The radiation passport

Number of individuals with valid radiation passports and percentage of individuals with multiple issuances

Individuals who intend to work in controlled areas of external facilities, require a valid radiation passport (Section 40 (2) Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV)). They may perform cleaning tasks, skilled manual labour or assembly work, but also highly specialised activities such as nuclear power plant inspections. This category of individuals is often referred to as "outside workers".

Presenting a valid radiation passport is mandatory to gain access to the controlled area of an external facility. The holder of a passport can be denied access to the facility on account of passport entries such as past radiation exposure or health restrictions.

Notifications to the Radiation Protection Register

The registration authorities notify the Radiation Protection Register in the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) about the issuance of a radiation passport and all official processes related to the passport.

One of the tasks of the Radiation Protection Register is to find out whether an individual has more than a single valid radiation passport by means of these processes. In these cases, the Radiation Protection Register informs the respective authority so that the authority can invalidate the so-called "multiple issuance". The percentage of these multiple issuances is currently at about 0.2 per cent in terms of the number of valid passports.

Changes due to the new Radiation Protection Act: introduction of a unique identification number

• On the basis of the new Radiation Protection Act (Section 170 StrlSchG), a unique identification number is necessary for all individuals subject to registration in the Radiation Protection Register (occupationally exposed individuals and radiation passport holders) starting from 31 December 2018: the Radiation Protection Register Number (SSR Number).
• With the SSR Number, it will be easier and better possible to assign and balance the individual dose values from occupational radiation exposure in the BfS Radiation Protection Register. It substitutes the previous Radiation Passport Number.
• The SSR Number is issued by the BfS. It is derived from the social security number (Section 147 of the Sixth Book of the Social Security Code (SGB VI)) and the personal data of the employee to be monitored, by irreversible encryption.
• The radiation protection supervisor or the obligated person/responsible person in charge of the company in which the employee works or an authorised person has to apply for the SSR Number of the occupationally exposed persons and the radiation passport holders and has to provide the necessary data.

You will find further information regarding the SSR Number and its application here.

Information in the radiation passport

A radiation passport contains:

• personal details of the passport holder,
• information about the employing company,

• information about the

  • determined external and - as appropriate - internal radiation exposure in an external facility (operational dosimetry),
  • periods of exposure,
  • pre-dose values (official dosimetry), dose balancing,
  • doses exceeding the limits,
  • medical aptitude,
  • radiation protection training and more besides.

In most cases, the data on radiation exposure stem from operational radiation protection monitoring by the external facility and are entered timely into the radiation passport by the radiation protection officer of that facility.

The radiation passport is an official document and the personal property of the passport holder. It is issued by the competent registration authority of a Federal Land (state). The official guidelines according to which the issuance of radiation passports and all related official processes (for example invalidations, issuance of a follow-up passport, re-registrations, change of name, reports of loss) have to be carried out, are laid down in the "General Administrative Regulation relating to Section 40 (2), Section 95 (3) Radiation Protection Ordinance and Section 35 (2) X-Ray Ordinance (AVV Strahlenpass)" dated 20 July 2004.