German Passport - Child's Passport

Child's Passport

A unique type of passport issued by Germany since 2006 is a Child’s Passport (in German: Kinderreisepass). Unlike a regular German passport, the Kinderreisepass does not include biometric features and lacks the insignia of the European Union at the top of the front cover. The exclusion of biometric information is due to the ongoing development of infants and young children and the low security risk they pose; nevertheless, the photo used in the passport does have to comply with biometric standards. All other features are similar to those of a regular passport: the burgundy red color and the German coat of arms engraved at the center of the front cover. Kinderreisepässe are issued for children up to twelve years of age and are valid for a six years period. When a child reaches the age of twelve, a regular passport must be obtained for international travel.

A Child’s passport has sixteen pages (unlike the regular’s 32), of which eleven are designated for stamping and the others are used for a title page, instructions and personal information. The first page features the words “Child's Passport” in three languages: German, English and French.

Unlike a regular passport, the information pages in a Kinderreisepass are not security laminated (yet do have other security features) and have a different format. The information included is more or less the same, with the following differences: The type of passport is PC (Passport for children) instead of P (Passport). As in other passports, the main information page ends with a 2-line machine-readable code, according to ICAO standard 9303.

A Child’s passport serves just like any other passport, with the exception that it is not biometric (or e-Passport). As a result, travelling to the USA, for example, requires a tourist visa in spite of Germany’s participation in the United States Visa Waiver Program, if the Kinderreisepass is issued after 25 October 2006. Alternatively, infants and children of any age are allowed to obtain a regular German passport (biometric) instead of a Child’s passport, which nevertheless has the advantages of low cost, short processing times and being issuable by honorary consuls (making them easier to obtain by German emigrants who live far away from a German embassy or consulate). Just like Provisional passports, Children passports are issued without being sent to the Bundesdruckerei GmbH, which is the main reason behind these advantages.