Despite the impression that digitalization in Germany proceeds slowly sometimes, there are occasionally minute indications that progress is being made. People have been able to check their state, private, and employer pensions online since June, and just a few weeks ago, information about a mobile app that allows real-time Schufa checks and credit updates leaked. 

The personal ID card, which is required for all German citizens, as well as the German passport and the electronic residence permit that the majority of long-term residents carry are now targets of the government's attention. 

The process for getting one of these ought to grow far simpler, quicker, and - most importantly - more digital over the ensuing years.

On August 16, the cabinet adopted an ordinance requiring the adjustments, but the Bundesrat still needs to ratify it in September. But if the upper chamber passes it as expected, new processes for obtaining and renewing personal identification documents (IDs), passports, and residence permits will go into effect between November 2023 and May 2025.

These are the important dates and developments to be aware of.

Digital confirmation of PIN letter as of November 1, 2023 

The standard procedure is to receive a letter in the mail with a PIN for the online identification function after applying for any electronic ID document, whether it be a residence permit or a German ID card.

When picking up your ID card in the past, you were typically required to sign off that this document had been received. You will only need to agree to a text message informing you that the PIN has arrived starting in November of this year. 

As a result, it will be possible in the future to obtain passports, personal ID cards, and electronic residency permits from vending machines without making an appointment. 

The process will resemble picking up a package from a DHL Packstation in that the document will be in a locked box that needs a code to open it. The authority will contact the applicant when the ID card or residency permit is prepared for pickup. This person then acknowledges receiving their PIN letter, unlocks the box with the code, and may use their brand-new passport or identification card. 

New legal frameworks to speed up the procedure as of November 1, 2024

The PIN letter for the online ID card will reportedly be given directly to applicants going forward, which should significantly speed up the procedure, according to the Interior Ministry.

The PIN letter is currently mailed out, and it frequently takes weeks to arrive.

The Interior Ministry intends to lay the legal framework for sending items like passports and personal ID cards to recipients immediately by mail - rather than requiring an in-person collection - to speed up the process even more. Unfortunately, there will be a charge for the service. 

The government will modify the laws required to move forward with both of these initiatives in November of next year, but the ministry has warned that it would take some time to implement them technically.

As a result, both modifications—giving out PINs directly and receiving papers via mail—should go into effect in the spring of 2025.

The amendments should really go into effect for applicants for ID cards and residency permits in May 2025. Your PIN letter will be given to you when you arrive for your appointment at the Ausländerbehörde; all you need to do is wait for a confirmation code to collect it from the vending machine or for it to come in the mail.

Another significant change will be the elimination of physical passport photos, which will eliminate the need for you to spend €10 to sit in a tiny photo booth at your local mall.

Instead, digital passport images can be taken at specialized stations at the Ausländerbehörde or Bürgeramt, and those photos can then be evaluated to see if they adhere to the requirements needed. If not, you can immediately retake them and submit the updated versions along with your application to the relevant authorities.

A pilot program for these picture terminals is presently running in Berlin Reinickendorf, Bielefeld, Haldensleben, Herne, Hildesheim, München, Rostock, and Stuttgart, according to the Interior Ministry. November of this year is the deadline for finishing this.

Customers will receive a QR code at the photo studio after the photograph has been shot under a system that is currently being developed by the working group E-Passfoto and association Ringfoto. Authorities can use this to download the image from a secure cloud server so that it can be accessible right away as part of the application.

Another effort to digitalize the process and reduce human error is the transition from analog to digital photography. The process currently takes weeks or even months longer because some images that are sent to the authorities must be remade because they don't accurately represent the subject or don't meet other requirements.