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PASSPORT SERVICES OVERSEAS for DOD PERSONNEL in
GERMANY
Military Courier System
To provide the extended American military community in Germany with
the best passport service possible, the U.S. Consulate General in
Frankfurt works closely with the Military Courier System. The Department
of Defense developed this system in cooperation with the Department of
State to assist its own American citizens posted overseas. (USAREUR
Regulation 600-290, and USAFE Instruction 36-3101).
Apply for a Passport through your PSB/MSS
To apply for a passport or a report of birth for your newborn child,
go to your Personnel Service Battalion (PSB) or Mission Supply Squadron
(MSS) (where you got your military ID card) on base. The PSB/MSS will
assist you in completing your forms and ensure that the proper
documentation is attached for speedy processing. The PSB/MSS will
forward the completed forms to the American Consulate General in
Frankfurt. The Consulate in Frankfurt and other consulates in Germany,
as well as the Consular section at the Embassy in Berlin, are not
authorized to accept forms from military community applicants directly.
Once receiving the application from the PSB/MSS, the Consulate will send
your forms to the United States for processing. Turnaround time in
non-peak travel season averages four to six weeks after the Consulate
has received a properly completed passport application from the PSB/MSS.
However, turnaround time during peak travel season Ð traditionally March
to August Ð may cause the processing time to be lengthened
significantly. The Consulate General has set records for passport
processing for the past four straight years. All indications are that
this year will be another record setting year.
Consent of Both Parents for Children Under 14
The consent of both parents is required for a passport to be issued
to a child under the age of 14. If one parent is absent, a notarized
statement of consent from the absent parent must be submitted with the
passport application. Under certain circumstances, deployment orders and
some powers of attorney may be substituted. Parental consent issues can
become complicated. Contact your PSB/MSS for answers to questions
regarding child custody matters as they pertain to passport issuance.
All Passports Must be Printed in the United States
For security reasons, all full-validity U.S. passports processed
through the Consulate General Frankfurt are printed at a stateside
Passport Center and are made with a photo-digitized biographical data
page. Once a passport application has been processed and adjudicated at
the Consulate, it is then scanned and sent electronically to the
passport center. The completed passports are returned to the consulate
via express mail. The United States Government wants to protect all
American citizens overseas, especially our military staff and families,
by ensuring that they have the most up-to-date secure travel documents.
Plan Ahead
Plan ahead if you want a passport. Even if you do not have particular
travel plans when you live abroad it is advisable always to have a valid
passport in case of an emergency. Remember that no consulate or embassy
overseas can give you a passport on the spot, except under very limited
circumstances. Consulates still have the authority to issue emergency or
limited passports, but these passports are for verifiable emergency
purposes only, are limited to a maximum of one year, and cannot be
extended. Emergency circumstances, such as death or grave illness in the
family, must be verified with a Red Cross message. PCS moves to the
United States do not qualify as emergencies. If you need further
clarification, contact your PSB/MSS on base. The PSB/MSS is in contact
with the American Consulate General in Frankfurt.
Service members, family members, and DOD contractors may pick up
complete copies of the relevant regulations from their Personnel Office
or by logging onto the Internet at
http://germany.usembassy.gov//germany/services/passport_issuance.html
| DUAL
CITIZENSHIP |
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The status of persons with dual citizenship sometimes raises
questions among persons located in Germany, whether as members of
the military or civilians. Both the United States and Germany
recognize the concept of multiple nationality.
A child born to an American parent and a German parent acquires
both American and German citizenship at birth, regardless of place
of birth. Neither country requires a person born under these
circumstances to choose between American and German citizenship.
They may keep both for life.
A child born in Germany to two American parents may also become a
dual national at birth. But under German law, such a person has to
choose between American and German citizenship before turning
23.
While Germany recognizes the concept of dual nationality, for
most purposes it considers a dual national in Germany a German
citizen only. Thus, the ability of the U.S. Embassy and consulates
to provide assistance to an American-German dual national in Germany
may be limited. The reverse is true in the U.S., where such a person
is considered only American for most purposes.
Both countries have certain laws pertaining to dual nationals.
American-German dual nationals may owe taxes in both countries. They
must file an annual U.S. income tax return, regardless of whether or
not they owe taxes to the U.S. or pay taxes elsewhere. And they must
have a valid U.S. passport in order to enter the United States.
An American-German male must register with the U.S. Selective
Service System within three months of his eighteenth birthday, and
is not necessarily exempt from German military service. None of
that, however, affects his dual citizenship.
The rules are sometimes complicated. For more information contact
the American embassy, your nearest American consulate, or your local
Staatsangehörigkeits-behörde or
Standesamt.
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