VisaTajik citizens who lose a passport in Germany can request a temporary return document
A current-rule guide to replacing identity evidence and arranging a temporary return document.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Report the loss and explain whether you need to return home
Citizens of Tajikistan who lose a passport in Germany should explain whether they need to return home or obtain a passport for continued life abroad. The Berlin embassy’s procedure says to notify the host-country authorities and embassy immediately after loss. This guide concerns adults; children have additional requirements.
The embassy describes a certificate of return as a temporary identity document for return to Tajikistan, valid for 30 days from issue. It is not a replacement travel passport for ordinary international trips and cannot establish a right to reside abroad. Tell the consular section about the intended journey before buying a ticket on the assumption that either document will serve the same purpose.
Gather identity evidence for the return certificate
The Consular Department’s Certificate of Return resource asks for an application, evidence that the loss was reported to the host-country authority, and documents establishing identity and Tajik citizenship. Examples include an internal passport, birth certificate and specified official identity documents. If the internal passport is missing too, verified passport copies or Tajik passport-database records provide alternative evidence pathways.
The central instructions also ask for two colour photographs and a consular-payment receipt where the mission charges a fee. They give a consideration period of up to ten calendar days, with a possible extension of up to another ten days for additional document checks. That is an assessment timetable, not a guaranteed flight-ready date for someone whose identity still needs establishing.
Check the mission tariff before paying
The Berlin embassy’s published consular tariff lists EUR 40 for a certificate of return and EUR 120 for a biometric passport replacing a lost one. It says payment should follow receipt of an embassy appointment. For urgent consular actions, it publishes a 100% surcharge in consultation with the consular section. A request for urgency should therefore be discussed rather than assumed to buy a particular delivery date.
The tariff page is dated 12 May 2021. These are the mission’s published amounts found during this check, rather than a newly announced 2026 increase or a separately confirmed quotation. Ask the embassy to confirm the applicable service and payment instructions before transferring funds. The passport-replacement and return-certificate prices are alternatives for different documents, not an automatic combined bill.
Clarify repeated issuance and the full-passport alternative
There is a precise difference between the two Tajik resources on a certificate that expires before the holder can return. Berlin’s older procedure says the document is issued only once. The central Consular Department guidance expressly allows exceptional reissuance for 30 days where return was impossible because of circumstances such as an emergency or serious illness, supported by a reasoned application and evidence. That exception is not an ordinary extension on request.
Ask the embassy which evidence it needs if such circumstances arise. For an ordinary passport instead, the central overseas-passport procedure says foreign missions serve Tajik citizens temporarily or permanently residing in their host country, verify citizenship and process applications within up to one month. It directs applicants to the mission for the detailed local document list. Confirm how its ordinary-passport requirements apply to a lost document rather than borrowing the return-certificate checklist.
Berlin residents also need to resolve their German residence document
For someone whose main residence is Berlin, the city’s Transfer of a Residence Permit service addresses the next step after a new passport is issued. A missing old passport sends the transfer to the Berlin Immigration Office, rather than the ordinary citizens’ office route that requires the old passport. The service asks for the new passport, existing residence document and, after reported theft, the police report.
It lists an ordinary adult transfer fee of EUR 67, with specified exemptions, and requires a digital biometric photograph under the rules effective since 1 May 2025. This German charge is separate from Tajik consular fees. The city’s travel advice involving old and new passports assumes the old passport is still available; someone who lost it should obtain case-specific re-entry guidance before departure. These Berlin arrangements should not be presented as the procedure in every German city.
