German passport

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Cover of German biometric passport
Cover of German biometric passport

German passports are issued to nationals of Germany for the purpose of international travel. A German passport is, besides the German ID card, the only other officially recognized document that German (and most other EU) authorities will routinely accept as proof of identity from German citizens. Besides serving as proof of identity and German nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from German consular officials abroad (or other EU-members in the case that a German consular facility is absent). German passports are valid for ten years (for people older than 25) and five years (for people younger than 26) and share the standardised layout and burgundy red design with other EU passports.

Historic Passport of the GDR.
Historic Passport of the GDR.

Contents

[edit] Physical appearance

German passports have followed since 1 January 1988 the standard European Union passport design, with burgundy red cover and the German Coat of arms (eagle) emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The word "Reisepass" (German for passport) is inscribed below the coat of arms, while "Europäische Union" (German for European Union) and "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (German for Federal Republic of Germany) appear above.

German passports are normally 32 pages long; a 48-page version for frequent travellers can be issued on request.

[edit] Identity Information Page

German biometric Information Page
German biometric Information Page

The first two pages of a German passport are security laminated and the second page includes the following data:

  • Photo of passport holder
  • Type of document (P = passport)
  • Code for issuing country (D = Germany)
  • Passport number (10 decimal digits)
  • Surname (1)
  • Given names (2)
  • Nationality (3)
  • Date of birth (4)
  • Sex (5)
  • Place of birth (6)
  • Date of issue (7)
  • Date of expiry (8)
  • Authority that issued the passport (9)
  • Holder's signature (10)

The page ends with a 2-line machine readable zone, according to ICAO standard 9303.

In November 2001, an "identigram" feature was added to the information page, which copies the photograph and the information from the machine-readable zone into a holographic structure.

[edit] Following page

The following page lists:

[edit] Passport note

Passports may contain a note from the issuing state that is addressed to the authorities of other states. Such notes are found in European passports on the inside of the back cover page. The note inside German passports reads:

"Dieser Reisepass ist Eigentum der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
This passport is the property of the Federal Republic of Germany
Ce passeport est propriété de la République fédérale d'Allemagne"

[edit] Languages

The data page/information page is printed in German, English and French.

[edit] RFID chip with biometric certificate

Since 1 November 2005, German passports had a contactless smartcard (proximity card) chip and 13.56 MHz loop antenna embedded into the back cover page, in accordance with ICAO standards. The chip and antenna are not easily visually recognizable, but their presence is indicated using the ICAO biometric passport symbol at the bottom of the front cover. It carries all the data printed in the passport, including a JPEG file of the photo, protected by a digital signature.

On 1 November 2007, several changes were made to the passport:

  • Applicants have to provide – in addition to the traditional passport data – also scans of two fingerprints, which are added to the chip.
  • The previously 10-digit, all-numeric, sequentially assigned serial number was replaced with a new alphanumeric pseudorandomly assigned higher-entropy serial number, to increase the entropy of the serial number from previously 35 to now 45 bits[1] and thus improve the cryptographic key strength of the Basic Access Control mechanism of the RFID chip by 10 bit, which makes a brute force attack about 1000× more expensive.
  • The validity period of passports issued to holders under the age of 24 increases from five to six years; older applicants receive a 10-year-valid passport.
  • The field "Religious name or pseudonym" is no longer included.

[edit] Issuing process

German passports are issued, just like German ID cards, by local municipal registration offices. Applicants have to apply for a new passport in person and the data in newly issued passports is essentially an authenticated copy of the personal data found in locally stored registration documents. Passports are then manufactured centrally at Bundesdruckerei GmbH ( the former German government printing office which was privatized into a commercial security-printing business in 2000).

Provisional passports and passports for children can be issued locally in the municipality without sending them to the Bundesdruckerei GmbH. These passports are accepted worldwide (except to enter the United States of America as they do not contain the electronic chip).

[edit] Visa-free access & Visa-on-arrival

According to a study done by Henley & Partners, Germany has a Henley Visa Restrictions Index of 129, which means that German citizens enjoy visa-free access to 129 countries and territories for short-term tourism visits. Germany is ranked 2nd in the study in terms of international travel freedom.

188 countries and territories grant German passport holders visa-free or visa-upon-arrival access, of which 151 are accessible without any visa at all.[2]

Countries and territories with visa-free entries or visas on arrival for holders of regular German passports


[edit] Africa

[edit] America

[edit] Asia

[edit] Europe

[edit] Oceania

[edit] References

  1. ^ Dennis Kügler, BSI, talk at CeBIT 2008. [1]

[edit] External links