I am a foreigner living in Germany and am planning a trip abroad. Do I need a valid passport and visa?
As a foreigner you are requested to hold a valid passport or document in lieu of a passport at any time. In general, the issuance and extension of foreign passports have to be applied for at the competent foreign missions in Germany, except for recognized asylum seekers, recognized refugees according to the Geneva Refugee Convention, stateless persons or those entitled to subsidiary protection. The mentioned groups are mostly issued a passport in lieu of a passport (Passersatzpapier) by the local Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde) at the place of residence. There are three types of those documents:
- Travel document for refugees (“Blue Passport”)
- Travel document for stateless persons
- Travel document for foreigners
Holders of Blue Passports are in general allowed to travel to all the countries which have signed the Geneva Refugee Convention. Please note that for many of these countries, however, you may have to apply for a visa in advance. Information on visa provisions for non-German citizens wanting to travel to a third country can only be provided by the respective foreign mission of the country concerned. The addresses of the foreign missions in Germany are available here:
Foreign Missions in Germany
However, you are not allowed to travel to your country of origin - this would imply that you no longer need humanitarian protection; you risk losing your asylum in Germany if you travel to your home country.
Foreign nationals who are in possession of a valid German residence title (Aufenthaltstitel) may travel for a period of up to 90 days within 180 days to other Schengen-States, so do not need a visa.
This applies as well to holders of a German Visa of the category “D”.
In both cases, general entry requirements of Article 6 Section 1 letters a, c and e of the Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on a Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code) are fulfilled and the person is not listed by the relevant Member State as not permitted.
In case of doubt please get in touch with the competent mission of the country in Germany.