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How I Pulled Off a Four-Day Trip Through Germany on a €9 Ticket

By Matt Perkins

Train travel through Germany this summer is getting a huge boost: Officials have introduced a new  9-Euro-Ticket hop-on-hop off program. Part of a government plan to help consumers with rising energy costs, the new fare is valid for travel for one month on all local and regional trains, as well as buses, throughout the whole of Germany. Though the unlimited ticket excludes popular Intercity Express trains, you can still travel far and wide across the country for a mere €9 until the end of August, when the offer ends for the year.

Earlier in July, I decided to book a ticket to explore the charming medieval towns and foothills of the Bavarian Alps located along Germany’s Romantic Road . Here's how I pulled off the four-day trip for just €9 in train fare.

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A view of the red roofs of  Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Day 1: Munich to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Just before 8 a.m. on a Tuesday, I set off from Munich in a near-empty carriage. I’ve packed light—my backpack fits comfortably overhead—following the wry advice on the train’s information screens to not “bring your double-bass” on-board during the 9-Euro-Ticket season. In a more crowded carriage after changing at Treuchtlingen, I hear a few complaints about Ausflüglers, the German word for day-trippers. But everyone on board is well-behaved. Distant churches with cupolas like onion bulbs and a freight train full of Audis whip by my window. 

By late morning, I’m walking the cobblestone streets of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, 124 miles northwest of Munich. After a local pastry—a Schneeball, a nougat-flavored dough ball—I climb the town hall tower and look down at the red roofs of half-timbered houses enclosed by 14 th -century walls. I duck into the cool of St. James’ Church to gaze on Tilman Riemenschneider’s 500-year-old wood carvings. After a turn around the walls, I go for a pub dinner of Käsespätzle, a fresh Bavarian pasta with cheese and crispy onions.

How to get there: From München Hbf (Munich Main Station), take the RB16 heading to Nürnberg and get off at Treuchtlingen (1hr 57 mins); change to the RB80 heading to Würzburg Hbf and get off at Steinach (1hr 6 mins); then change to the RB82 to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (15 mins).

German countryside outside of Dinkelsbühl

Day 2: Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Dinkelsbühl to Nördlingen

The next morning, I’m on a bus to Dinkelsbühl, a couple of hours’ drive to the south, trundling past tumble-down barns and over-curated front lawns. The top floor of Dinkelsbühl’s history museum is dedicated to the Munich School painters who “rediscovered” the town 200 years after its near ruin in the Thirty Years’ War . While now an established stop on the Romantic Road, a local bookseller tells me that it’ll take more than the 9-Euro-Ticket to make up for the long decommissioned train line once directly connecting Dinkelsbühl to Rothenburg and Nördlingen. The bus service they replaced it with is a little patchy (I had to take two buses to get here), but I find them speedy and reliable, if not as comfortable as the trains. 

I take another bus to Nördlingen, an hour to the south-east. Once I arrive, I make a twilight pilgrimage to Hexenfelsen , a dolomite block unearthed after the asteroid impact that, 14 million years ago, formed the crater in which Nördlingen sits today, and where a panel commemorates those burnt at the stake here during the 16 th -century “ witch craze .” I head back into town for a hearty plate of Maultaschen, which are ravioli-like parcels; these particular ones are stuffed with fried vegetables.

How to get there: From Rothenburg Schlachthof, take the 807 bus heading towards Dombühl Bahnhof and get off at Dombühl Lindenstr. (50 mins); cross the street to get the 813 bus heading towards Dinkelsbühl Gymnasium and get off at Dinkelsbühl ZOB Schwedenwiese (43 mins). From Dinkelsbühl ZOB, get the 501 bus heading towards Nördlingen Bussteig 8 and get off at Nördlingen Brettermarkt (44 mins).

Day 3: Nördlingen to Augsburg

After a night in Nördlingen, I’m back on the rails to Augsburg, one of Germany’s oldest cities. Augsburg wears its history lightly: the late 16 th -century Hercules Fountain is now a popular hang-out spot opposite a row of buzzy cocktail bars. Unprepared for the city’s size after the walkability of smaller towns, I manage to poke my head into the Fuggerei , Europe’s oldest social housing complex, but am too late to get into Bert Brecht’s birthplace . There’s still time for a Schwaerzla , a deep black stout beer, in the Drunken Monkey and a falafel wrap before the train to my guesthouse in sleepy Inningen, a couple of stops down the line.

How to get there: From Nördlingen, get the RB89 to Donauwörth (32 mins), change to RE8 towards München Hbf, and get off at Augsburg (30 mins).

Floating in the Isar river in Munich 

Day 4: Augsburg to Füssen to Munich

The next day’s two-hour train ride to Füssen in the south is spectacular. A fellow passenger points out a falcon over a corn field. At Seeg, we all cross the aisle to peer out the train windows at the rugged Alps poking through the mist rising from grey-green forests. We arrive in Füssen under ominous storm clouds but, throwing caution to the wind, I hike up into the foothills. When I reach The Museum of the Bavarian Kings , I’m told I would have got a better deal if I’d gone first to nearby Neuschwanstein Castle , built to the eccentric tastes of King Ludwig II, and bought a combo-ticket. Giddy from the museum’s glittering treasures, I head back to town through the inevitable storm to catch the train to Munich, though I’m already planning to return for the castles.

How to get there: From Augsburg main station get the RB77 to Füssen (2hrs). From Füssen, take the RB68 to München Hbf (2hrs 14 mins).

I spend a relaxed weekend in Munich eating at the Viktualienmarkt and lazing on the sun-drenched riverbanks of the Isar. I let myself be carried along by the clean, fast-flowing waters of the Flaucher section of the river, which may be my favorite mode of transport in Bavaria. But train travel on the 9-Euro-Ticket is a close second.

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Germany’s €9 Monthly Train Pass Has Proved Popular (and a Pleasant Surprise)

To help offset inflation, Germany’s government has subsidized cheap train passes this summer. While many feared chaos and overcrowding on an overburdened system, it has been a relatively smooth ride.

By Christopher F. Schuetze

ABOARD THE HAMBURG-WESTERLAND TRAIN, Germany — Bärbel Hell, who does not usually ride on trains, was delighted to discover that the lumbering blue-and-white regional she had boarded one early afternoon was not too packed.

Even though it was summer, and even though the line she was on connects Germany’s second largest city, Hamburg, with the country’s most exclusive resort destination, the island of Sylt, the coach was not overcrowded.

