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I am a Polish citizen but currently live and work in Germany. After moving to a new flat, where I intend to stay for a while, I thought I could renew my ID so there will be my German address instead of the old Polish one. I don't want to apply for German citizenship, I just want my ID renewed here, without traveling back to Poland. Also I thought it would be nice if the ID could be in German/English instead of Polish/English to make it easier for local folks. Can I renew it at a normal City Hall in Germany or do I need to get back to my home country or to Polish Consulate?

On the side note, my driving licence also needs an update. It expires in 2 years from now anyway.

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  • Do you mean a “normal City Hall” in Germany?
    – Gala
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 10:11
  • You might want to accept vartec's answer instead of mine, it's much more precise and well-documented.
    – Gala
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 11:02

3 Answers 3

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You cannot.

The only way of renewing ID is doing it personally in your corresponding municipality in Poland. There is no legal possibility to delegate this to anyone else. As far as I know this contradicts EU guidelines, as EU countries have removed resident IDs for EU nationals, instead fully recognizing national IDs for all purposes. So there is still hope that in the future it might change. But right now the rules are clear. There is no way of doing that.

Polish Ministry of Interior has addressed the issue:

Obowiązujący stan prawny nie przewiduje możliwości złożenia wniosku o wydanie dowodu osobistego oraz odbioru tego dokumentu za pośrednictwem pełnomocnika. Zgodnie z rozporządzeniem Rady Ministrów z dnia 21 listopada 2000 roku (Dz. U. z 2000 r., nr 112, poz. 1182 z późn. zm.) w sprawie wzoru dowodu osobistego oraz trybu postępowania w sprawach wydawania dowodów osobistych, ich wymiany, zwrotu lub utraty, złożenie wniosku o wydanie dowodu osobistego jak i odbiór dokumentu wymaga osobistego stawiennictwa wnioskodawcy w organie gminy właściwym do wydania tego dokumentu.

Rough translation

The current state law does not provide for any possibility to apply for an identity card and pick up of said document by proxy. According to decree by the Council of Ministers dated 21 November 2000 (Journal of Laws of 2000 No. 112, item. 1182, as amended. Amended.) on the model of the identity card and the mode of procedure for issuing identity cards, their replacement, return or loss of, an application for an identity card and the pick-up of the document requires appearance in person of the applicant in the municipality competent to issue the document.

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  • (+1) Just out of curiosity, is it possible to get a passport instead?
    – Gala
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 10:37
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    @GaëlLaurans: of course. Difference is that in Poland passports are handled by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is also the part of the government that runs embassies.
    – vartec
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 10:43
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I don't know the exact procedure for Polish citizens, it could be easier to go back home and renew it there but in any case the local town hall in Germany can't help you with a national ID or passport renewal if you are not a German citizen. You should contact the Polish authorities (and in particular the nearest consulate or consular section).

By contrast, in the EU, the driver's license should be renewed locally, following the same procedure than the locals (which, depending on the country, might or might not be through the town administration – in Germany, it is). Here again, it can sometimes be convenient to renew it back home (even if it's strictly speaking illegal and might require you to be registered as a resident there or lie about your residence on the application form).

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I think that as a resident in Germany (someone living there or intending to live there for more than three months), you are supposed to register at the local Einwohnermeldeamt in Germany - independent of anything else. When you're there you might as well ask them about your Polish ID; there's a good chance that they know what you need to do.

The nearest Polish consulate or embassy in Germany should be able to renew your Polish passport when you need it; I couldn't say if they will do this if you have a passport that is still valid for another five years, for example. Again, it would be worth asking them about your ID as well.

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  • If you have some reference to this procedure or you have been able to perform it yourself it would a good. Otherwise the other answers provide information exactly contrary to what you suggest.
    – Karlson
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 16:45
  • It's what the German consulate in London does for Germans in the UK - they can give you a new passport (not the same as an ID card). Going to the consulate is about the same as going to the country itself; if there are things that can legally only do while present in Poland then you can in principle do them at any Polish consulate. The Einwohnermeldeamt just wants to know where in Germany you live and insists that you tell them; they will not give you any papers but they may know about what you have to do to get a new Polish ID.
    – gnasher729
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 17:33
  • The procedures for German internal identification may not be the same as the Polish ones. So if you know that the Polish consulates are capable of providing internal Polish IDs or you have a reference to that fact you need to link it to your answer. As it stands your answer contradicts official Polish Ministry of the Interior information which is referenced above.
    – Karlson
    Commented Mar 26, 2014 at 17:40

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