Blue Passport

You will obtain a passport for fugitives ("Blue Pass") if your right to asylum or refugee status has been recognised in Germany. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) decides on the status of protection suitable to you after your case hearing.

• If your right to asylum has been recognised according to Article 16a § 1 of the German Basic Law (GG), §25 Paragraph 2 Sentence 1 of the first alternative of the Residence Act (AufenthaltsG) grants you a three-year-long residence permit and a blue passport.
• With the recognition as a refugee under the Geneva Refugee Convention, you will be granted a residence permit for three years, as section 25 (1) of the Residence Act  (AufenthaltsG) specifies, and a blue passport.

According to Article 28 of the Geneva Convention on Refugees, you are, in principle, entitled to a travel document if there is no concern regarding "public safety or order".  If you request a regular passport from your home country or persecuting state, the legal term "Unreasonableness of Passport Procurement" („Unzumutbarkeit der Passbeschaffung“) would apply to you as you have effectively put yourself under the protection of another state. By applying for such a passport, you will lose your recognised status as an asylum seeker or refugee in Germany.

Normally, with your blue passport and a visa, you can travel freely in all countries, except for the state that has persecuted you („Verfolgerstaat“) or your country of origin. The member states of the Schengen zone and the members of the European Council which have signed the European Convention on Abolition of the Compulsary Visas for Refugees on 20 April 1959, do not require a visa from recognised refugees and asylum seekers with a blue passport.

You need a visa to enter most countries, but no visa is required for the states of the Schengen area, as well as the member states of the European Council. As these countries have signed the European Convention on the Abolition of the Compulsary Visas for Refugees on 20 April 1959, they do not require a visa for recognised refugees and asylum seekers with a blue passport. You can travel to these countries visa-free and just with your Blue Pass as long as:

• Your stay does not exceed three months and
• You are not employed there.

You can travel to the following European countries with only a blue passport and no visa:

Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland*, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein*, Litvania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway*, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland*, Slovakia, Slovania, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Hungary (Schengen States) as well as Ireland and Romania. The latter two are not among the Schengen States; nevertheless, they are Contracting States of the above-mentioned agreement on EU-wide visa abolition for recognised refugees.

Countries marked with * are not in the European Union but have signed the Schengen Agreement.

The local Immigration Office will issue your passport. You will often receive it along with your residence permit.

Even if you are receiving benefits under SGB II, SGB XII or the Asylum-Seekers' Benefits Act, you have to pay the following for the travel document:

• 56 euros, if you are aged 24 or older
• 37.50 euros, if you are younger than 24
• 30 euros for an interim travel document
• 13 euros for children up to 12 years of age

You will also need a biometric passport photo, a proof of residence („Anmeldung“) and a document acknowledging your asylum rights or refugee status. Usually, the immigration authority takes six to eight weeks to issue your travel ID. It is best to ask for a new one two to three months before the expiration of the old travel ID. This also applies to your residence permit.

The immigration authority takes your fingerprints before issuing a travel ID. Your fingerprint, along other personal data, will be stored on an electronic chip within your travel ID. The travel document is therefore also an ePass („eReisenausweis”). This data can only be read with special devices and by authorities. Your fingerprints, in particular, are protected and can only be accessed by the countries that have received special access rights from Germany. You have the right to see this data on an ePass reader in the immigration office.

Just like your residence permit, your travel permit is only valid for three years. After three years, you will have to apply for a new travel document.

If you lose your passport, you must report this to the police immediately. You will need to apply for a new passport at the local immigration office. Also, if you find your passport again, the police should be informed promptly.

If you are moving within Germany, you need to give notice, so the new address may be specified in your passport. Normally, this is done by the local Immigration Office. 

Not olny people recognised as asylum seekers and refugees, but also those under subsidiary protection or a national deportation ban and other non-German citizens are entitled to a travel document to substitute their passport. However, this is only in the case an individual does not have any other passport and has no other reasonable way to apply for one. Legal rules and regulations regarding this situation are specified in the residence ordinance § 4 to 11. Since the passport issued in such cases is grey, it is also known as a "Grey Passport".

A travel document can also be issued to you if you are stateless, but there is always a case-by-case decision procedure. That is why the Grey Passport is officially called Travel Document for Foreigners and Stateless Persons („Reiseausweis für Ausländer und Staatenlose”).

From a legal point of view, the EU Blue Card has nothing to do with protection provided for fugitives, and it is not a passport. The EU Blue Card is a residence permit for highly qualified individuals who wish to work in an EU country and have already secured a position before entering the country. You can, of course, also request the EU Blue Card if you want to flee from your country. However, flight is not a prerequisite for the EU Blue Card.

You will receive a EU blue card if you:

• come from a third country (non-EU country)
• have a university degree or a comparable qualification,
• want to pursue a job relevant to the professional field you are qualified in,
• provide proof of work in Germany with a wage higher than the minimum required salary.

For more information on EU Blue Card, take a look at the chapter on the Right of Residence or visit the website of BAMF.