“It was easy — we found these seats right away,” she said.

Ms. Hell, returning home from a July shopping trip to Hamburg with friends, had been bracing for much worse — not only because of vacation season, but also because of a special pricing program from Germany’s national rail service that many here had been skeptical of.

Through the end of August, in a bid to help offset the inflationary pressures on so many other of life’s essential items, especially energy, the government is subsidizing all-you-can-ride monthly rail tickets for only 9 euros, or about $9.30.

“I think it helps a lot,” said Ms. Hell, 67, a retiree, adding, “It gives people the chance to get away — because who can afford that with gas prices these days?”

For all of the appeal of the low price, many German train regulars, who have long had to deal with delayed or canceled trips and overcrowded cars, were dreading the expected effect of the promotion.

While it promised to make train travel much more affordable — putting hundreds of euros back in the pockets of regular commuters — it also loomed as a burden that could break a system already at its limit.

Before the tickets were even valid, the country’s tabloids were predicting “9 euro chaos” in their headlines.

But the result so far, 10 weeks into the experiment, has been something in rare supply in recent days: a mildly pleasant surprise.

Despite the fact that about a full quarter of Germany’s population bought tickets during the first month of the promotion, the passenger surge has turned out to be less problematic than many anticipated.

Instead, the offer, despite an occasional overcrowded train, has become popular. A recent poll conducted for Der Spiegel, a German newsmagazine, found 55 percent of all Germans in favor of extending the program, with 34 percent against.

“This is one of the greatest things that Germany has thought about in recent years — I would almost say decades,” Felix Lobrecht, a well-known German comic and social observer, who by his own admission prefers his Mercedes to trains, said on a recent podcast.

Still, regulars on the train from Hamburg to Westerland, the main town on Sylt, were not ready to declare the plan an unqualified success, nor were they in a mood to forgive some of the past transgressions of Germany’s train network.

“You saw a definite increase in travelers,” Matthias Carstensen, 27, said on his way to his job at the only McDonald’s on Sylt, which sits in the North Sea about four miles off the mainland, to which it is connected by a rail causeway.

But Mr. Carstensen, who has been commuting to work at various jobs on the island for a decade, said the bigger problem was the many delays that had plagued the system even before the introduction of the ticket. “Recently, it’s been really bad,” he said.

Over the past couple of years, the number of trains that have arrived on time has plummeted. While it was nearly 90 percent in 2020, now fewer than two-thirds of the trains pull into stations on time. The number of trains that are canceled altogether has increased, too.

The biggest shares of the blame lie with aging infrastructure and rising demand. Even before the summer promotion, the 3,000 kilometers, or more than 1,860 miles, of tracks most used by passenger trains were running at 125 percent capacity.

The €9 ticket — courtesy of a €2.5 billion federal subsidy — was meant as a response to sharply rising energy costs caused in part by Russias invasion of Ukraine. But despite its temporary nature, the ticket promotion has become part of a larger discussion about how to make German society more sustainable and less dependent on Russian oil, through policies including encouraging the use of public transportation.

“It’s the first, and maybe only, measure in this energy crisis that has been categorically accepted,” said Luisa Neubauer, one of Germany’s best-known climate activists, noting that the measure helps people from different socioeconomic backgrounds more equitably than subsidies on gas or heating do. “It’s been a huge success.”

Modern German passenger trains generally belong to one of two service tiers.

The high-speed network that the country started expanding in the 1990s connects major cities that, by German standards, are far apart. Travelers can pay as much as an airline ticket for the service, but perks include an onboard restaurant, reclinable seats and internet. When these trains deliver as promised, they can make the trip from Berlin to Munich — about the same distance as New York to Montreal — in under four hours.

The workhorses of Germany’s rail system, however, are the more bare-bones regional trains.

Like the six-car Sylt-bound train rambling amid the flat wheat fields and wind turbines at a maximum speed of 60 miles per hour, they cover routes of up to several hundred miles, connecting neighboring cities or urban zones with their surrounding suburbs. These are the trains that — together with urban public transportation — can be used anywhere at any time for €9 a month this summer.

(A traveler willing to make a number of connections, and endure a large number of stops, could cross the entire country on the €9 ticket.)

Pamela Seelbach, 38, who was having one last cigarette before boarding the train in Hamburg for the three-hour trip to Sylt, said she saved about €80 a month with the ticket just on everyday trips in and out of the city. The money, she said, made a big difference in her four-member family’s budget.

But what Ms. Seelbach has most enjoyed about the new ticket, she said, is that fact that her entire family can now take an out-of-town day trip. “It’s something that we would not ordinarily do,” she said.

Olaf Bösch, a native of Sylt, said that while he was against the low ticket price in general — “It’s just too cheap — it’s practically free,” he said — he had experienced an unexpected benefit. Like most employers on Sylt, Mr. Bösch pays the train costs for workers as a perk. So the three-month program has cut his costs.

At least one group of train employees, conductors, has identified a real benefit from the promotion. Because it is now so rare for somebody to use the train without paying, many conductors have stopped checking for tickets.

“We don’t have to deal with fare dodgers anymore,” said one conductor on the Hamburg-Westerland line, who asked not to be identified because he was not allowed to speak to the news media. “Apparently everyone has €9 to spare.”

Christopher F. Schuetze covers German news, society and occasionally arts from the Berlin bureau. Before moving to Germany, he lived in the Netherlands, where he covered everything from tulips to sea-level rise. More about Christopher F. Schuetze

How I traveled using Germany’s €9 travel pass: my 48-hour itinerary

Aug 2, 2022 • 7 min read

Alex in front of the old town hall of Wernigerode © Alex Butler / Lonely Planet

With high fuel and flight prices, summer travel is proving much pricier than any of us would have liked.

Perhaps that’s why Germany’s announcement that it would offer country-wide public transport passes for just €9 a month this summer - for locals and visitors alike - made headlines around the world. 

I was particularly excited, as I had already been planning to spend July in Berlin . So far, the pass has been an unbeatable deal for exploring the city, but I also wanted to see how it could be used for a weekend adventure. In just over 48 hours, I was able to see half-timber homes, mountain views and art museums - all in parts of Germany I would have never thought to visit otherwise, and all for less than the cost of lunch. 

How does the €9 travel pass work? 

Passes can be bought online here and are valid for the calendar month. (This deal only runs until August 31, so there’s only one month left to make the most of it.) You’ll receive a digital pass with a QR code - keep it handy on your phone (or print a copy for good measure) as it will be checked fairly regularly. 

