Overview

• The grace period for paper-based photos ended on July 31, requiring all new passport and ID applications from August 1 to use only digitally captured biometrics
• Digital portraits must be taken at on-site government terminals or by certified external providers and transmitted via end-to-end encrypted cloud links to Bürgerämter and Ausländerbehörden
• Municipal offices such as Heidenau will not have functioning photo booths until late August, compelling residents to rely on certified photographers or retail chains for compliant images
• Applicants may face additional fees of up to €6 for digital photo services even though they can choose between supervised kiosks and certified studios
• The shift aims to combat morphing fraud and improve forgery resistance in German identity documents while existing IDs remain valid until their expiration