New Passport in Berlin: How to Transfer Your Residence Permit

Getting a new passport does not automatically update the passport details linked to your German residence permit.

If your valid Berlin residence permit still refers to your old passport, Berlin generally expects you to have the permit reissued or transferred to the new passport.

The process can be straightforward, but the right office depends on details such as who issued your residence permit, whether you still have the old passport and how much time passed between the old passport expiring and the new one being issued.

Important scope: This article provides general administrative information. SettlyGo can help you identify the visible Berlin process, organize documents, prepare questions and support ordinary German communication. SettlyGo does not provide legal or immigration advice, determine your residence or travel rights, represent you before the Bürgeramt or LEA, or guarantee that a residence permit will be transferred or reissued.

What does "transfer the residence permit" mean?

Berlin calls the procedure "Aufenthaltserlaubnis auf einen neuen Pass übertragen".

Your residence permit remains connected to identifying information from the passport used when it was issued. After you receive a new passport, the residence document may therefore need to be reissued with the new passport details.

Berlin's official residence-permit transfer service explains the current local rules, required documents, fees and responsible offices.

This is not the same as extending an expiring residence permit.

First check: does your residence permit expire within six months?

This is one of Berlin's most important practical warnings.

If your residence permit is valid for no more than six additional months, Berlin says a separate transfer is generally no longer worthwhile.

Instead, Berlin recommends waiting for the residence-permit extension process at the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), which can avoid paying for and producing a new card shortly before another renewal is needed.

Do not interpret this as permission to ignore an approaching residence-permit expiry date. If your permit is close to expiring, check the correct extension procedure and deadlines for your residence category.

Can you do the transfer at a Bürgeramt?

Often, yes — but only if Berlin's conditions for Bürgeramt processing are met.

Berlin currently says a Bürgeramt can generally handle the transfer when all of the following apply:

your Hauptwohnsitz is in Berlin;
you still have the expired old passport containing or linked to the valid residence permit;
the residence permit was issued by Berlin's immigration authority or was last transferred by a Berlin Bürgeramt;
the old passport is complete;
no more than six months passed between the old passport's expiry date and the new passport's issue date; and
you have not remained outside Germany continuously for more than six months.

If those conditions are satisfied, Berlin says the service can generally be used at Berlin Bürgerämter citywide.

When is the LEA responsible instead?

The Landesamt für Einwanderung is responsible when the Bürgeramt conditions are not met.

Berlin gives examples such as:

you no longer have the old passport;
the residence permit was not issued by Berlin's immigration authority and was not last transferred by a Berlin Bürgeramt; or
another Bürgeramt eligibility condition is missing.

If your situation is unusual, use the official service page to determine the responsible office instead of booking a random Bürgeramt appointment.

Do you need an appointment?

Yes.

Berlin currently states that transfers at both the Bürgeramt and LEA are generally handled only with an appointment and personal attendance.

The official service page provides Berlin-wide appointment booking for eligible Bürgeramt cases.

Appointment availability changes frequently, so use the live Berlin booking system rather than relying on an old screenshot or third-party availability claim.

Which documents should you bring?

Berlin currently lists:

your new passport;
your old passport;
your current residence permit;
the Zusatzblatt, if your electronic residence title has one; and
a current biometric passport photo that meets the current digital-photo rules.

Your residence permit may be an electronic residence title (eAT) or, in older cases, a residence permit sticker in the previous passport.

If your old passport was stolen and you reported the theft to police, Berlin says to bring the police report to the appointment.

The authority can request additional documents depending on your case.

What changed for biometric photos?

Berlin's official service page reflects the nationwide rule introduced from May 1, 2025: biometric passport photos for this process are generally created directly at authorities or transmitted digitally from participating photo studios through a secure system.

Do not assume a printed biometric photo from an ordinary photo booth will be accepted.

Check the current instructions for your appointment location before going, because the available photo setup can differ by office.

Berlin currently lists a €6 fee when a digital photo is created at an authority's self-service terminal.

How much does the transfer cost?

Berlin currently lists these standard transfer fees:

€67.00 for adults;
€33.50 for minors;
€27.60 for Turkish citizens under 24; and
€46.00 for Turkish citizens aged 24 or older.

Berlin also lists fee exemptions for specific groups and circumstances, including some recipients of certain social benefits and some protected-status residence permits.

The fee rules can depend on your status, so check the current official page before your appointment rather than assuming the standard adult fee always applies.

How long does the new residence card take?

Berlin currently states that after the appointment it takes approximately four weeks for the residence permit to be produced as a new electronic residence title and become available for collection.

That is the card-production estimate after the appointment. It does not include the time you may spend waiting for an appointment.

Avoid booking important travel based only on the four-week estimate.

Can you travel before the residence permit is transferred?

Berlin gives specific guidance for this situation.

If you need to travel before the new residence card has been issued, Berlin says to take:

your old passport;
your valid residence permit; and
your new passport.

Berlin states that these documents can be used for re-entry to Germany while the residence permit remains valid.

However, the country you are travelling to or transiting through may apply different document rules.

Check those requirements separately with the relevant embassy, consulate, airline or border authority before travelling. SettlyGo cannot determine whether a specific trip or transit route is legally safe for you.