The pass can be used on all public transport, like buses, trams, S-bahns, U-bahns and regional trains. However, it does not apply to the fast intercity trains like ICE and IC. Because the pass doesn’t apply to the faster long-distance trains, expect journeys to take much longer and to sometimes include multiple transfers. 

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Planning a weekend away using the €9 travel pass

With roughly 48-hours free for a trip, I wanted to pack in as much as possible, without spending the entire weekend on trains. That meant not trying to pack in a cross-country journey and instead focusing on smaller communities that are closer to home. After a bit of research , I settled on a first stop. 

(Want to cut straight to Germany's best journeys? Check out our list of the top €9 itineraries ). 

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The quaint streets of Quedlinburg 

The nearly 2-hour journey from Berlin to Quedlinburg required transferring from the S-bahn to two different regional trains. With our first train delayed, my partner and I nearly missed our transfer - a definite hazard of connecting multiple regional trains. 

But once we arrived, it was more than worth racing through train stations. Quedlinburg offered a postcard view of Germany I’d yet to see in person. With limited time, we walked the streets to take in some of the more than 1300 half-timber buildings Quedlinburg is famous for. In fact, the entire Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage Site, described as being “ an exceptional example of a medieval European town ”. 

While the streets impressed from below, we headed to the Sternkeikerturm observation tower, where a €1 coin unlocks a revolving gate to climb above for a view. Not content with just one view, we walked up to the Stiftskirche St. Servatii (a church currently mostly under scaffolding) with grounds that look over the town below.  Lunch and a walk through the historic neighborhood of Münzenberg was all we had time for before heading to the train station for our next stop. 

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Off to Wernigerode in the Harz mountains

Making our second stop in the town of Wernigerode was an easy choice. With just one transfer on the half-hour journey, it seemed a simple trip for the pay-off: more beautiful half-timber buildings, amazing views of the Harz mountains  and a storybook castle overlooking the town. 

Since this would be where we’d spend the night, we dropped off our bags at the hotel and took in the lovely view of the red-roofed buildings nestled amongst the hills, before wandering into the town below to check out the sites (an incredible old town hall, Wernigerode’s smallest house) until the sky turned dark. 

I hadn’t yet planned where our adventure would take us the following day. While I’d originally thought we would continue on our small-town journey, I realized that having seen what we had, any more picturesque views were almost guaranteed to have diminishing returns. Instead, we started weighing the options for a city we could visit - without wasting the better part of our sightseeing time on the train. Hanover and Leipzig both seemed feasible, with Leipzig winning out because of its attractions and that it would bring us closer back to Berlin. 

With our plan settled, we awoke the following day to do a quick hike up to and tour of the Wernigerode Castle , which began as a medieval fortress and developed into a “ romantic residence castle ” through the centuries. After that it was down to the train for our next journey. 

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A night in Leipzig 

The 2-hour and 2-transfer journey was an easy one - we snagged seats immediately and settled in for a relaxing ride. Since it was already about 4pm when we arrived in Leipzig , we rushed to the Museen im Grassi , and, because we were short on time, opted to focus on the decorative arts museum - particularly to see the Art Deco and Art Nouveau collections. 

Leipzig, which is oft-dubbed the new Berlin as it becomes a hot spot for those leaving the German capital, is home to long ‘passageways’ owed to its past as a trading center. We wandered to the Mädlerpassage - a massive five-story covered hall home to bars, restaurants and shops - for a walk past the Auberbachs Keller restaurant , famous as a setting in Goethe’s Faust, and a quick cocktail at the aptly-named Mephisto. 

From there we scoped out the sites of the old town to see the incredible architecture. Exhausted after our travels, we then had to head to the hotel to crash before our journey home the next day. 

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Back to Berlin 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the trains from Leipzig to Berlin were busy, as we were accompanied by many travelers on their way to the airport. However, our route home required us to switch from regional trains back to the S-bahn - meaning there was time for a quick final detour to Schlachtensee lake, where we had a swim and washed the travel off before heading home. 

As a one-way high-speed train from Berlin to Leipzig alone can cost more than €30, I couldn’t believe what value this travel pass provides for exploring Germany - if you’re willing to go slowly. 

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How to plan a route using the €9 euro travel pass 

While you may usually rely on apps like Google Maps for trip-planning, it won’t be of much help here: Google usually suggests the fastest route from point A to B - which often requires taking the exact high-speed trains the pass doesn’t cover. Instead, make your life easy and download the Deutsche Bahn app (or use the website ). Go into the options and under “means of transport” select “regional transport only”. That will immediately remove ICE and trains you can’t take with the pass from the options, so you’ll only see routes you can actually take. 

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Are the trains busy? 

They can be. I traveled over the weekend, and some were quite packed, with lots of people standing in aisles or sitting on their bags. But on some regional routes, we just hopped on and grabbed seats. Since it can be hard to predict, I’d advise packing light and preparing to stand - and being pleasantly surprised if you happen to snag a seat. 

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The bottom line 

If you’re a short-on-time traveler trying to make a quick day trip to another city in Germany, shell out for an ICE ticket. But if you want to have a fun, slightly different journey that will push you to explore places you might not have done otherwise, get the DB app and start mapping a journey. Regardless of how long you’ll be spending in Germany, this pass is an incredible deal that is worth making the most of. 

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This Summer You Can Travel Around German Cities for 9 Euros

Passengers at Berlin Central Station. The 9 euros a month transport passes will be valid for local and regional transport systems.

Germany slashed the cost of using trains, trams and buses to 9 euros ($9.56) a month to encourage people to ditch their cars and save energy amid Europe’s standoff with Russia.

The passes for local transport networks will be available for three months beginning in June, accord to legislation passed by Germany’s upper house of parliament on Friday. The discount amounts to more 90% off the regular rate for Berlin’s public transport network.

• World Politics

Public transit for nine bucks a month? Germany tried it.

Germany introduced a 9-Euro-Ticket to help ease the energy crisis. Now it’s trying to figure out what comes next.

by Jen Kirby

MUNICH, Germany — Maybe you buy the 9-Euro-Ticket to travel from Saxony to Bavaria to go to the Helene Fischer concert in Munich. Maybe you buy it to go hiking, taking the train on summer weekends to villages outside Munich. Or maybe you buy it because you’re an American journalist, but also a little bit of a tourist, used to paying $2.75 to wait 15 minutes for a crowded Brooklyn Q train, like me. 

