What does this mean in concrete terms?
When applying for
- identity cards and passports on the first floor of the town hall and
- when applying for electronic residence permits and passport replacement documents at the immigration office
paper-based photographs will no longer be accepted from May 1. In future, there will be a choice of how they are taken:
- Photo by a private photo service provider certified for this purpose or
- directly at the town hall.
This is based on the 2020 Act to Strengthen Security in Passport, ID and Alien Law Documents.
How do I take a photo?
- Digital photo from a certified photo service provider
The photo can be taken by a photo service provider certified by the Federal Office for Information Security. The service provider uploads the photo to a specially secured cloud. Using a QR code generated by the photo service provider, the city administration can add the photo to the processing procedure for the identification document. - Photo creation in the town hall
So-called "Speed Capture Kiosks" are available on the first floor and on the 2nd floor of the town hall. The photo can be taken there at any time. It is then immediately available to employees. A usage fee of 6.00 euros is charged for the photo capture at the stations in the town hall. The digital photo will not be printed out or made available to the applicant in any other way.
The so-called "Speed Capture Kiosk" on the first floor of the town hall. The photos can be taken there. It is located to the left of the staircase (Photo: Press Office ys).
There is also a report in the city newspaper "Rathausplatz 1 - May 2025 issue".