(1) The passport authorities designated by the Länder shall be responsible for passport matters within the scope of this Act. The authorities and offices responsible for policing cross-border traffic shall be responsible for issuing temporary official identification documents for use only as passport substitutes.
(2) The Federal Foreign Office and the diplomatic missions of the Federal Republic of Germany (passport authority) which it has designated shall be responsible for passport matters abroad.
(3) Within the scope of this Act, the passport authority in the district in which the passport applicant or holder has registered his/her residence, or in the case of several residences his/her primary residence, shall have local responsibility. Outside Germany, the passport authority in the district in which the passport applicant or holder usually resides shall have local responsibility. If this provides no grounds for responsibility, the passport authority in the district in which the passport applicant or holder temporarily resides shall be responsible.
(4) An application to issue a passport must also be processed by a passport authority which does not have local responsibility if an important reason is set forth. A passport may only be issued with the authorization of the passport authority with local responsibility. No such authorization shall be required to issue a passport or passport substitute for entry into the area where this Act applies.
(5) The Federal Foreign Office shall be the passport authority for official passports.
(6) The passport authorities and the authorities and officers authorized to establish a person’s identity shall be responsible for confiscation.