Because, really, why not buy it? For 9 euros a month for June, July, August, passengers could buy one ticket to travel anywhere in Germany — on the U-Bahn throughout Berlin, or a regional train from Hamburg to towns along the North Sea.

The German government created the 9-Euro-Ticket as one component of a relief package to mitigate inflation, especially higher energy costs , made worse by the war in Ukraine and Russia’s threats . The ticket was largely subsidized by the federal government, at a cost of about 2.5 billion euros . It offered a financial break, with a climate-friendly incentive on the side. That is, maybe take this extremely affordable train instead of your car.

As of August, about 38 million people bought Germany’s 9-Euro-Ticket, according to Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s national railway. In many places, ridership rebounded to pre-Covid-19 levels. Experts and officials said many people used the ticket for leisure, including some passengers who took trips they otherwise might not have been able to afford. Research and surveys on the impacts of the ticket are still ongoing, but one in Munich showed car congestion in the city decreased 3 percent from May to June , and another, by the association for Germany’s transport companies, found about 3 percent chose public transit over car .

Those are modest shifts. And the ticket had its hiccups; especially in the early days, routes were overcrowded and strained the rail systems . But the affordability, and the simplicity of travel, all made the 9-Euro-Ticket extremely popular .

“The ticket shows that people want to use public transport — when it’s easy to use and when it’s affordable,” said Lukas Iffländer, the vice chairman of Fahrgastverband Pro Bahn, a passenger association.

The problem is, the 9-Euro-Ticket is about to end.

Right now, the government has no plan to immediately continue or replace it. Which means, starting in September, travelers will again pay regular fares, and maybe even more. Many transit companies are expected to hike prices because of energy costs.

All of that has left Germany trying to figure out what can, or should, replace the 9-Euro-Ticket. Thousands have signed a petition to keep it. On Twitter, the hashtag #9Euroticketbleibt (basically, “the 9-Euro-Ticket stays”) is perpetually trending. Political parties, advocates, and industry groups have floated different proposals — a 69 euro monthly ticket , a 365 euro yearly ticket , and more . German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the 9-Euro-Ticket “one of the best ideas we had ,” but the coalition government is also divided on its possible successor.

The 9-Euro-Ticket was supposed to give Germans a break on rising energy expenses. It helped do that, but it brought Germany to reckon with what public transport can and should look like, especially in the age of an energy and climate crisis. This three-month experiment could help reshape the country’s transportation infrastructure.

Although it probably will never be quite this cheap again.

What Germany learned from its 9-Euro-Ticket experiment

This spring, the German coalition government agreed on a series of measures to help ease the financial fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The deal included ways to make travel and transport a little cheaper, including a reduction on gas and diesel tax starting in June. It also created this 9-Euro-Ticket, which would last for three months and allocate money to compensate local and regional transit companies for the lost revenues.

The 9-Euro-Ticket was cheap, obviously. A monthly ticket in Berlin can ordinarily cost 86 euros or more; in Munich, it depends on which zones you’re traveling to, but can be upward of 150 euros each month .

The 9-Euro-Ticket uncomplicated travel within cities and between them. “The best thing about the ticket that people said was just the simplicity of it,” said Isabel Cademartori, an SPD member of the Bundestag from Mannheim, serving on the Committee on Transport.

The 9-Euro-Ticket meant riders didn’t have to game out complicated fare schemes, figuring out how much to pay depending on how far the travel, or when. People could ride the U-Bahn, and then hop on the local train to a neighboring city, and take the bus around town, all with the same ticket. (High-speed trains weren’t included in the 9-Euro-Ticket.)

That affordability and ease of travel outside of your town or city also meant that a lot of people used the ticket for leisure getaways, according to government officials, advocates, and researchers. Callum, a PhD student from Munich, said that he used it to go on hiking trips. In the small villages and towns he passed through, he said, “they were saying to us all: ‘You traveled out here because of the 9-Euro-Ticket, right?’ We were like, ‘Yeah, definitely.’ So it really seemed to be appreciated by everyone.”

Markus Siewert, managing director of the TUM Think Tank and member of the research team conducting a mobility study in and around Munich, said that they often received emails from people, seniors, or lower-income people, who said that the 9-Euro-Ticket meant they could go on vacation for the first time, or were able to send their children on a school field trip.

But those trips did, at times, test Germany’s transit infrastructure, especially on weekends and holidays. During one of the first big holiday weekends of the ticket in June , overcrowded trains slowed travel, platforms were full, and trains were at capacity. It also put pressure on train and station staff, who had to handle the influx. Some of these problems eased over time, but it also revealed some strains on Germany’s infrastructure.

One of the secondary hopes for the ticket was that it might reduce gasoline consumption, as more people took these trips by train instead of using their cars.

On that question, the results aren’t as clear. One survey, from the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), found that about a quarter of trips made with the 9-Euro-Ticket wouldn’t have been made otherwise. When it came to using public transit instead of a car, the VDV found that only about 3 percent of people surveyed said they took transit instead of driving.

Research from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Munich School of Politics (HfP) think tank, in Munich, also had similar findings, and found a 3 percent decrease in car usage from May to June and the beginning of July.

But those same researchers found that about 35 percent of people in their Munich sample traveled by bus or tram more. About 22 percent of people in that same study used public transit for the first time; about a quarter of them used it four or more days a week. Traffic data from Tomtom also showed that traffic congestion decreased in 23 of 26 cities during the time of the 9-Euro-Ticket.

And that was just in three months. Car owners weren’t going to fully abandon their cars during that period, but it at least gave them an incentive to use public transit. One big question that no one yet has an answer to is whether those less used to taking public transit before the 9-Euro-Ticket might still opt to take it after the program ends. And the other big question is whether a more permanent version of the 9-Euro-Ticket could accelerate or entrench such a transition — but to do, so the investment may need to go beyond a transport subsidy.

“On the long term, if you want to have a transport transition, you have to have not too expensive open transport, and, on the other hand, you should have more and better trains and buses,” said Alexander Kaas Elias, the spokesperson for railway policy for the Greens Faction in Berlin.

A temporary measure that people want to make permanent. But how?

Luka Blazic was waiting for the S-Bahn in Munich last week , but, he said, he did not have the 9-Euro-Ticket.

