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Passing the ID check with a foreign passport
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Janine El-Saghir
Janine El Saghir is an editor at How-to-Germany.com, where she specializes in the practical aspects of daily life and integration for expatriates. With years of...
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Erkan Boga is the founder and CEO of qmedia GmbH, the publishing house behind How-to-Germany.com. He established the platform with the clear vision of creating...
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Sadie Voss is the Lead Editor for How-to-Germany.com. As an expat who carved her own way into Berlin from the United States, Sadie is deeply...
Every German SIM card below has to be activated with an identity check before it works – the routes each provider offers are in the tables further down. The cards lead to the provider’s order page:
€0 per 28 days
€4.99 per 28 days
€9.99 per 28 days
€14.99 per 28 days
€19.99 per 28 days
€79.99 per 28 days
€9.99 per 28 days
€14.99 per 28 days
€19.99 per 28 days
Advertising notice: provider links in this overview are affiliate links — we receive a commission from the provider for sign-ups made through them.
- Since 1 July 2017, § 172 of the Telecommunications Act (TKG) obliges every mobile provider to verify your identity before activating a SIM card or eSIM – prepaid and contract alike.
- The law accepts a passport, a national ID card, any other official photo ID valid in Germany, a residence permit, and the arrival certificate or residence authorisation of asylum seekers. No Anmeldung and no residence permit are required for a prepaid card; a temporary German contact address is enough.
- Four routes: VideoIdent (video call or automated app), PostIdent at a Deutsche Post branch, the eID function of an electronic residence permit or ID card, and in-store verification. Not every provider offers every route.
- VideoIdent fails most often because the identification partner does not support the passport, because the entered name does not match the document, or because of glare and poor lighting – all fixable by switching route or provider.
- Travel eSIMs from Holafly or Airalo are data-only and are installed in their apps without the German procedure – but they come without a German number.
Buying a German SIM card is easy; switching it on is the part that trips up newcomers. The provider may not activate the card until an approved procedure has confirmed who you are, and the procedures were designed around German ID cards. With a foreign passport the video check can end in a rejection that has nothing to do with you – the identification partner simply does not have your document type on its list.
The way out is to know the four routes and which provider offers which: the law names the documents, the providers choose the identification partners, and every route that fails has an alternative that does not – usually a human looking at the physical document. With the right preparation the activation takes minutes instead of days.
Why every German SIM has to be verified
The obligation comes from § 172 TKG. Every provider that assigns phone numbers must record the name, address and date of birth of the subscriber before activation, and for prepaid mobile services it must check name and date of birth against an official document before the card goes live. The rule replaced the older § 111 TKG in December 2021 and applies to physical SIM cards and eSIMs alike. Providers may use other verification methods only if the Federal Network Agency has approved them – which is why the market runs on a handful of certified identification services.
The data is stored for the security authorities’ information procedures, not for marketing, and must be deleted at the end of the calendar year following the end of the contract. The check is not a credit check: SCHUFA and creditworthiness play no role in a prepaid activation. Whether a contract passes a credit check is a separate question, covered in our guide to SCHUFA and telecom contracts.
Which documents are accepted
§ 172 (2) TKG lists the documents a prepaid provider may accept. The list is broader than many identification partners implement:
| Document | Accepted by law | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| German ID card (Personalausweis) | Yes | Works on every route, including eID. |
| Passport (any country) | Yes – a passport within the meaning of the German Passport Act, and any other official photo ID that fulfils the ID requirement in Germany, including recognised foreign passports and ID cards | Video partners keep their own lists of supported passports; SIMon mobile publishes one with well over a hundred countries. Shop and PostIdent staff check the physical document. |
| Residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) | Yes | The electronic residence permit (eAT) also carries the eID function. SIMon mobile requires it in addition to the passport for Syrian and Afghan citizens. |
| Arrival certificate (Ankunftsnachweis) or residence authorisation (Aufenthaltsgestattung) | Yes | For asylum seekers; usually handled in a shop rather than by video. |
| Certificate of suspension of deportation (Duldung) | Yes | As above. |
| Driving licence, student card, expired documents | No | Not on the list – no provider can accept them. |
| Source: § 172 (2) TKG (gesetze-im-internet.de) and the providers’ activation pages, retrieved on 24 September 2026. | ||
Two things the law does not require: a registration certificate (Anmeldung) and a residence permit for a prepaid card. The registration needs an address in Germany, and providers accept hotels, hostels and short-term flats. What they do require is that the name, date of birth and document number you type in match the document exactly – a spelling variant or a missing middle name is a common reason for rejection.
