According to the U.S. State Department, all U.S. military-affiliated personnel in Germany must apply for passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad through their local U.S. military installation passport office.
Passport services on a U.S. military installation are reserved for U.S. DoD ID card holders only. Individuals who do not possess a valid U.S. DoD ID card are not eligible for services at a DoD acceptance facility. All U.S. citizens that do not possess a valid U.S. DoD ID card must contact the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt or Munich.
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is a formal record of a child's birth abroad, establishing their U.S. citizenship. It's issued to children born to one or both U.S. citizen parents who meet the conditions for transmitting citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The CRBA is not a travel document, but it is often applied for alongside a child's first U.S. passport.
The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) outlines the legal framework for U.S. military-affiliated personnel and their dependents stationed in Germany. The SOFA ensures that U.S. forces can operate effectively in Germany while respecting German sovereignty and legal frameworks. SOFA stamps/cards can be obtained through the garrison's Passport Office.
Passports
- OFFICIAL/NO-FEE PASSPORT INSTRUCTIONS
- Initial for adults and children
- Renewal or secondary for adults
- TOURIST PASSPORT INSTRUCTIONS
- Initial and renewal for adults
- Initial and renewal for children
- Important Passport information
- Average return time for Tourist Passports is 4-8 weeks
- Average return time for Official/No-Fee/Diplomatic Passports is 8-12 weeks
- Average return time for Reports of Birth Abroad/Passport for newborns is 8-12 weeks
- Passports are renewable one year prior to the expiration date.
- European countries require 6 months remaining on the passport to make entry, plan accordingly.
- Make your appointment to renew your passport 8-9 months before expiration.
- Lost/Stolen/Mutilated or initial applications require an original birth certificate,
- Applications for a Diplomatic passport, or to replace a Diplomatic with an Official/No-Fee passport, require the passport and all original documents to be sent to the Frankfurt Consulate.
Photos with glasses on are no longer acceptable due to facial recognition technology
PHOTO GUIDELINES
- Schedule your appointment with the Passport Office
CONSULAR REPORT OF BIRTH
REPORT OF BIRTH ABROAD INSTRUCTIONS
- Average return time for Reports of Birth Abroad/Passport for newborns is 8-12 weeks
- Use the application wizard to complete passport application, 2D Barcode is required in upper left hand of application Use German Telephone number
- “Mail to” (Block 8) use USAG Ansbach Passport Office, OPC 454 BOX 36 APO, AE 09250-9001.
- "Is this your permanent address?" Check NO and add your PSC, Rotational, or German address.
- Parents name at birth should be used.
- Select the normal fees, you will not pay online, but you cannot get through the application without selecting a payment price.
- Must check box above “Create Form” or it will go back to the beginning.
- Expedite fees are not available overseas.
- Applications must be printed only on one side of the paper.
- Bring in application pages 5 & 6. No need to print the instruction pages.
- Reports of Birth Abroad require all original documents to be sent to the Frankfurt Consulate.
- Schedule your appointment with the Passport Office
status of forces agreement
- Active duty proof of SOFA is ID Card and orders.
- Dependents and Civilians have 90 days to obtain proof of SOFA after arrival.
- If SOFA expires, you revert to tourist status and again have up to 90 days to obtain a new proof of SOFA.
- SOFA STAMPS in No-Fee/Official Passports are the approved solution for dependents and civilians and expire when the passport does.
- SOFA CARDS are the work-around, if there is no stamp.
- The SOFA Card is issued to the highest held passport and expires the earliest of: end-of-tour, ID card expiration, or passport expiration.
- The SOFA Card is not transferrable to another passport, and it is illegal to have both a SOFA stamp and a SOFA card.
- Schedule your appointment with the Passport Office
AE FORM 600-77A, (FEB 11): Request for Issuance of SOFA Identification
forms
PASSPORT FORMS
- DS-11: Application for a U.S. Passport
- DS-82: U.S. Passport Renewal Application
- DS-5504: Name Change, Data Correction, and Limited Passport Book Replacement
- Above forms must be filled out online for all passport applications prior to appointment at:
U.S. Department of State Passport Applications and Forms
OTHER FORMS
- AE FORM 600-77A, (FEB 11): Request for Issuance of SOFA Identification
- DS-64: Statement Regarding Lost of Stolen Passport
- DS-86: Statement of Non-Receipt of a U.S. Passport
- DS-3053: Statement of Consent or Special Circumstances for minors under age 16
- DS-5507: Affidavit of Physical Presence or Residence, Parentage, and Support
- DS-5525: Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances - For Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 16
- Police or Military Police report (obtained from Police)
- Application for Social Security Number and Card requests