January 10, 2025, 6:03 am | Read time: 4 minutes

For many people, vacation planning for the new year is already in full swing. However, anyone who needs a new passport or is traveling to the UK should inform themselves thoroughly. And there are even more changes.

1. Only Digital Images for Passports in the Future

From May 2025, paper passport photos will finally be a thing of the past. Authorities will exclusively accept digital images for identification documents. This must also be borne in mind when applying for a passport. Anyone who has their photos taken by professional photographers in a studio must now ensure that they are forwarded from there to the relevant citizens’ office. Alternatively, travelers can utilize the passport photo machines increasingly available in offices prior to their appointment. This is because these machines directly forward the photos to the authority’s system so that clerks can access them from their computers.

However, according to the federal government’s ID card portal, you should ask in advance whether your local office has such photo devices. There is also good news: In Germany, it should be possible to have passports sent to your home from May 2025. The prerequisite for this is a registered address in Germany. This eliminates the need for a trip to the office to pick up your identification document.

2. Entry Permit Will Be Mandatory for Great Britain

Many countries require an entry permit—the best-known example is the USA. Anyone traveling to the UK from April 2 will now also need an electronic travel authorization. Travelers must apply for this online well in advance of their trip, and it costs 10 pounds (approximately 12 euros). Once issued, it is valid for all entries, with a maximum stay of 180 days within two years. However, if the passport on file expires before this two-year period, the ETA will also expire earlier, says the Foreign Office. Holidaymakers from Germany can submit their applications for the British ETA from March 5.

Also interesting: 12 Things Real Londoners Would Never Do in London

3. Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen Area

The border control-free Schengen area, on the other hand, is growing: Bulgaria and Romania can now join in full from January. Checks at airports and sea borders with other countries in the Schengen area had already been abolished in March 2024, but now this will also be possible at land borders. As a result, travelers can expect significantly reduced waiting times at these borders starting in 2025, according to the ADAC. This applies to the land borders of Hungary and Romania, Romania and Bulgaria, and Bulgaria and Greece.

Nevertheless, it’s essential to always carry identification documents—not only for self-identification purposes. This is exemplified by the current controls at the German borders, which are often only random checks but, according to ADAC, regularly cause traffic jams and waiting times when entering the country from Poland, Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.

More on the topic

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4. Austria Increases Vignette Prices

The cost of the digital “stickers” for highway use in Austria is on the rise: According to the ADAC, the 1-day vignettes, which are only available digitally, will now cost travelers 9.30 euros in the new year 2025 instead of the previous 8.60 euros—an increase of eight percent. The price jump for 10-day vignettes is similarly high, from 11.50 to 12.40 euros. According to the transport club, the annual vignettes are now over the 100 euro mark for the first time at 103.80 euros (previously 96.40 euros). Being caught without a vignette incurs a replacement toll of 120 euros, or potentially a report and a higher fine if the amount is not paid on the spot at the checkpoint.

With material from dpa