The 25-year-old law student bought the 9-Euro-Ticket in June because he went to school and he had a lot of books, so it was hard to lug them all on his motorcycle. But when he really needed transit, say, after being out at night, it wasn’t readily available. It also wasn’t all that reliable. “If I would have had an important appointment, I wouldn’t want to depend on public transit,” he said. He didn’t buy the pass again in July or August. This August trip was a one-off thing.

The complaints about Munich’s transit are a bit harder to sympathize with if you live, well, in America . But the 9-Euro-Ticket, in sending people back to public transit (or toward it for the the first time), did reveal some weaknesses in Germany’s transit system. It can be confusing, and it also has some big gaps, especially in connections between cities and smaller towns, and within smaller cities, towns, and rural areas.

Bernd Reuther, a Free Democrat Bundestag member from North-Rhine Westphalia, also on the Committee on Transport, said the 9-Euro-Ticket showed that Germany needs to simplify, but also expand and invest in infrastructure, to make it more reliable, so that people can use it in daily life. “If you have a good infrastructure then people will not use the car anymore. I mean, for my best example is the staff in my office. In my office [in Berlin], nobody has a car. In my home office, here in my voting district, everybody comes by car because they have no other chance to get there,” he said.

Many also see that kind of investment as necessary if Germany wants to meet its climate goals in the longer term — beyond the immediate energy crisis. For this, it’s not just about investing in public transit, but also using some sticks to wean people off of cars. Frederic Rudolph, the head of T3 Transportation Think Tank, which advocates for sustainable mobility, especially around bike access, said the incentive to use the 9-Euro-Ticket was blunted somewhat because the German government also increased fuel subsidies around the same time — that is, drivers got a break, too. “It’s not sufficient if you only support alternatives to the car, but you have also to be more restrictive towards the car,” he said.

But any effort to boost public transit ridership and infrastructure will cost money, and that is the big question looming around the 9-Euro-Ticket or its eventual successor. The government has estimated that it would cost 14 billion euros a year to continue the 9-Euro-Ticket, a sum that Finance Minister Christian Lindner, of the Free Democrats, said would take away from other necessary investments. “Nine euros per month isn’t free of charge — it means someone else pays,” Lindner said recently. “Money that then isn’t available for education, for example.”

Lindner’s comments are just one window into the divide on the 9-Euro-Ticket among Germany’s coalition partners, the center-left SPD, the business-friendly Free Democrats, and the pro-environment Greens. Volker Wissing, the minister for Transport, has convened a working group in coordination with Germany’s federal states, which typically run public transit, to come up with proposals, though that isn’t expected until later in the fall.

Some SPD officials have called for a 365 euro annual ticket, which would basically put the cost of daily public transit at 1 euro. The Greens have put forward their own plan for a 29 euro regional monthly ticket , which they argue make up the majority of trips anyway, and a 49 euro monthly country-wide ticket . Industry groups and advocates have also come up with similar proposals for a “Klimaticket” as some have called it, including flex regions — so you don’t pay more if you pass over a border — and other monthly options.

Most officials and even some advocates concede that 9 euros is probably a bit too cheap. But the goal is to find a price tag that feels accessible and worthwhile, no matter the income level or location. And above all else, keeping things simple and lowering the obstacles to access was maybe the most important lesson of the experiment. “The people want a German-wide ticket,” said Tim Alexandrin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.

The people want it, but it doesn’t look as though Germany will come up with a new plan before the 9-Euro-Ticket expires. The success of the ticket proved Germany’s public transit systems can be more accessible and affordable — but it also showed what it might take to get there.

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German Rail Pass

The German Rail Pass offers travellers who live outside Germany unlimited travel across the country.

Choose your German Rail Pass

German rail pass consecutive, german rail pass flexi, would you like to use the german rail pass with another person.

Then the Twin Pass is the right offer for you. The German Rail Twin Pass is currently only available for sale in person, e.g. in our DB Travel Centres.

• German Rail Pass brochure with travel map (PDF, 1 MB)
• Prices for German Rail Pass and German Rail Twin Pass (PDF, 42 KB)

Save with 9-Euro Tickets on Train and Bus Travel in Germany in Summer 2022

The 9-Euro tickets are the cheapest fares for traveling on local trains and city buses in Germany in June, July, and August 2022.

NOTE: The €9 ticket is no longer available but the €49 Deutschland Ticket is still a good savings deal from May 2023.

In June, July, and August 2022 only, travelers in Germany may buy 9-Euro monthly tickets for unlimited transportation on all local trains, as well as city transportation networks (buses, trams, metros, and trains) throughout the whole country. The €9 tickets are a huge saving over regular discount tickets and regional trains are expected to be very full during the summer of 2022. Buy the 9-Euro ticket online at Germany Railways, or from any site or ticket vending machine selling train and bus tickets in Germany.

Buy 9-Euro Train and Bus Tickets in Germany

The 9-Euro ticket is a special transportation initiative of the German government: in June, July, and August 2022, anyone may travel on any local train and city transportation networks (trains, buses, metro, trams) for €9 for the full calendar month. The number of tickets on sale is unlimited and tickets are available online from Deutsche Bahn, or from any site or ticket vending machine selling train and bus tickets in Germany.

Tickets are valid for a calendar month and expire on the final day of the specific calendar month. Tickets are not transferable and the full name must be entered on the ticket, which may be used as a mobile ticket or a paper ticket.

For most travelers, the 9-Euro tickets will be cheaper than any regional train tickets or city travel passes even if used for only a day or two rather than a full month.

Travel on €9 Train and Bus Tickets in Germany

Travel on the 9-Euro tickets is possible all day and on any regional train (e.g. U, S, RB, RE), as well as on local transportation networks including U-Bahn (Metro), buses, and trams throughout Germany.

Restrictions on travel on 9-Euro tickets are surprisingly few: most private railways and intercity buses are not included nor are high-speed trains (e.g. ICE, EC, IC). When checking timetables at German Railways , select the “Local transportation only” option to find only trains and buses on which the €9 tickets are valid. (Occasionally a regional express may masquerade as an InterCity on some stretches or other agreements may exclude the cheapest tickets. Such exclusions are fairly rare and usually easily avoided.)

A few further changes from standard German railways tickets worth noting include:

• The 9-Euro tickets are €9 for everyone, no other discounts may be applied.
• Children under 6 travel for free but all children 6 years or older need their own 9-Euro tickets.
• The 9-Euro tickets are only valid in second class — no First Class options or upgrades are available.
• The 9-Euro tickets do not alter the need for a dog or bicycle ticket where applicable, and those are not specially discounted either.

