This page was last updated on 16 December, 2021.
At a Glance
Travel Restrictions
Entry For Vaccinated Travelers: Partially Allowed
Vaccination Requirements: Mandatory testing or proof of immunity for persons who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19
Upon entering Germany, travellers aged twelve years or older must hold proof of the following:
Entry from an area of variant of concern: negative COVID-19 test result. Proof of a full COVID-19 vaccination or proof of recovery from an infection is not sufficient.
Entry from any other Country or area: a negative COVID-19 test result, proof of a full COVID-19 vaccination or proof of recovery from an infection.
This proof must be held prior to entering the country, and must be presented to the airline before departure where applicable.
Exemptions from requirement of testing or providing proof of immunity
Exemptions apply for
persons, who only change flights at an airport
Transport personnel
In the case of border traffic the following persons who have spent less than 24 hours
in a high-risk area oder area of variant of concern
In the case of border traffic for stays of up 24 hours, the requirement only applies for entries from high-risk areas of areas of variant of concern or who enter Germany via air travel. In these cases a negative test result only needs to be presented twice per week.
Tourist Entry: Partially Allowed
Testing: Negative PCR test results is required for some travelers.
Quarantine Required: Depends
Quarantine Details: Self-isolation is required for some travelers.
Local Restrictions
Lockdown in Effect: Partial
Events: Partially Allowed
Transport: Operational with restrictions
Shopping: Open
Restaurants and Bars: Open with restrictions
Detailed Travel Advisory
Published 08.12.2021
1. Passengers are not allowed to enter.
1.1. This does not apply to:
– nationals and residents of Germany;
– immediate family members of nationals or residents of Germany;
– passengers arriving from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep.), Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden or Switzerland;
1.2. This does not apply to the following passengers if arriving from a country other than Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe:
– nationals of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City (Holy See) and EEA Member States;
– immediate family members of nationals of EEA Member States and Switzerland. They must present proof of their family relationship;
– immediate family members of residents of Germany. They must present proof of their family relationship;
– passengers with a residence permit issued by Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City (Holy See) or an EEA Member State;
– British nationals with a residence permit issued by Germany before 31 December 2020;
– passengers with a long term “D” visa issued by an EEA Member State or Switzerland;
– residents of Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Hong Kong (SAR China), Indonesia, Korea (Rep.), Kuwait, Macao (SAR China), New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay. They must have been living in the residence country in the past 6 months;
– military personnel;
– merchant seamen;
– students;
– unmarried partners of residents of Germany. They must have a written invitation and a copy of the identity document of the resident in Germany. They must also have a declaration and be able to present proof of their relationship;
– passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax) or Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) at least 14 days before departure. The certificate must be in in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. They must not be arriving from China (People’s Rep.);
– passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they received the first vaccine dose of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Moderna (Spikevax) or Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), and a positive COVID-19 LAMP, NAAT, PCR, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR or TMA test taken at least 28 days and at most 6 months before arrival. The certificates must be in in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. They must not be arriving from China (People’s Rep.);
– passengers younger than 12 years accompanied by a parent with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that the parent was fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax) or Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) at least 14 days before departure. The certificate must be in in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. They must not be arriving from China (People’s Rep.);
– passengers younger than 12 years accompanied by a parent with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that the parent received the first vaccine dose of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Moderna (Spikevax) or Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty). The parent must also have a positive COVID-19 LAMP, NAAT, PCR, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR or TMA test taken at least 28 days and at most 6 months before arrival. The certificates must be in in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. They must not be arriving from China (People’s Rep.).
2. Passengers arriving from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe must have:
– a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken at most 24 hours before arrival; or
– a negative COVID-19 LAMP, NAAT, PCR, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR or TMA test taken at most 72 hours before arrival.
The test result must be in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish.
– This does not apply to passengers younger than 12 years;
3. Passengers arriving from a country other than Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe must have:
– a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken at most 48 hours before arrival; or
– a negative COVID-19 LAMP, NAAT, PCR, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR or TMA test taken at most 72 hours before arrival.
The test result must be in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish.
