Germany Consulate General Lyon

Before your visit

You will find the consulate general at 33, boulevard des Belges in Lyon.

• Opening hours: not published by the French Foreign Ministry – check the consulate’s website or call before you go.
• Documents: take originals and photocopies, and a valid passport or identity card.

About the German consulate general

The consulate general provides consular services for German citizens living in Lyon and the surrounding regions of France. According to the French Foreign Ministry, about 86,751 German nationals live in France. Germany also has consular offices in Bordeaux, Marseille, Paris and Strasbourg. Lyon is in the Rhône département (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). For services the honorary consul cannot provide, the closest German career post is in Marseille (around 278 km). The embassy in Paris is roughly 393 km away.

Consular services

What you can usually arrange here:

• German passports and emergency travel documents
• Registration of births, marriages and deaths
• Powers of attorney and notarial acts
• Citizenship and civil register matters
• Help for citizens in difficulty

Documents checklist

What German citizens usually need to bring for the most common requests, based on official German government information:

German passport (application abroad)

• Apply at the German mission for your place of residence – some embassies and consulates do not handle passports, so check its website first
• Personal appearance is required: fingerprints are taken, so postal applications and proxies are not possible
• Biometric passport photos that meet the official requirements
• Application form, fee and appointment booking: see the website of the responsible mission
• Some honorary consuls accept passport applications and forward them for an extra fee

Lost passport – travel document for the return trip

• The consular section can issue a Reiseausweis als Passersatz (passport substitute) for the return to Germany
• It is valid for at most one month

Sources: German Federal Foreign Office – where to apply for a German passport, German Federal Foreign Office – passports and ID cards, German Federal Foreign Office – travel documents (checked October 2026). Requirements and fees can change and individual posts may ask for more – confirm the current list with the consulate before your visit.

Do I need an appointment?

Contact the office before visiting to find out whether your matter needs an appointment.

Travelling from France to Germany

As EU citizens, French nationals can travel to Germany without a visa; a valid passport or national identity card is enough. Germany is rated “normal vigilance” by the French Foreign Ministry. Details: French travel advice (Conseils aux voyageurs).

Closing days

Besides French public holidays, the office closes on the German national holiday (3 October). Call ahead around Christmas and Easter.

Emergency assistance

In an emergency, German citizens should contact the consulate general on +33 4 72 69 98 98. Help is available for lost passports, arrests and serious accidents, but not for legal fees or travel costs. French citizens who need help in Germany contact the French Embassy in Berlin.

German missions in France

Germany in France

• Paris – Embassy of Germany
• Bordeaux – Consulate General
• Lyon – Consulate General (this page)
• Marseille – Consulate General
• Strasbourg – Consulate General
• Paris – Consulate
• Ajaccio – Honorary Consulate
• Avignon – Honorary Consulate
• Brest – Honorary Consulate
• Dijon – Honorary Consulate
• Grenoble – Honorary Consulate
• Lille – Honorary Consulate
• Metz – Honorary Consulate
• Montpellier – Honorary Consulate
• Nice – Honorary Consulate
• Nouméa – Honorary Consulate
• Papeete – Honorary Consulate
• Perpignan – Honorary Consulate
• Reims – Honorary Consulate
• Rennes – Honorary Consulate
• Sainte-Clotilde – Honorary Consulate
• Schoelcher – Honorary Consulate
• Toulouse – Honorary Consulate
• Tours – Honorary Consulate