Are the 9-Euro Tickets in Germany Value for Money?

The 9-Euro tickets are excellent value for money for travelers to Germany in June, July, and August 2022. In comparison, the popular Bavaria Ticket is €26 per day — it remains on sale but offers no advantage over the 9-Euro ticket. A Berlin ABC day ticket is €10 per day — previously considered fair value.

Traveling the full length of Germany from Flensburg on the Danish border to Basel Bad on the Swiss border by train is possible on long-distance trains (2 or 3 transfers) with a traveling time of around 9 hours for a full-fare price of €145 to €172. The same journey on local trains for €9 takes around 17 hours with 7 or 8 train transfers.

Most travelers will not go that far. It is expected that many will use the €9-tickets for day trips from cities, or simply regular bus trips in cities. The only downside is that trains may be very full — Berlin announced increased services on popular tourist routes but for most of Germany no extra trains are planned.

For many visits to smaller provincial towns, only local transportation is used anyway. For example, Munich to the popular Neuschwanstein only use local trains but the €9-ticket gives the added advantage of being valid before 9 am and on the final bus from Füssen station to Schwangau. The same goes for Frankfurt to the Rhine Valley , traveling along the Romantic Road , or seeing the cultural treasures of Saxony-Anhalt .

If buying the 9-Euro ticket online at Germany Railways, it is worth registering an account to make future purchases easier. The ticket does not renew automatically but it is possible to buy tickets for all three months in advance. Names must be entered on the mobile ticket or in ink on paper tickets before traveling.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer with over 20 years of experience writing online. He is particularly interested in history, art, and culture. He has lived most of his adult life in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. In addition to European-Traveler.com , he also owns a travel website on the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland and maintains statistical websites on car sales and classic car auction prices . Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Development Finance from the University of London.

Home » Germany » Save with 9-Euro Tickets on Train and Bus Travel in Germany in Summer 2022

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What's the plan for Germany's 9-euro monthly public transport ticket?

As part of a  package of measures to relieve consumers in Germany from high energy costs , the government recently announced that it would be offering discounted monthly tickets for public transport . Here’s what we know so far about the plan. 

What is the 9 for 90 public transport ticket in Germany?

The German federal government announced last week that, in the face of the war in Ukraine and skyrocketing utility bills , it had put together a relief package to support people struggling with costs. 

Alongside measures like a one-off 300-euro grant to all people who pay taxes in Germany and a tax cut on the price of fuel, the government has also promised to temporarily - but significantly - reduce the cost of monthly tickets for trains, buses and trams. The “9 for 90” scheme will offer public transport tickets for 9 euros per month for 90 days (so 27 euros in total for three months) in a bid to encourage people to opt for public transport over driving . 

“In the current situation especially, public transport is for many citizens a necessary, efficient and cost-effective alternative to their own cars and at the same time the most environmentally-friendly means of transport next to the bicycle,” the coalition government’s resolution paper states. 

Who is funding the discounted monthly pass?

The initiative is projected to cost transport associations in Germany around 2,5 billion euros, a sum that will be entirely covered by the federal government. This money will be transferred to the federal states , who are actually responsible for public transport, and so will be the ones to implement the scheme. 

When will the special ticket be available?

The idea of the 9 for 90 ticket seems to have been thought up relatively recently, and so it remains to be seen how quickly the plan can actually be implemented. According to government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann, the process should start “as quickly as possible”. May 1 has been put forward as a potential start date, but this has not been confirmed. 

Where will the ticket be valid?

Questions have been raised about where the 9-euro ticket will be valid: in one’s local area, across the entire regional network, the federal state, or nationwide? This is further complicated by the fact that some public transport operators in Germany cover only small regions, while others stretch across multiple federal states. Hopefully, this point will be clarified in the coming weeks. 

How will people be able to buy it?

The public transport network in Germany is complicated, to say the least, managed by over 100 transport associations across different cities and federal states, and encompassing hundreds of different types of tickets, zones, subscriptions and so on. 

To make the sale of tickets as uncomplicated as possible, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing has a digital solution in mind: the 9-euro tickets will only be sold via the internet to keep the administrative effort low. A special portal will likely be set up to facilitate the sale of tickets. 

What about people who already have a travel pass (Abo)?

Wissing also said that passengers who already have a monthly or annual travel subscription (Abo) will not lose out on the offer. He suggested that season ticket holders might be refunded the difference for the three months, but didn’t provide any more details than that. 

The public transport operator in Berlin , BVG, has urged customers not to cancel their subscriptions, but wait for more details on the scheme. One plan under discussion is to give regular subscribers three months of free travel. 

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Abi studied History & German at the University of Manchester. She has since worked as a writer, editor and content marketeer, but still has a soft spot for museums, castles...

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💡Travel benefits explained

🚄 db ticket euro 2024, 🌍 interrail pass euro 2024, 🚋 36 hour travel pass, uefa euro 2024: ticket holder travel benefits.

Monday, June 3, 2024

Article body

Did you know?

Travelling by train and public transport will be the most convenient and sustainable option to get around. Luckily, EURO 2024 ticket holders will have access to discounted national and international train tickets, as well as a 36 Hour Travel Pass for public transport!

• DB Ticket EURO 2024 – Train travel within Germany
• Interrail Pass EURO 2024 – Train travel across Europe
• 36 Hour Travel Pass – Public transport in the region

To make use of your travel benefits, you will need your Fan Pass . The Fan Pass is brand new for EURO 2024 and provides access to exclusive perks which will enhance your experience on-site. Your Fan Pass is free and now available for all ticket holders on the UEFA EURO 2024 app .

Plan your journey on the DB Website or DB Navigator App to see what services you’ll be travelling on.

• Purchase a DB Ticket EURO 2024 for single journeys between host cities that involve long-distance services such as IC (InterCity), ICE (InterCity Express), or EC (EuroCity) trains.

• Purchase a Interrail Pass EURO 2024 for international arrival to Germany and during your stay in Germany for journeys that involve long-distance services such as IC, ICE, or EC trains.

• Use your free 36 Hour Travel Pass on matchday and the day after to travel within the city and on slower services within the region ( see map below ). If you’re travelling between Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen, you can simply use your 36 Hour Travel Pass, as long as your journey doesn’t include ICE, IC or EC services.