The four routes
VideoIdent: video call or automated app
The provider hands you over to an identification service. In the classic version an agent talks to you in a video call, asks you to tilt the document so the holograms show, and compares your face with the photo. In the automated version – Nect, used by Telekom (RoboIdent) and Edeka smart (NECT-Ident) – you photograph the document and record a short video selfie in the app, and software does the comparison, around the clock. The Deutsche Post version (POSTIDENT by video chat) runs online from 8 am to 10 pm every day; SIMon mobile works with WebID Solutions or Deutsche Post; Telekom’s video service is run by Purpleview. Image and video data are deleted after the check.
What you need: a stable internet connection, a device with a camera (smartphone apps are the usual path; Aldi Talk requires the app on phones and tablets and allows a browser on a computer), the physical document, good lighting from the front, and about five to fifteen minutes. O2 states about five minutes for its video check.
PostIdent at a Deutsche Post branch
If the video check fails or you prefer a human, several providers issue a POSTIDENT coupon. You take it and the physical document to one of more than 8,500 Deutsche Post branches, where an employee checks the document and forwards the confirmation. congstar, SIMon mobile, Edeka smart and Vodafone CallYa offer this route; the coupon and the branch finder come from the provider’s activation page or the POSTIDENT app.
eID: the online ID function
The German ID card, the electronic residence permit issued to non-EU residents since 2011 and the eID card for EU and EEA citizens carry a chip with an online ID function. With the AusweisApp on an NFC smartphone or a card reader and the six-digit PIN from the letter your immigration office sent with the permit, the identification takes about two minutes and needs no video. congstar offers this route through Deutsche Post, Vodafone lists the “Online-Ausweis” among the CallYa registration options. If you never activated the PIN of your residence permit, the immigration office can do it – worth doing once, because the eID also works for bank accounts and government services.
In the shop
The oldest route still works everywhere: show the document in a Telekom shop (Telekom and congstar), in a Vodafone shop or at a Vodafone retail partner (activation within 24 hours, confirmed by SMS), in an O2 shop, or in one of the more than 10,000 partner shops that Aldi Talk lists in its shop finder during activation. The shop employee sees the physical document, which makes this the most reliable route for passports the video partners reject.
Which provider offers which route
| Provider (network) | Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Telekom MagentaMobil Prepaid (Telekom) | Online ident (video via Purpleview or automated via the Nect app), Telekom shop | Have the card number and phone number of the prepaid card ready. |
| Vodafone CallYa (Vodafone) | Selfie ident, video call, online ID (eID), Deutsche Post, Vodafone shop, retail partner | Widest choice; eSIM is verified the same way. |
| O2 Prepaid (O2) | Video ident, O2 shop | ID card or passport; about five minutes; eSIM can be delivered digitally after the check. |
| congstar (Telekom) | POSTIDENT by video (web or app), eID via Deutsche Post, Telekom shop and retail at purchase | Route depends on where the card was bought. |
| SIMon mobile (Vodafone) | Video ident (WebID or Deutsche Post), Deutsche Post branch | Published list of accepted passports; Syrian and Afghan citizens need the eAT plus passport; data check up to one hour, activation within 24 hours. |
| Aldi Talk (O2) | Video ident online around the clock, shop ident in over 10,000 partner shops | Documents must show the expected holographic security features; only the person who registered may do the video call. |
| Edeka smart (Telekom) | NECT-Ident (automated app) or POSTIDENT (video or branch) | Both free; activation usually within hours, up to 24 hours. |
| fraenk (Telekom), Lidl Connect (Vodafone) | App-based / not documented publicly | Check the activation page before buying if your passport is unusual. |
| Sources: the providers’ activation and help pages, retrieved on 24 September 2026; see the sources at the end of this page. | ||
Why VideoIdent fails – and what fixes it
- Passport not supported by the partner. The most common reason for non-EU passports. Fix: switch to a provider with a different partner (WebID, Nect, Deutsche Post), or use PostIdent or a shop, where a human checks the physical document.
- Data does not match. The name, date of birth or document number you entered differs from the document. SIMon mobile cancels the order if the mismatch cannot be resolved. Fix: type the name exactly as in the machine-readable zone, including all given names; restart the activation with corrected data.
- Glare, blur, darkness. Holograms have to be visible and the text readable. Fix: daylight from the front, no lamp behind you, a clean camera lens, hold the document still.
- Connection dropped. A broken video session is not a rejection – SIMon mobile and Aldi Talk both send a link to resume. Fix: reopen the link from the confirmation email.
- Wrong device. Some services run in the browser on a computer but only in the app on a phone or tablet (Aldi Talk). Fix: install the provider’s registration app.
- Special cases. Syrian and Afghan citizens need the German electronic residence permit in addition to the passport at SIMon mobile; asylum documents are best handled in a shop.
- Non-Latin names. Enter the transliteration printed in the machine-readable zone of the passport, not a phonetic spelling.