– This does not apply to:
– passengers younger than 12 years;
– passengers with a positive COVID-19 LAMP, NAAT, PCR, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR or TMA test result issued at least 28 days and at most 6 months before arrival. They must have not been in Botswana, China (People’s Rep.), Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe in the past 10 days;
– passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate if they in the past 10 days have not been in Botswana, China (People’s Rep.), Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe. The certificate must show that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure and must be in in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax) and Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty).
4. Passengers arriving from a high risk area or an area of variant of concern must register before departure at https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de . The list of countries can be found at https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete_neu.html
5. Airline crew arriving from an area of variant of concern must register before departure at https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de .
6. Passengers who in the past 10 days have been in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe could be subject to a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival.
7. Passengers could be subject to quarantine for 10 or 14 days. Details can be found at https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/en/service/gesetze-und-verordnungen/guv-19-lp/coronavirus-einreiseverordnung.html
– This does not apply to:
– passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate if they in the past 10 days have not been in Botswana, China (People’s Rep.), Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe. The certificate must show that they were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure and must be in in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. Vaccines accepted are: AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Janssen, Moderna (Spikevax) and Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty);
– passengers with a COVID-19 vaccination certificate if they in the past 10 days have not been in Botswana, China (People’s Rep.), Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe. The certificate must show that they received the first vaccine dose of AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Moderna (Spikevax) or Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), and must be in in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish. They must also have a positive COVID-19 LAMP, NAAT, PCR, RT-LAMP, RT-PCR or TMA test taken at least 28 days and at most 6 months before arrival.
8. More COVID-19 related information can be found at www.bundespolizei.de/Web/DE/04Aktuelles/01Meldungen/2020/03/200317_faq.html
Detailed Tourist Information
Entry to Germany is permitted to German citizens or members of their immediate family (spouses, children under 18, parents of children under 18), European Union Member States and Schengen-associated countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein except for those areas and countries affected by coronavirus variants of concern (https://bit.ly/3nMXkGW).
Entry is also allowed for:
Argentina
Australia
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Hong Kong
Kuwait
Jordan
Macao
Moldova
Namibia
New Zealand
Peru
Qatar
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
South Korea
Taiwan
Ukraine
Uruguay
China (subject to reciprocity)
Residents of other non-EU countries are only permitted to enter Germany if they serve an important role or have an urgent need to travel or if they are fully vaccinated.
Due to the spread of a new coronavirus variant in southern Africa, the German government is drastically restricting entry from eight countries in the region: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi and Lesotho. Only German citizens can enter from these countries.
All arrivals aged 12 years or older, must provide either a negative COVID-19 test, proof of vaccination, or a certificate of recovery.
Travelers who want to present a recovery certificate can present a positive PCR test result from a test taken at least 28 days but no more than 6 months prior.
Travelers may also be subject to COVID-19 testing at the airport.
See testing details and requirements on Robert Koch Institute’s website (https://bit.ly/3k1kKav).
Self-isolation measures apply, depending on whether the travelers are coming from risk areas, high-incidence areas, or areas of variant concern. Details are available at the Federal Foreign Office’s website (https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus/2317268).
Travelers also have to register at www.einreiseanmeldung.de prior to arrival and follow any additional instructions.
Additional travel details are available at the Federal Foreign Office’s website (https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus/2317268).
Lockdown Details
Germany’s epidemiological situation remains in flux. To cope with the COVID-19 fourth wave, states and regions are adapting their rules on a case-by-case basis.
Travellers are advised to consult conditions in the states before thier arrival.
Tourist travel is banned in some places. Public fairs and events have been cancelled.
In practice this means that all access to public facilities including tourist accommodations, restaurants and bars, cultural institutions and leisure and sports facilities is only possible with proof of full vaccination or past infection; a negative COVID-19 test is considered insufficient.
The 2G-rule is in effect. In public, wherever possible, a minimum distance of 1.5 meters from others should be observed.
Places of worship
The 2G-rule is in effect. Church services are permitted but are subject to strict conditions such as social distancing. Masks are mandatory and singing is not allowed.
Closures and reopenings vary depending on the area.
Rules vary from area to area, so check local regulations https://bit.ly/3bCnTcg
Sources
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus/2317268
Data Source: covidcontrols.co
