Generally speaking, the Federal Foreign Office charges fees on the basis of the Act on Fees and Expenses for Federal Services (Bundesgebührengesetz – BGebG) and the General Fee Ordinance (Allgemeine Gebührenverordnung – AGebV). There are some exceptions, including those set out in the Consular Law (Konsulargesetz – KonsG).
Fees for applications relating to visa, passport and ID matters are based on the relevant ordinance: the Ordinance Governing Residence (Aufenthaltsverordnung – AufenthV), the Ordinance on Passports (Passverordnung – PassV) and the Ordinance on Identity Card Fees (Personalausweis- und eID-Karten-Gebührenverordnung, PAuswGebV), respectively.
Fees and expenses for all other consular services, such as attestations and authentications, as well as emergency assistance for Germans abroad, are charged by the German missions abroad and the honorary consular officers on the basis of the Federal Foreign Office Special Fee Ordinance (Besondere Gebührenverordnung des Auswärtigen Amts – AABGebV).

The fees set in the Special Fee Ordinance are in line with the General Fee Ordinance and the Act on Fees and Expenses for Federal Services. They are in particular intended to cover all costs associated with the consular services provided (cost recovery principle).
The fees for individual consular services are listed in the Index of Fees and Expenses in Annex 1 to the Special Fee Ordinance. Time-based fees are determined using the special fixed hourly rates for the Federal Foreign Office contained in Annex 2 to the Special Fee Ordinance.
Fees are set in euro. However, many missions abroad do not accept euro, and the equivalent amount must be paid in the local currency. Details can be found on the individual missions’ websites.

Due to the particular nature of the Foreign Service, special provisions apply that differ from the principles set out in the Act on Fees and Expenses for Federal Services. These provisions include section 25 (2) of the Consular Law, which stipulates that fees are incurred at the time an application is made. Another rule states that fees are due for payment as soon as the amount has been set.
The Special Fee Ordinance contains three kinds of fees: time-based, fixed, and location-specific fixed fees. Location-specific fixed fees depend on the classification of the individual mission’s location as per Annex 1 to the Expatriate Allowance Ordinance (Auslandszuschlagsverordnung – AuslZuschlV). Time-based fees are calculated in accordance with the time actually required in each individual case, and are only charged for consular services that, by their nature, vary greatly in terms of the time and effort they require, such as requests for emergency assistance for Germans abroad.

A computer program is used to generate the fee notices sent out for each consular service requested, ensuring that the rules are applied correctly and efficiently.
Detailed information on the different fees can be found in the ministry draft for the Special Fee Ordinance (in German).