Have the physical document, the SIM card (card number and phone number are printed on the carrier) and your German contact address ready; use the app on a phone with a good camera; sit facing a window; make sure the same person who registered the card does the call; and allow enough battery and time – a queue at the video service can add a few minutes.
How long activation takes
After a successful check, the provider compares the confirmed data with the registration and switches the card on. SIMon mobile states a data check of usually up to one hour and activation within 24 hours; Edeka smart and Aldi Talk activate “within a few hours”, in rare cases within 24 hours; O2 and Vodafone confirm activation by SMS, Vodafone within 24 hours after a shop or retail check. If the check fails definitively, the order is cancelled and the SIM stays inactive – you can restart the process with corrected data or take another route, without buying a new card.
Tourists: the travel eSIM alternative
If you only need mobile data for a few weeks and no German number, a travel eSIM from Holafly or Airalo avoids the German procedure altogether: you buy the plan in the app, install the profile before departure and switch it on when you land. Both run on German networks (Holafly on Vodafone and Telefónica, Airalo on O2). What they do not give you is a German phone number for verification codes, bank or landlord – for that you need a German prepaid card and the identity check.
€5.90 monthly
€5.50 monthly
Advertising notice: provider links in this overview are affiliate links — we receive a commission from the provider for sign-ups made through them.
After activation
- Keep the card active. Prepaid cards are deactivated after long inactivity – at O2, for example, the card stays active as long as it is topped up or used for a paid action at least every six months.
- Address changes need proof. Because the address is part of the registration, providers such as Edeka smart only change it against a copy of the ID document or a registration certificate.
- Your number is portable. Once activated, you can take the number to any other provider at any time and free of charge (§ 59 TKG) – so a first card bought for a quick activation does not lock you in.
- eSIM later. Most providers swap a physical card for an eSIM free of charge after activation; see our guide to eSIM in Germany.
The prepaid packages of Telekom, Vodafone, O2 and congstar are compared on our prepaid SIM page; the overview of networks, contracts and discount brands is on the SIM card page. Your new number starts with 015, 016 or 017; how German numbers are written and dialled from abroad is explained on the German phone number page.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. § 172 of the Telecommunications Act requires an identity check against an official document – a passport is enough – and a German contact address for the registration, which can be a hotel, hostel or short-term flat. A residence permit is one of the accepted documents, not a precondition.
Yes. The law accepts any passport that fulfils the ID requirement in Germany. What differs is the route: video identification partners keep their own lists of supported passports, so a rejection online usually means switching to a shop, to PostIdent at a Deutsche Post branch, or to a provider with a different identification partner – not that your passport is invalid.
The usual reasons are a document type the partner does not support, entered data that differs from the document (name, date of birth, document number), glare or poor lighting that hides the holograms, or a dropped connection. Correct the data and retry via the link in the confirmation email; if the document itself is the problem, use a shop, PostIdent or a different provider.
Usually minutes to a few hours. SIMon mobile states a data check of up to one hour and activation within 24 hours, Edeka smart and Aldi Talk activate within a few hours, Vodafone within 24 hours after a shop or retail check, and each provider confirms by SMS or email. If the check fails definitively, the order is cancelled and you can restart with corrected data.
Yes, where the provider offers it – congstar via Deutsche Post and Vodafone CallYa list the online ID function among their routes. You need the electronic residence permit with an activated PIN (from the letter your immigration office sent), the AusweisApp on an NFC smartphone or a card reader, and about two minutes. The German ID card and the eID card for EU citizens work the same way.
No. Holafly and Airalo sell data-only eSIMs for Germany that are bought and installed in their apps without the German procedure, because they do not assign German phone numbers. They are the right choice for a short trip; anyone who needs a German number – for verification codes, a bank or a landlord – needs a German SIM and the identity check.
Sources and legal basis (as of 24 September 2026)
Laws (gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved on 24 September 2026): § 172 TKG (data for information requests of the security authorities; identity verification before activation, accepted documents, deletion) · § 59 TKG (number portability free of charge).
Official information on the eID function (Federal Ministry of the Interior, personalausweisportal.de, retrieved on 24 September 2026): The electronic residence permit · Electronic identification · eID card for citizens of the EU and the EEA.
Identification services and providers (retrieved on 24 September 2026): Deutsche Post POSTIDENT · Telekom prepaid tariffs and activation and Telekom terms of use for video chat and online ident (PDF) · Vodafone CallYa help: activate and identify · O2 Prepaid · congstar: activate prepaid card · SIMon mobile: SIM activation and accepted documents · Aldi Talk FAQ: registration and identification · Edeka smart service: legitimation · Holafly eSIM Germany · Airalo Germany eSIM · our own product database for the comparison cards.