Delayed issuing of passports causes frustration
For those planning to go on vacation, a passport is often required. However, the process of obtaining one is currently taking longer than usual. The German City Council is complaining that citizens are being asked to pay at the counter due to delivery issues with the Federal Printing Office.
At the beginning of the vacation season, there are reportedly greater delays in issuing passports, causing frustration for those affected. "There are delays in passport and ID offices in the cities," said Helmut Dedy, the main managing director of the City Council, to Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
"It can now take up to eight weeks for passports to be delivered - normally it takes about two weeks," said Dedy. Many citizens were caught off guard when their requested passports did not arrive on time for their vacation. The reason for this, according to Dedy, is delivery issues at the Federal Printing Office.
The Federal Interior Ministry had already announced in May that, due to unusually high order volumes, the Federal Printing Office as a passport and ID issuer would not be able to complete all document order processing within the usual production time. The Interior Ministry assumed that, in times of the Corona pandemic, the identity card would be sufficient for most people. In the first weeks of this year, then, the application numbers for passports were remarkably higher than usual.
Costs up to 170 Euro
According to the RND report, Dedy sees the cities as problematic intermediaries: "The delivery problem lies with the Federal Printing Office, which receives justified criticism from applicants, but the city employees do." If the new passport does not come on time, many people decide to make a second application with express processing, said Dedy. Citizens then end up paying for both the first and second application.
He referred to the fact that the new passport and express processing together cost more than 100 Euro – in addition to the costs for the first ordered passport. In total, around 170 Euro must be paid. Citizens were in fact paying for the delivery issues of the Federal Printing Office. "That's hardly acceptable and not citizen-friendly," so Dedy.
He demanded that the responsible Federal Interior Ministry ensure that the costs for the first application are reimbursed. In addition, the Federal Printing Office should ensure that the order for the first passport is cancelled if a second passport is ordered with express processing. This would also be in the interest of the Federal Printing Office itself, as cancelled orders would not overload production any longer.
The German Association of Cities joins the criticism, expressing concern over the increased costs for citizens due to delivery issues at the Federal Printing Office. In light of these issues, the association requests that the Federal Ministry of the Interior reimburses the costs for the first passport application, and cancels the order if a second passport with express processing is requested.
