based on the fact that you had a German ancestor.
It is possible that you are a German citizen by birth if one of your parents was a German citizen at the time, for example because German citizenship was handed down each generation, starting with the ancestor who emigrated from Germany. You cannot be a German citizen if citizenship was not legally handed down to each generation, without having skipped one. Read here
Most probably, your siblings did not become German citizens but were born German. Please read here to understand the difference between applying for German citizenship and having received German citizenship automatically by law.
Maybe your siblings applied for a determination of citizenship certificate to simply confirm that they are German. If you wish to apply for a certificate of citizenship, read here
Please understand the difference between applying for German citizenship and applying for a certificate of German citizenship, read here
It is almost impossible to apply for German citizenship while living abroad. Did you instead mean that you are a German citizen automatically by law and wish to apply for a certificate of citizenship as confirmation? Read here
No. Read here
Family Matters: Births - Marriages - Names
Name Declarations
Yes, most likely. If you as the parents had a common married name at the time of his/her birth, then your child automatically carries this surname. If you did not have a common married name, a German name declaration is most likely necessary. Please read here
The German Mission cannot know whether you gave a name declaration or not. While you can do your declaration at the German Mission abroad, it is forwarded to the competent registry office in Germany. Due to data protection laws, the Embassy is not permitted to keep any information on your case.
You can inquire at the registry office, see here
A new certificate can be applied for at the registry office in Germany, see here
For a declaration for a married name, both spouses have to appear in person.
For a child's name declaration, both parents and children of 14 years and older must appear in person.
No. All documents must be presented either in the original, or as copies certified by a German authority.
Simple copies or certifications by a Tanzanian authority (commissioner of oaths, police, etc) are not accepted.
No. You first need to do the name declaration. The name will only become valid upon receipt by the registrar’s office in Germany. After obtaining said document/proof of name you can then proceed to apply the passport
We forward your name declaration to the competent registry office in Germany. Once the name has been confirmed, you may book an appointment fort he passport application.
No. The registry office's fee has to be paid to them directly via EFT.
Marriages
The German Embassy cannot attest to your marital status. Confirmation can only be gotten from your local registry office in Germany in form of a “Ehefähigkeitszeugnis” (letter of non-impediment), see here
Please contact your local registry office in Germany.
If you got married abroad and all marriage requirements were fulfilled, then your marriage is automatically valid in Germany, regardless of whether you registered it with the registry office.
Germans who got divorced by a foreign divorce court must always apply for formal recognition of this divorce in Germany
If you got married abroad and the marriage requirements were met, then your marriage is automatically valid in Germany, regardless of whether you registered it with the registry office. However, should you intend to choose a name it would make sense to register the marriage.
Births
Were you yourself born outside of Germany after 31.12.1999?
Then you must register your child within one year of birth, Read here
Were you yourself born before 31.12.1999? A birth registration is voluntary and there is no deadline.
No. Read Here
Yes. Read here.
No. A German birth certificate is proof of your parentage, your name and date and place of birth.
No.
Exception: If a name declaration is necessary, then both parents must appear in person.
Yes, if your child has never had a German passport before.
No, if your child already has a German passport. Exception: If a name declaration is necessary and if your child is 14 years or older, then he/she must accompany you
Miscellaneous
No. A new driver's license can only be applied for at and issued by your local licensing authority in Germany.
Yes. Read Here.
You have to immediately inform the pension authority in Germany.
Schengen-Visa
Yes, you can. According to the Schengen agreement, visas are valid for: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Please note, however, that you must always apply at the embassy of the country which is your primary Destination.
Yes, you can. Please carefully check the validity of the visa, the permitted number of entries
It depends on your nationality, on whether your next destination is outside the Schengen area and on the airport you will transit through. Read here for more information.
If you do not have a confirmed onward flight from Germany, you must always apply for a regular tourist visa.
According to German law your passport must be valid for at least three months upon conclusion of your trip. However, as Tanzania requires the valddity of six months the passport has to be valid at least six months.
Ask your friends/relatives to complete and sign a formal letter of obligation (“Verpflichtungserklärung”) and submit this when you apply for your visa. Further information can be found here
If your trip is fully sponsored by a third party in Germany (friend, relative or organisation), you must present a formal letter of obligation called “Verpflichtungserklärung” given by your host. The Verpflichtungserklärung can be given at the local Aliens Office (“Ausländerbehörde”) and must then be forwarded to you in order for you to apply for your visa.
Just ask your friend/relatives to send you an informal invitation. This must include their name, address and a copy of their passport. A copy of their residence permit is an additional requirement if your friends/relatives in Germany are not German nationals. If your friends/relatives will pay for your travel expenses, you will also need to submit a formal letter of obligation.
You will apply for a so called visit visa.
Please include your business registration (as well as BRELA document that provides proof that you own the company) and latest bank statements (covering three months time) to complete your application.
Imagine you are injured during your stay in Germany. Please check carefully whether your medical insurance would cover costs for medical treatment abroad. You will need to submit health insurance documents which reflect coverage during your stay in Europe when applying for the visa.
Please submit your application and all necessary documents listed for the required type of visa. If you attach a copy or certified copy of your marriage certificate (with a legalization), your visa will be free of charge.
All first time minor applicants must appear in person.
Biometrics are taken from the age of 12. Minor applicants of 12 years and older with previous applications must therefore also appear in person if they have not given biometrics within the last 5 years.
Processing time takes 15 consecutive days from date of application.
You will find comprehensive information on Schengen-Visa legislation and documents (including those mandatory under Art. 47 of the Visa Code for information of the general public) on the website of the European Commission, Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs.
- Most likely you handed in an incomplete application and the visa had to be refused due to missing information or
- You do not meet the requirements to obtain a visa.
We recommend to re-apply with complete documentation or once you meet the criteria. Additional information on how to proceed or which legal options or actions you can take can be found in your refusal. The refusal letter also states the reason for the refusal. Sometimes information is added under ‚additional remarks‘.
Should you wish to have the decision reviewed by the Embassy, please note that you would have to hand in such request within one month after the refusal and provide reasons and additional documents. The document needs to be signed but can be forwarded as an E-Mail.
Contacting the Embassy via E-Mail or contact form only, does not meet the criteria as no signature is provided. If a third party requests to have the decision reviewed on your behalf, not only a signed letter but also a signed authorization by yourself needs to be send to us. The document should include reference number as well as personal details (name, passport number, date of birth).
The review can take up to three months. During this time you should refrain from any status update enquiries. These will not be answered.