Authorities - In Hesse, the delivery of passports is also delayed
During vacation season, there are delays nationwide in issuing passports. The reason: The Federal Printing Office, which produces the documents, is falling behind due to significantly increased application numbers. This is also noticeable in Hessen, as a survey shows.
"Since the beginning of the year, the Federal Printing Office has seen exceptional numbers of applications for passports, which affects production and delivery times, including in Wiesbaden", explained roughly a Press Spokesperson of the city.
A total of 17,110 passport applications have been made in Wiesbaden this year. In the previous year, the city issued 16,800 passports in the comparison period. "Organizationally, the high application wave could be coped with so far, so that the waiting times for an appointment continue to move within the average range of two to three weeks", said the Spokesperson. Emergency appointments are still being arranged for imminent trips.
"The number of applied for express passports in Wiesbaden is already more than double that of the entire previous year", he reported. They are still being produced within three working days. With the provisional passports, the total annual value of 2023 has already been exceeded.
A 35% increase in applications in Kassel
Currently, there are significant delays in delivery times in Kassel. Since the beginning of the year, they have been increasing steadily, explained a Press Spokesperson of the city. "Normally, the delivery time for regularly applied for passports is in the average range of three to four weeks." Currently, it is around eight weeks. "The increase in applied for passports compared to the previous year is around 35%."
Temporary passports are being issued more frequently these days for the case that the regularly applied for documents are not delivered in time before the start of the next journey of the citizens.
Reasons for the increased application numbers are, among other things, a persistent travel lust, especially for trips outside the EU, as well as the pass requirement for travel to Great Britain due to Brexit. In addition, increasing naturalization numbers and the need for a pass to meet security requirements were mentioned by the Press Spokesperson. Furthermore, the abolition of the children's passport at the beginning of the year was cited.
Long waiting lines in Frankfurt
It was reported in mid-July that requests from citizens who urgently need their – often already weeks in advance applied for – document, are piling up in Frankfurt. The delivery times are currently at eight weeks, which is twice as long as usual. "Because many people needed a new passport or identity card for the holidays, queues formed during application and pick-up, it was reported." Appointments were being booked up quickly.
The staff could only partially cope with the high demand. In Hessen's largest city, approximately 76,000 passport applications and identity cards were applied for in the first half of 2024. That's 4,000 more than in the comparison period of the previous year.
Staff are experiencing frustration from citizens.
We understand the frustration of those affected, as the Frankfurt Citizen's Office, represented by its responsible deputy mayor Eileen O’Sullivan, stated in mid-July: "We at the Frankfurt Citizen's Office always try to find short-term solutions, but we have no understanding for the Bundesdruckerei, which has not been able to grasp these problems for months. Our employees have to absorb the anger of the citizens."
Similarly, in Darmstadt, the delivery time has risen from approximately three to four weeks to eight weeks, according to a city press spokesperson. In Marburg, the production time is currently at two months, as stated by a city spokeswoman. This means that one needs to wait two to three weeks longer than usual.
Residents of Fulda are reminded two months before the document expires
A city press spokeswoman in Fulda stated: "We are also affected by the delayed delivery times of the Bundesdruckerei, but in the past few weeks, we have had no major incidents, as we have been working with a reminder system since April 2023." The citizen's office writes to Ausweis- and Passholders two months before expiration in the context of the citizen service and informs them of the need for a timely reapplication.
In the middle Hessian city, the delivery of passports is currently delayed from three to four weeks to seven to eight weeks. The production time for express passports remains at three to five working days, according to the spokeswoman. "If the requested document is not returned to the office in time for the journey, we currently issue provisional travel documents. These are valid for entry into the respective country if they meet the requirements."
Additional machines are expected to ease the pressure in winter
The Federal Interior Ministry (BMI) announced in early July that since the first weeks of 2024, the number of applications for travel documents has significantly increased. In just four weeks, a record number of over 600,000 travel documents were ordered from the Bundesdruckerei.
"The order numbers are still at very high levels but are slightly declining," it was stated. However, more passports are still being requested than the Bundesdruckerei can produce. In winter, according to the ministry, additional machines are expected, which should eventually lead to a sustainable easing of production times.
According to the BMI, citizens can still pick up their passport within three days at the office with an express order. However, this comes with additional costs of 32 Euro per document. An interim travel document costs 26 Euro and is valid for a maximum of twelve months. For a regular passport, people under 24 years pay 37.50 Euro, and the document is valid for six years. For people over 24 years, a passport with a ten-year validity costs 70 Euro.
- Despite the delays in passport delivery times in Frankfurt, citizens are still applying for passports and identity cards in large numbers, with over 76,000 applications made in the first half of 2024.
- In Frankfurt, emergency appointments are being arranged for imminent trips due to the significant delays in delivery times, which are currently at eight weeks, twice as long as usual.
- The Federal Printing Office in Wiesbaden, responsible for producing passports, has seen a 35% increase in applications in Kassel, leading to significant delays in delivery times.
- The Frankfurter Rundschau reported in mid-July that the Federal Printing House's inability to keep up with the high demand for passports and identity cards has led to frustration among citizens.
- In Hesse, the city of Fulda has implemented a reminder system for passport and identity card holders, reminding them two months before the document expires to apply for a renewal.
- The Federal Interior Ministry (BMI) announced in early July that additional machines are expected to be added in winter, which should ease the pressure on the production times of travel documents.
