File a report of loss (Verlustanzeige)

What is legally required is something different: § 27 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 PAuswG obliges you to notify the identity card authority – that is, the Bürgeramt – of the loss without delay. The police report of loss is voluntary, but sensible: it documents the time, puts the document on a search list, and is good proof should someone later commit fraud with it. What it does not do is replace the notification to the Bürgeramt. If in doubt, do both.

Since 7 February 2026, €46.00 for persons aged 24 and over and €27.60 for those younger. Previously it was €37.00 and €22.80 respectively – overviews with these figures are out of date. The basis is the Regulation on relieving the burden on the Federal Police and the administration in the area of passport and identity card matters (BGBl. 2026 I No. 31). The passport remained unchanged at €70.00 and €37.50 respectively, and the provisional identity card at €10.00. Local additional costs – for example, for taking the digital photograph – may be added and are not standardised nationwide.

You must report it. § 27 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 PAuswG expressly requires “the loss of the identity card and its recovery to be notified and, in the event of recovery, for it to be presented”. The reason is practical: an identity card reported lost is held as invalid in the systems. Anyone who puts it back in their pocket and keeps using it will be asked about this at the next check or the next official procedure. If you have already applied for a new one, the old one must in any case be handed in.

As a rule it is not strictly required – the Bürgeramt accepts your notification of the loss itself and can then issue a replacement on that basis. It is still useful, though: it proves from when you no longer had the document, and that is exactly what matters if someone later uses it to enter into a contract or prove their identity. For employers, insurers and foreign authorities it is also often the only paper that documents the matter. If you are at the police station anyway, ask them to issue it.

Contact the competent German embassy or consulate: there you will receive a replacement document for the return journey. At the border and on entry, the Federal Police is competent and can issue a travel document; its fee was raised for the first time since 2002 and has been €32.00 since February 2026. Also report the loss locally to the police there – many consulates require this report – and after your return to the Bürgeramt, so that the statutory duty to notify is fulfilled.

In many federal states, yes, since a report of loss is one of the straightforward matters for which an online form is well suited. The scope of the Online-Wache varies from one federal state to another, however – check your federal state's portal. Regardless of this, the notification at the Bürgeramt remains necessary, and you will need an appointment there for the replacement application anyway: the photograph has had to be captured digitally since 1 May 2025, and that cannot be done remotely.

Often not. Contents and travel baggage insurance typically covers theft, not mere loss; some policies expressly exclude “loss by misadventure” (Abhandenkommen). That is the practical difference between the two kinds of report: if something was taken from you, it is a criminal offence and you file a criminal complaint. If you lost it, it is not – and insurers often take the corresponding position. Check your policy terms before planning on a refund, and describe what happened to both parties exactly as it was.

For production, authorities typically expect several weeks; there is no binding nationwide deadline, and the processing time depends on the local authority and its workload. If you need the document immediately – for example, for a trip or to conclude a contract – ask about the provisional identity card for €10.00: it is issued directly at the counter. Note, however, that it is only valid for a short period, has no online identification function, and is not accepted as a travel document in every country.