Pick up identity card
Source: BUS Rheinland-PfalzYou usually pick up your ID card at the Bürgeramt where you applied for it. You can also authorize a representative to collect the ID card with a power of attorney that also contains instructions on how to obtain the PIN letter.
If you have not received a PIN letter, you can only pick it up in person and not with a proxy.
Only this Bürgeramt can tell you whether you need to make an appointment to pick up your ID card or whether you need to follow any other instructions regarding the time of pickup.
The PIN letter will be sent directly to your registration address. If you do not have a residential address in Germany, the PIN letter can also be sent to the issuing Bürgeramt. In this case, you will receive the PIN letter there on the day you pick up your new ID card.
The PIN letter contains a five-digit transport PIN, an unblocking number (PUK) and a blocking password. You can use the transport PIN to set a six-digit PIN of your own choice. You need this six-digit PIN to identify yourself online with your ID card.
You can hand in your old ID card when you pick it up, or you can have it cancelled if you want to keep it as a souvenir. If you have lost your old ID card, fill out a notice of loss.
You can also authorize another adult in writing to pick up your ID card. You can find the authorization form online via the ID card portal. To pick up your child's ID card, you only need the authorization if the child is already 16 or older.