4, 5 or 7-day passes: 17 January – 13 July

10 or 15-day passes: 17 January – 8 June

33 European countries

This includes the option to travel in your country of residence, but is limited to two journeys (one to leave and one to return).

Full list of railway operators

How it works

• Take as many trains as you like on each of your travel days.
• To use and activate your Interrail Pass, download Interrail’s Rail Planner App .
• Your Interrail Pass EURO 2024 is only valid in combination with your EURO 2024 Fan Pass . All ticket holders will have access to a Fan Pass for free. You will need to show your Fan Pass when travelling on the train – just like a railcard.
• For some trains, it is mandatory to book seat reservations . Be sure to make them early, as trains fill up quickly. Please check the reservation policy of each train you plan to take.
• Trains will be busy, so it’s strongly recommended to book a seat reservation even if it's not mandatory. Otherwise, you may need to stand.

❓ FAQs: Interrail Pass EURO 2024

Your Interrail Pass EURO 2024 can only be used to travel between 9 June and 21 July.

Depending on which option you choose, it is either valid for a month within this period (4, 5 and 7-day passes) or the full period (10 or 15-day passes).

The end of the travel period is 21 July for all passes , even if you activate your pass less than a month before this date. For example, if you choose to activate your pass on 13 July to travel to the final in Berlin, your Interrail Pass EURO 2024 will become invalid after 21 July.

No. It’s only available for European citizens (not German residents) and non-Europeans with an official residence in Europe. German residents can benefit from the DB Ticket EURO 2024 for train travel within Germany instead.

You can purchase one pass per EURO 2024 match ticket.

No, only match ticket holders are entitled to use the Interrail Pass EURO 2024 for travel. Your Interrail Pass EURO 2024 is only valid in combination with the EURO 2024 Fan Pass.

You can either travel together, or they can transfer their match ticket to you. Once you have a match ticket in your UEFA Mobile Ticket app , you can access your EURO 2024 Fan Pass in the UEFA EURO 2024 app . On board the train, simply show your Fan Pass together with your Interrail Pass.

You will need to show your free EURO 2024 Fan Pass on each train. The Fan Pass will allow you to prove that you have a match ticket, even when match tickets have not been sent to your mobile phone.

No, the Interrail Pass EURO 2024 is only available to match ticket holders. If you don't have a match ticket, you can purchase any other regular Interrail Pass.

The EURO 2024 Fan Pass is brand new and will provide you with access to exclusive perks for your tournament experience. The Fan Pass is available for free on the UEFA EURO 2024 app .

On the train, the Fan Pass works just like any other railcard or discount card. Show it to the conductor together with your valid Interrail Pass EURO 2024.

Yes, you can buy one pass per match ticket. However, if you’re going to multiple matches, purchasing a single Interrail Pass EURO 2024 with more travel days could be a better option.

No, the Interrail Pass EURO 2024 is non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

No, the Interrail Pass EURO 2024 is personalised.

Check out the full list of railway companies covered on the Interrail website.

The Interrail Pass EURO 2024 allows for up to two journeys in your home country: one to leave and one to return.

For all questions relating to the Interrail Pass EURO 2024, please contact Interrail:

For questions relating to your EURO 2024 match ticket, have a look at the Ticket FAQs .

Match ticket holders are entitled to a 36 Hour Travel Pass for the entire regional public transport network at no additional cost.

⏳ Validity period

From 06:00 on your matchday until 18:00 the following day.

🎫 How to get your pass

Your 36 Hour Travel Pass is included in your free Fan Pass .

• Download your Fan Pass on the EURO 2024 App .
• Simply hop on board and have your Fan Pass ready to show to inspection staff if requested
• No need to scan the Fan Pass before boarding the metro, train or bus.

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Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock Locked padlock icon ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

International travel documents for children

See what documents a child needs to travel to or from the U.S. alone or with a parent or relative.

Children traveling to the U.S.

All children, including infants, must have their own travel documents such as a passport or document from a Trusted Traveler Program to enter the U.S. If you travel or are going to travel with a child, consider taking the following documents:

• If the child is traveling with only one of their custodial parents, they must have a letter of consent, preferably in English and notarized, from the other parent or signed by both parents. The letter should say "I acknowledge that my son/daughter is traveling outside the country with [the name of the adult] with my permission."
• If one parent has sole custody of the child, a copy of the custody document can take the place of the other parent's letter.
• Parents who frequently cross the border by land with a minor must always carry a letter of permission from the other parent.

U.S. citizen children traveling abroad

Ports of entry in many countries have security measures to prevent international child abduction . If you are traveling alone with your child, you may be required to present documentation proving you are the parent or legal guardian. You may also need a letter of permission from the other parent for your child to travel. 

If your child travels alone, depending on the country, they may be required to present a notarized letter from both parents or their legal guardian. If a minor is traveling abroad and is not accompanied by both parents or a legal guardian, contact the embassy or consulate of the country you will be visiting and ask about entry and exit requirements for that country.

LAST UPDATED: December 6, 2023

Have a question?

Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They will get you the answer or let you know where to find it.

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Worldwide caution, update may 10, 2024, information for u.s. citizens in the middle east.

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• Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person.
• If one or both parents or guardians cannot apply with their child, you will need to show us more documents.
• You cannot renew your child's passport using Form DS-82.
• Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years. 

Steps to Apply

1. fill out form ds-11 and print it.

Use our Form Filler tool  to fill out your child's form on a desktop or laptop computer and then print it. If you are experiencing technical issues with the Form Filler, download a PDF . 

Tips to complete your child's form :

• Do not sign your child's form until asked to do so by a passport acceptance agent or employee. 
• You can apply for a passport book , a passport card , or both documents.
• You may ask for a larger passport book with more visa pages, at no extra cost, by checking the 'large book' box at the top of the DS-11.

2. Get Evidence of U.S. Citizenship (and a photocopy)

Your evidence must be an original or replacement copy. The document must have the official seal or stamp of the office which issued it. You must submit one of the following documents for your child:

• Issued by the city, county, or state of birth
• Lists applicant's full name, date of birth, and place of birth
• Lists the parent(s)' full names
• Has the date filed with registrar's office (must be within one year of birth)
• Has the registrar's signature
• Has the seal or stamp of the city, county, or state which issued it
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth
• Certificate of Citizenship
• Please note you must also provide a document, such as a birth certificate, that lists the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child. Full validity means the document is or was valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16. 

If you cannot submit one of these documents, go to our  Citizenship Evidence page  for more information.

