Documents
Lost Indian passport in Germany: Emergency Certificate and re-issue
What to do if your Indian passport is lost or stolen in Germany: filing the police report, getting an Emergency Certificate to fly home, or applying for a re-issue. Documents, fees, and timelines.
File a German police report (Verlustanzeige) the same day, with your passport number in it if at all possible. Then pick the right document: an Emergency Certificate (~€14, ~3 working days) is a one-way travel document to India only — use it only if you must fly urgently. If you are staying in Germany, apply for a re-issue instead: same Passport Seva process as a renewal, but select 'lost/damaged' and add Annexure F and Annexure L affidavits. India never issues duplicates — your new passport gets a new number. Appointment rules for the Emergency Certificate differ by mission; Munich requires one by email.
Losing your Indian passport in Germany is stressful but not an emergency in the way it feels at 2 AM. There is a defined process, it works, and thousands of people go through it every year. What matters is knowing which of two different documents you actually need — because applying for the wrong one wastes weeks.
This guide covers both paths, what each is for, and the exact sequence.
First: which document do you actually need?
This is the fork in the road, and getting it right matters more than anything else on this page.
| Your situation | What you need |
|---|---|
| You need to fly to India urgently and cannot wait for a new passport | Emergency Certificate (EC) |
| You are staying in Germany and need a working passport again | Re-issue (a new passport) |
The Emergency Certificate is a one-way travel document to India only. It is not a passport. You cannot travel anywhere else on it, you cannot use it to re-enter Germany, and it does not substitute for a residence permit. It exists for one purpose: to get an Indian national home when they have no passport.
A re-issue is a genuine new passport with a new number and fresh validity. India does not issue "duplicate" passports — you do not get your old number back.
If you live in Germany and are not urgently flying to India, you almost certainly want the re-issue, not the EC.
Step 1: file the police report (do this first, same day)
Both paths require it, and nothing else can start without it.
Go to your nearest German police station (Polizeirevier) and file a Verlustanzeige (loss report) or, if it was stolen, a theft report. You can also file online in most Bundesländer via your state police's Internetwache.
What the report must contain:
- Your full name, exactly as on the passport
- The passport number (this matters — see below)
- A case number (Aktenzeichen / Tagebuchnummer) issued by the police
- Date and circumstances of the loss
Get the passport number into the report if you possibly can. Indian missions specifically want the report to reference the passport number, and Munich's consulate states this explicitly. If you have any photo or scan of your passport's data page, bring it to the police station. This is the single best argument for keeping a photo of your passport in your email — do it today if you have not.
Keep the original. You will need to produce the original police report for verification at the consulate, not just a copy.
Step 2a: the Emergency Certificate (if you must fly to India)
What it costs and how long it takes
- Fee: around €14, typically payable in cash at the counter
- Processing: roughly 3 working days from receipt of application at the mission (per the Munich consulate's stated timeline)
Documents to bring
Requirements are broadly consistent across the missions, but the details differ — see the warning below. Generally you need:
- Printed application form, filled online via the Passport Seva portal (missions currently point to the Global Passport Seva / mPassport Seva online portal — check your mission's own page for the exact link they want)
- 3 recent photographs, ICAO-compliant
- Self-attested photocopy of the lost passport's front and last pages, if you have one
- Original police report plus a copy
- Copy of your German residence permit / visa (Aufenthaltstitel)
- Anmeldebestätigung — self-attested copy plus the original for verification
- Copy of your flight ticket to India — this is what establishes the urgency; without booked travel there is no case for an EC
- Self-declaration / undertaking explaining why you need the EC and how the passport was lost
- Some missions ask for a self-addressed prepaid envelope (Munich specifies €4.50 postage)
⚠️ The appointment rule differs by mission — check yours
This is where general advice online gets it wrong. Some sources
state that Emergency Certificates are walk-in with no appointment
needed. Munich's consulate explicitly requires an appointment,
arranged by emailing cons.munich@mea.gov.in, because you must
sign in front of a consular officer.
Do not turn up at your mission on the strength of a blog post saying "no appointment needed." Check your own mission's EC page the same day you file the police report, and if in doubt, email them — EC requests are exactly the kind of thing consular staff are used to handling quickly.
Your presence is mandatory either way: the signature has to happen in front of an officer.
Step 2b: re-issue (if you are staying in Germany)
This is the path most people in Germany actually need.
How it differs from a normal renewal
You apply through the same Passport Seva process as a standard renewal (see the passport renewal guide for the full walkthrough), but you select "Re-issue" with the reason set to lost/damaged passport, and you add two affidavits.
