Delays in issuing passports frustrating Germans as holidays start

Long delays in issuing passports as the holiday season begins are causing frustration, according to an association that represents German towns and cities.

"There are rumbles in the cities' passport and identity document sections," association head Helmut Dedy told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland German media group on Sunday.

"It is currently taking up to eight weeks before passports are delivered, while normally it is only two or three," Dedy said. Many people were being taken by surprise, he added.

In response to a dpa query, the Interior Ministry said there were problems at the official printers and that there had been a sharp rise in the number of passport applications since the start of this year.

"For the first time ever, far more than 600,000 passports were ordered within four weeks," a spokeswoman said. The official printers were in the process of purchasing new machinery, she added.

In the meantime, temporary passports valid for most countries could be issued by city authorities and then returned on receipt of the regular passport.