Paper only : You cannot submit digital evidence of U.S. citizenship such as a mobile or electronic birth certificate. You must submit physical evidence of U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of the document. 

Returning your child's document : We will return your child's document in a separate mailing up to 8 weeks after you receive the new passport.

Tips for making a photocopy :

• Black and white (no color)
• Use 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper
• Use a single side of the paper

If you do not submit a photocopy, you must submit a second copy of your citizenship evidence. We will keep this copy for our records.

3. Show Your Relationship to Your Child

You must submit a document that lists the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child. Examples include:

• U.S. birth certificate (also evidence of U.S. citizenship)
• Foreign birth certificate
• Adoption decree
• Divorce or custody decree
• A court order

Some documents, like a U.S. birth certificate, show  both  U.S. citizenship and parental relationship. These documents must be originals or certified copies (not photocopies).

You and your child may have different last names, as long as the document showing your relationship to your child lists your full name.

If your name is different than the one on the document showing your relationship to your child, submit proof of your legal name change.

4. Get a Photo ID (and a photocopy)

Both parents or guardians must bring a physical, photo ID and a photocopy of it. If your photo ID is from a different state than the state in which you are applying, bring a second photo ID. 

You must show at least  one  of these photo IDs:

• Valid or expired, undamaged U.S. passport book or passport card 
• In-state, fully valid driver's license or enhanced driver's license with photo
• Certificate of Naturalization 
• Certificate of Citizenship 
• Government employee ID (city, county, state, or federal)
• U.S. military or military dependent ID
• Current (valid) foreign passport
• Matricula Consular (Mexican Consular ID) used by a parent of a U.S. citizen child applicant
• U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) used by a parent of a U.S. citizen child applicant
• Trusted Traveler IDs (including valid Global Entry, FAST, SENTRI, and NEXUS cards)
• Enhanced Tribal Cards and Native American tribal photo IDs
• In-state, fully-valid learner's permit with photo
• In-state, fully-valid non-driver ID with photo
• Temporary driver's license with photo

If you do not have one of these photo IDs, go to our  Identification page  for more information.

5. Show More Documents (if both parents or guardians cannot apply)

• Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person.
• If one or both parents or guardians cannot apply in person with their child, you will need to show more documents.

Important : Submit  Form DS-3053  and other notarized statements within three months of signing them.

6. Provide a Photo

You must provide one photo with your child's application. Go to our  Passport Photo page  for photo requirements and to see examples of photos. 

• Do not attach or staple your child's photo to the form. The acceptance agent or passport employee will review the photo and staple it to your form.
• Some  passport acceptance facilities
• A company which offers photo services
• Home. Ask your friend or family member to take your child's photo. Print it on glossy or matte photo quality paper. 

7. Calculate Fees

When applying using Form DS-11, you will pay two separate fees - an application fee and an execution (acceptance) fee. You will pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State, and the execution (acceptance) fee to the facility which takes your application. 

• Add $60 to your application fee if you want  expedited service .
• Add $19.53 to your application fee if you want us to ship your completed passport in 1-2 days after we issue it.  

Child Applicants :

For more information on how to pay and a full list of fees, go to our  Passport Fees  page.

*How to fill out your check and pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State. Please note you must pay a separate execution (acceptance) fee. 

Families may write one check or money order to the U.S. Department of State if they are applying at the same time. The check or money order must include the name and date of birth of each applicant.

8. Find Location to Apply

In the United States:

• Traveling in more than 3 weeks?  Go to a  passport acceptance facility  such as a post office, library, or local government office. Check with the facility to see if you need to make an appointment. 
• Traveling in less than 3 weeks?   Make an appointment  to apply at a passport agency or center.

In another country:

• Contact your  U.S. embassy or consulate .

9. Track Your Application Status

You can  subscribe to email updates  about your application status, and  learn more about each status update .

It may take 2 weeks from the day you apply until your child's application status is “In Process.” 

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you send my child's passport and supporting documents.

You will get multiple mailings. The number of mailings depends on what document(s) you asked for.

Passport Book : You may get your new passport and citizenship documents in two mailings. You may wait 8 weeks after getting your passport before you get a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We will return the passport book using a trackable delivery service.

Passport Card : You may get your new passport card and your citizenship documents in two mailings. You may wait 8 weeks after getting your passport before you get a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We only send the passport card via First Class Mail. We do not send cards using 1-2 day delivery services.

Both a Passport Book and Card : You may get three separate mailings:

• New passport book
• New passport card
• Citizenship documents

Contacting Us : If you have been waiting more than 8 weeks for your documents, call us at  1-877-487-2778  to report that you have not received your documents. 

If you want us to reimburse you for a lost supporting document, you must contact us within 90 days of the date which we mailed your passport. You will also need to provide a receipt to show the cost of replacing the document. 

Can I pay for faster delivery and return shipping?

Yes. You may choose one or both of the following shipment options:

• Delivering application to us : Pay for Priority Mail Express for faster shipping. The price for this service varies depending on the area of the country.
• Returning the passport to you : Pay $19.53 for 1-2 day delivery. This means you will receive your passport   1-2 days after we send it. Include this fee with your check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. Do not submit a return envelope to us with postage pre-paid. 

You may receive your passport and supporting documents in separate mailings. If you are renewing a passport card, we will send it to you via First Class Mail. We do not use 1-2 day delivery services if you only applied for a passport card.

What countries require Form DS-3053 "Statement of Consent" to be notarized at an embassy or consulate?

In certain countries, a DS-3053 must be notarized at a  U.S. embassy or consulate  and cannot be notarized by a local notary public. Currently, these countries include:

Special Passport Fairs

Find a Special Passport Fair  near you!

We're holding special passport fairs all across the United States to help you get your passport more easily. New events are added to our site every week.

Most events are for first-time applicants and children, (who use Form DS-11). If you can use Form DS-82, you can renew by mail at your convenience!

Processing Times

Routine:  6-8 weeks*

Expedited: 2-3 weeks and an extra $60*

*Consider the total time it will take to get a passport when you are booking travel.  Processing times only include the time your application is at a passport agency or center.

• It may take up to 2 weeks for applications to arrive at a passport agency or center. It may take up to 2 weeks for you to receive a completed passport after we print it. 
• Processing times + mailing times = total time to get a passport

Urgent Travel:  See our Get my Passport Fast page. 

How to Apply for your Child's Passport

Watch this video to learn how to apply in person for your child's U.S. passport!

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