From 1 January 2021, the fee for an identity card for people aged 24 and over will increase from €28.80 to €37.00. The fee for people under the age of 24 will remain at €22.80. In return, the fee for resetting the personal identification number (PIN) and activating the online function on the identity card will be waived. Both previously cost €6.
Why is the fee for an identity card increasing from 1 January 2021?
The ID card fee has not been increased for ten years and will rise to €37.00 from 1 January 2021 for applicants who have reached the age of 24. The legislator has stipulated in Section 31(2) of the Identity Card Act that the fee for an identity card should cover the costs of all parties involved in providing the service.
However, due to increased costs in local and state administration, this required cost recovery has not been achieved on a national average for several years now. The fee is therefore being increased in order to achieve cost recovery once again.
Thanks to the integrated online ID card, every identity card – once the holder has reached the age of 16 – enables the convenient use of digital services that require secure proof of identity. In particular, the ability of many NFC-enabled smartphones to be used as ID card readers (with the AusweisApp2 for Android or iOS) has significantly simplified the use of the online ID.
The Online ID can save costs, journeys and time. It therefore helps to ease the burden on citizens, who can, for example, access an increasing number of digital administrative services without having to visit a local authority office.
Important to know: From 1 January 2021, local authority offices will reactivate the online ID and reset personal identification numbers (PINs) free of charge. Both services previously cost six euros.
For people who are under 24 years of age at the time of application, the reduced ID card fee remains at the usual rate of €22.80.
Further information can be found on the German government’s information page on identity cards.