Updated on April 27, 2026
Transfer Residence Card or Permanent Residence Card to New Passport
Do you have a new passport? This is how you transfer your residence card or permanent residence card quickly and easily.
At a glance
How do you transfer your residence card or permanent residence card to a new passport?
Do you have a residence card or permanent residence card and have received a new passport? Then you can have your card reissued.
Don't have a residence card or permanent residence card but a residence title such as a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis)? Then please refer to the section "Further information".
Important if you want to travel abroad before the new card is issued: Take both your old and your new passport with you. This way you can re-enter Germany.
Different conditions may apply in the country you wish to travel to. Inform yourself in good time which documents you need for your trip. You can obtain information, for example, from the foreign mission of the country you wish to travel to.
Requirements
Who qualifies?
- You can apply for the transfer if your residence card or permanent residence card was issued to you as a family member of an EU/EEA citizen and you yourself do not hold the citizenship of an EU or EEA Member State (EEA = Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway).
Additional requirements
- You must already have a new passport.
- You must have your main residence registered in Berlin.
- You must appear in person at the immigration office and schedule an appointment in advance via the contact form with departments F 1 and F 2.
How to apply
Schedule an appointment via the contact form with departments F 1 and F 2 at the immigration office
Gather all required documents: your new passport, your previous residence card or permanent residence card, and a current biometric passport photo
Attend the appointment in person and bring all documents
Submit your application for the transfer
Done! The authority will reissue your residence card or permanent residence card with your new passport
Since 01.05.2025 only digital photos are accepted. Learn more
Applicants aged 24 and over
- Applicants up to age 2427,60 EUR
- Digital passport photo at the self-service terminal on site6,00 EUR
Good to know
Your residence card or permanent residence card is not an independent identity document. It is only valid together with your registered national passport. Without a valid passport, the card cannot be used.
Da sie keine Identitätsdokumente darstellen, sind sie nur zusammen mit dem eingetragenen Nationalpass oder Personalausweis gültig.
VAB C.5/C.2a/C.15/C.9/C.16, S. 752-793
The residence card and the permanent residence card are purely declaratory. This means: Your right of residence exists even without the card. The card only documents your right to the outside world.
Durch ihren rein deklaratorischen Charakter ist ihr Besitz für einen rechtmäßigen Aufenthalt ohne Bedeutung.
VAB C.5/C.2a/C.15/C.9/C.16, S. 752-793
If you have acquired a permanent right of residence, you will receive a permanent residence card without time limit. Even when transferring to a new passport, it remains unlimited. The authority must issue it to you in this way.
Familienangehörige, die gem. § 4a ein Daueraufenthaltsrecht erworben haben, erhalten eine unbefristet ausgestellte Daueraufenthaltskarte
VAB C.5/C.2a/C.15/C.9/C.16, S. 752-793
Contact & Responsibility
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The responsible department depends on your surname and/or nationality.
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Transfer Residence Card or Permanent Residence Card to New Passport
After the appointment, it takes approximately 4 weeks until the residence card is issued as an electronic residence title and can be collected.