What if you no longer have the old passport?

Do not assume that a normal Bürgeramt transfer is still available.

Berlin explicitly routes cases where the old passport is no longer available to the LEA rather than the ordinary Bürgeramt transfer path.

If the passport was stolen, bring the police theft report if you made one.

If your residence permit itself is also lost or stolen, that is a different problem from simply receiving a replacement passport and can require additional steps such as reporting the residence document and dealing with the eID function.

What if your residence permit was issued outside Berlin?

A Berlin Bürgeramt generally requires the residence permit to have been issued by Berlin's immigration authority or last transferred by a Berlin Bürgeramt.

If that condition is not met, Berlin directs the transfer to the LEA.

This is an easy detail to miss after moving to Berlin from another German city.

Do not assume that having completed Anmeldung in Berlin automatically makes every Bürgeramt eligible to reissue a residence document created by another immigration authority.

What if more than six months passed between the two passports?

For the Bürgeramt route, Berlin currently requires no more than six months between:

the expiry date of the old passport; and
the issue date of the new passport.

If the gap is longer, the Bürgeramt eligibility conditions are not met and the case should be handled through the LEA.

This six-month rule is about which Berlin authority can perform this transfer procedure. It should not be treated as a general statement about the legal validity of your residence status.

Does the new passport extend your residence permit?

No.

Transferring the residence permit updates the residence document to the new passport. It does not give you a new residence category or automatically extend the underlying residence permission beyond its existing validity.

That is why Berlin tells people whose residence permit has six months or less remaining to consider the extension process instead of paying for a separate transfer.

Is this the same as replacing a lost residence permit?

No.

A passport-transfer case assumes you still have a valid residence permit and need it reissued because your passport changed.

If the residence permit card itself was lost or stolen, the relevant reporting, blocking and replacement steps are different.

Use the official Berlin guidance that matches what is actually missing: the passport, the residence document, or both.

A practical decision tree

Your residence permit expires in six months or less

Check the correct LEA extension process first. Berlin says a separate transfer is generally not worthwhile in this situation.

You have the old passport and the permit was issued in Berlin

Check whether all Bürgeramt conditions are met, including the passport-date gap and time spent outside Germany. If they are, a Berlin Bürgeramt can generally handle the transfer.

You lost the old passport

Use the LEA route. Bring a theft report if the passport was stolen and reported to police.

Your permit was issued by another German immigration authority

Use the LEA route unless the permit was subsequently transferred by a Berlin Bürgeramt and the current Berlin requirements are satisfied.

You are unsure whether your travel documents are sufficient

Do not rely on a blog article. Check the official Berlin guidance plus the entry/transit rules for every country involved in your trip, and obtain qualified immigration advice if your situation is unclear.

Checklist before booking

My Hauptwohnsitz is in Berlin.
I checked how long my current residence permit remains valid.
If it expires within six months, I checked the extension route before booking a transfer.
I still have my old passport, or I identified that the LEA is responsible because it is missing.
I know whether the residence permit was issued in Berlin or elsewhere.
I checked the dates on the old and new passports.
I checked whether my time outside Germany affects Bürgeramt eligibility.
I opened the current official Berlin service page before choosing an office.

Checklist for the appointment

New passport.
Old passport, if available.
Current residence permit/eAT.
Zusatzblatt, if applicable.
Police theft report, if relevant.
Current compliant digital biometric photo or a plan to use the location's available photo service.
Payment method accepted by the appointment location.
Any additional documents requested in the appointment confirmation.

Common mistakes to avoid

Booking a Bürgeramt when the LEA is responsible

Check the issuing authority, old-passport availability and date conditions before booking.

Paying for a transfer shortly before renewal

If the permit has six months or less remaining, Berlin recommends going through the extension process instead.

Forgetting the Zusatzblatt

Bring it if your electronic residence title has one.

Bringing only a printed passport photo

Since May 2025, the process generally relies on digitally created or securely transmitted biometric photos.

Treating the four-week production time as the whole process

Appointment waiting time comes before card production.

Assuming German re-entry guidance answers every travel question

Destination and transit countries can impose their own document requirements.

How SettlyGo can support you

A SettlyGo helper can provide practical administrative support such as:

helping you identify whether the official Berlin guidance points to a Bürgeramt or the LEA;
organizing a checklist from the visible requirements;
preparing questions about unclear appointment instructions;
supporting an ordinary German phone call or email conversation; and
accompanying you when practical communication support is useful.

SettlyGo does not provide legal or immigration advice, determine your right to stay, work, leave or re-enter Germany, represent you before an authority, or guarantee that a transfer or residence-permit extension will be approved.

Final takeaway

If you receive a new passport while your Berlin residence permit is still valid, do not assume the residence document automatically updates itself.

Start by checking how long the permit remains valid. If more than six months remain, determine whether you meet Berlin's Bürgeramt conditions or whether the LEA is responsible. Bring both passports when available, your residence document, any Zusatzblatt and the currently accepted biometric-photo evidence.

Use the official Berlin residence-permit transfer service immediately before booking to confirm the latest requirements, fees, appointment route and processing information.

For practical help organizing the process, preparing questions or handling German administrative communication, book SettlyGo support.