Since 1 January 1988, German's passport design was in burgundy red cover and the German Eagle emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The word Reisepass (travel passport) is inscribed below the coat of arms, with Europäische Union (European Union) and Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany) appear above.

The page ends with a 2-line machine readable zone, according to ICAO standard 9303. The country code is not DEU as is the standard country code for Germany (according to ISO 3166-1 alpha-3), but D. This is the only country/citizen code which does not consist of 3 letters.

Bundesdruckerei (Federal Printing Office) is a German manufacturer for banknotes, stamps, identity cards, passports, visas, driving licences, and vehicle registration certificates.