Your Child's ID Documents Are a Bürgerbüro Errand, Not a KVR One, and the Rules Are Genuinely Different
A child's German passport or ID card is handled at Munich's Bürgerbüro, a genuinely separate office and process from the KVR's Ausländerbehörde that deals with residence permits, an appointment is required, and your child has to physically appear in person for the application, there's no exception for young children. Only someone with actual custody rights can apply on a child's behalf, and if both parents share custody and live together, one parent applying alone is enough as long as they bring a written consent declaration from the other, if the parents live separately, only the parent the child's main residence is registered with can apply. A genuinely important, easy-to-miss update: the Kinderreisepass, the simplified children's travel pass, was abolished as of January 1, 2024, no new ones can be issued, renewed, or updated since then, meaning your child now needs a full passport instead. Since May 1, 2025, applications also require a certified digital passport photo rather than a printed one, a real, recent process change worth knowing about before you show up with an old-style photo.
The Official Rule
Assuming your child’s passport or ID card appointment runs through the same office and process as your own residence permit business is a genuinely easy, understandable mistake, and one worth correcting before you show up at the wrong place.
A child’s German passport or ID card is handled specifically at Munich’s Bürgerbüro, a completely separate office from the KVR’s Ausländerbehörde that deals with residence permits. Munich’s own official service page confirms this is its own distinct process, an appointment is required, and every family member needing new identity documents, your child included, has to appear in person for the application, there’s no exception carved out for young children.
| Family situation | Who can apply |
|---|---|
| Joint custody, parents living together | One parent, with the other's written consent declaration |
| Parents living separately | Only the parent the child's main residence is registered with |
| All cases | The child must physically appear in person |
Only someone with actual custody rights can apply on a child’s behalf, and the specific rule depends on your family’s living situation. BayernPortal’s official guidance confirms that if both parents share custody and live together, it’s sufficient for one parent to apply alone with a written consent declaration from the other. If the parents live separately, this shifts meaningfully: only the parent with whom the child’s main residence is actually registered can apply, not simply either parent regardless of address.
A genuinely important, easy-to-miss change: the Kinderreisepass no longer exists as an option at all. The same official guidance confirms the Kinderreisepass, the simplified children’s travel pass that used to be a cheaper, easier alternative to a full passport, was abolished as of January 1, 2024. Since then, no new ones can be issued, existing ones can’t be renewed, and they can’t be updated with new information either, your child needs a full Reisepass instead, a genuinely permanent shift from how this worked before that date.
A second, more recent process change is worth confirming before your specific appointment. As of May 1, 2025, applications require a certified digital passport photo rather than a traditional printed one, Munich’s Reisepass service page and Personalausweis service page both reflect this current requirement, worth checking directly with your specific Bürgerbüro or photo provider on the actual mechanics before you arrive.
What Real People Say
Families navigating this for the first time consistently describe the same initial assumption, that a child’s ID documents would somehow be folded into whichever office handles the family’s broader immigration or residence business, only to discover the Bürgerbüro runs an entirely separate booking system and process from the KVR’s Ausländerbehörde.
Separated or divorced parents specifically describe genuine confusion around the custody-based application rule, several mention initially assuming either parent could simply show up with the child, only to learn that living apart specifically narrows who’s actually authorized to apply to whichever parent the child’s main residence is registered under, a detail worth confirming well before an appointment rather than discovering it at the counter.
Step by Step
- Book your child’s passport or ID appointment through Munich’s Bürgerbüro specifically, not through the KVR’s residence-permit booking system, these are genuinely separate processes.
- Confirm which parent is actually authorized to apply based on your specific custody and living situation, joint custody living together needs one parent plus the other’s written consent, living separately narrows this to the parent the child’s main residence is registered with.
- Bring your child to the appointment in person, there’s no exception for young children.
- Don’t request a Kinderreisepass, this option was abolished on 1 January 2024, request a full Reisepass instead.
- Confirm the current digital photo requirement with your Bürgerbüro or a photo provider before your appointment, this changed as of 1 May 2025.
Compliance Note
This page explains the general process for obtaining a child’s German passport or ID card in Munich, current as of mid-2026. It is not legal advice, and specific requirements, custody rules, and processes can vary by individual family situation. Confirm your specific situation directly with Munich’s Bürgerbüro.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
We're only planning to renew our residence permits soon. Does that appointment also cover our child's passport?
No, genuinely not, these run through completely separate offices and processes. Residence permits are handled by the KVR's Servicestelle für Zuwanderung und Einbürgerung, while a child's German passport or ID card is a Bürgerbüro matter entirely, you'll need a separate appointment specifically for the passport or ID application, it isn't bundled with residence permit business at all.
My co-parent and I share custody but live at separate addresses. Can either of us apply for our child's passport alone?
No, specifically because you live separately, only the parent with whom the child's main residence (Hauptwohnsitz) is registered can apply, this is a meaningfully different rule than for parents who share custody and live together, where one parent applying with the other's written consent is sufficient. Confirm which of you the child's registered main residence is actually under before assuming either of you can apply.
Can we still get our child a Kinderreisepass since it's simpler and cheaper than a full passport?
No, this option genuinely no longer exists. The Kinderreisepass was abolished as of January 1, 2024, and since then no new ones can be issued, existing ones can't be renewed, and they can't be updated with new information either. Your child needs a full Reisepass instead, this is a real, permanent change from how things worked before 2024, not a temporary restriction.
What kind of photo do we need to bring for our child's application?
As of May 1, 2025, applications require a certified digital passport photo rather than a traditional printed one, this is a genuinely recent process change. Confirm directly with your specific Bürgerbüro or an approved photo provider how this digital certification actually works before your appointment, rather than showing up with an old-style printed photo that may no longer be accepted the way it once was.