The extra documents a lost-passport re-issue needs
On top of everything a normal renewal requires:
- Original police report (plus a copy)
- Annexure F — affidavit for a passport in lieu of a lost or damaged passport
- Annexure L — affidavit describing the circumstances of the loss or damage
- Copy of your valid visa / Aufenthaltstitel
If your residence permit was lost with the passport
This is the situation people panic about, and it has a clean answer: go to your Ausländerbehörde (or Berlin's LEA) and request an Aufenthaltsbescheinigung — a certificate confirming your residence permit and its validity. That certificate stands in for the lost permit in your passport application.
See your city's guide for how to reach the office: Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart.
Timeline
Expect a lost-passport re-issue to take longer than a routine renewal. Police verification is more likely to be triggered (see the renewal guide), and the mission has more to verify. Budget for the normal renewal timeline plus a margin, and do not book non-refundable travel against it.
Which mission do you go to?
Your Bundesland decides — not the nearest big city, and not Berlin by default:
| Mission | Covers |
|---|---|
| Embassy of India, Berlin | Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia |
| CGI Hamburg | Hamburg, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony |
| CGI Frankfurt | Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland |
| CGI Munich | Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg |
Full addresses and contacts are in the Indian consulate guide.
Practical notes worth knowing
Your new passport will have a new number. This has knock-on effects. If you hold an OCI card, it is linked to your old passport number — check the consulate guide for when a re-issue is required. Your Ausländerbehörde will also need to transfer or re-reference your residence permit against the new passport number; ask them what they need at your next appointment.
Tell your bank and employer. German banks hold your passport number as identity data, and your employer's HR file references it. Neither is urgent, but both will ask eventually.
An EC does not solve your German life. It gets you to India. If you fly home on an EC, you will need a fresh Indian passport in India before you can return to Germany — and your German residence permit's validity does not pause while you are away. If you have a valid German permit and no genuine need to fly, the re-issue path in Germany is almost always the better call.
Keep a photo of your passport data page. Every step of both processes is easier if you can produce the passport number. Two minutes now saves a week later.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I get a duplicate of my exact old passport?
No. India does not issue duplicates. You get a re-issued passport with a new number and fresh validity.
Q: Can I travel to another EU country on an Emergency Certificate?
No. The EC is a one-way document valid for travel to India only. It is not a passport and does not confer any travel rights within Europe.
Q: Do I need an appointment for an Emergency Certificate?
It depends on the mission. Munich explicitly requires one (by email). Other missions have at times allowed walk-in EC submissions. Check your own mission's page before travelling to the consulate — do not rely on general advice, including this guide, for that specific detail.
Q: What if my residence permit was in the lost passport?
Get an Aufenthaltsbescheinigung from your Ausländerbehörde confirming the permit and its validity. That certificate replaces the lost permit for your passport application.
Q: How much does an Emergency Certificate cost?
Around €14, usually cash at the counter. Confirm the current fee on your mission's fees page — consular fees are revised periodically.
Related guides on this site
Frequently asked
What do I do first if my Indian passport is lost in Germany?
File a police report (Verlustanzeige) at your nearest German Polizeirevier, or online via your state police's Internetwache, the same day. The report needs your full name, the passport number if you have it, and a case number (Aktenzeichen). Nothing else — Emergency Certificate or re-issue — can start without it, and you must produce the original report at the consulate, not just a copy.
What is an Emergency Certificate and do I need one?
An Emergency Certificate is a one-way travel document valid for travel to India only. It is not a passport: you cannot use it to travel elsewhere or to re-enter Germany. It costs around €14 and takes roughly 3 working days. Only apply for it if you must fly to India urgently — you need a booked flight ticket to justify it. If you are staying in Germany, apply for a passport re-issue instead.
Can I get a duplicate of my lost Indian passport?
No. India does not issue duplicate passports. You apply under the 'Re-issue' category with the reason set to lost/damaged, and you receive a new passport with a new passport number and fresh validity. Because the number changes, you may also need to update your OCI card and re-reference your German residence permit.
What if my German residence permit was inside the lost passport?
Go to your Ausländerbehörde (Berlin: the LEA) and request an Aufenthaltsbescheinigung — a certificate confirming your residence permit and its validity. That certificate stands in for the lost permit when you apply for the new passport.
Do I need an appointment for an Emergency Certificate in Germany?
It depends on the mission. The Munich consulate explicitly requires an appointment, arranged by emailing cons.munich@mea.gov.in, because you must sign in front of a consular officer. Other missions have at times accepted walk-in Emergency Certificate submissions. Check your own mission's page before travelling to the consulate rather than relying on general advice.
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