🪪 ID card without a fixed address
In brief
You can apply for an ID card (Personalausweis) even without a home: under § 8 Abs. 1 Satz 2 Personalausweisgesetz (PAuswG), the authority at your temporary place of stay is responsible – a registered address is not a prerequisite. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for a reduction or waiver on the grounds of need (§ 1 Abs. 6 Personalausweisgebührenverordnung, PAuswGebV) – however, this is not an automatic concession, but a discretionary decision of the authority. From the age of 16, there is in principle an obligation to hold an ID card in Germany.
Step by step
- Go to the competent authorityGo to the ID card authority at your current place of stay (§ 8 Abs. 1 Satz 2 PAuswG) – a fixed registered address is not necessary.
- Prove your identityTo establish your identity, present an expired ID card, a birth certificate or other documents; if you do not have these, an advice centre can help clarify.
- Apply for a fee reductionSet out your need concretely and apply for a reduction or waiver of the fee under § 1 Abs. 6 PAuswGebV.
- Seek support if refusedIf the fee reduction is refused, a specialist advice centre can help with further steps.
- Keep an eye on validityCheck the validity of your ID regularly – without a valid ID, for example opening a bank account and dealing with authorities become much harder.
Deadlines
- According to the available sources, merely receiving basic income support (Grundsicherungsgeld/Bürgergeld) or social assistance does not by itself establish need for the purposes of the fee reduction, because the ID fee is arithmetically already included in the standard rate – additional special circumstances in the individual case are needed; the decision is at the authority's discretion.
- How the address on the ID is to be entered if you have no home is not clearly settled: § 5 Abs. 2 Nr. 9 PAuswG permits the entry "no dwelling in Germany", while an administrative court (VG Schwerin, 2015) demanded the actual place of stay instead for homeless people living in Germany. This question should be clarified with the authority locally.
- The exact current fee for the ID card could not be conclusively verified in this research – please ask the ID card authority.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
Jurisdiction without a home (§ 8 PAuswG)
§ 8 Abs. 1 Satz 2 PAuswG provides that for people without a home, the authority in whose area the person is temporarily staying at the time of application is responsible. This fallback rule ensures that the lack of a fixed address does not stand in the way of applying for an ID.
Address on the ID: an open question
§ 5 Abs. 2 Nr. 9 PAuswG provides for the entry "no dwelling in Germany" for people without a home within Germany – in its systematic context, however, this provision is primarily aimed at Germans living abroad. For homeless people living in Germany, the Administrative Court of Schwerin (decision of 2 March 2015, Az. 6 B 1233/14) by contrast demanded that the actual place of stay be entered instead of this blanket note. This divergence between the wording of the statute and individual case law has not been conclusively settled; the practice of ID card authorities may differ accordingly.
Fee and reduction
§ 1 Abs. 6 PAuswGebV allows the authority to reduce or fully waive the fee in cases of need. This is a discretionary provision ("may") at the authority's discretion, not an automatic entitlement based solely on receiving benefits. For the passport, a comparable option exists under § 28 Passverordnung (PassV). The Bundesverband Wohnungslosenhilfe (BAG W) has argued in position papers for generally free access to identity documents for homeless people.
Obligation to hold ID
Under § 1 Abs. 1 PAuswG, Germans are obliged from the age of 16 to hold a valid ID card or passport.
A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.