Still current at:5 May 2022
Updated:3 March 2022
Latest update:Updated information on entry requirements to Germany (‘Entry requirements’ page)
This page reflects the UK government’s understanding of current rules for people travelling on a full ‘British Citizen’ passport from the UK, for the most common types of travel.
The authorities in Germany set and enforce entry rules.
All travellers
The UK is not currently designated as a high-risk area.
All travellers entering Germany having spent time in the previous ten days in a country designated at the time of entry as a high-risk or virus variant area are required to complete pre-departure digital registration, regardless of vaccination status. All travellers aged 12 or over entering Germany from anywhere abroad must carry with them a negative test result or proof of vaccination or recovery. Proof of recovery requires at least 28 days and no more than 90 days to have elapsed since the date of the positive COVID-19 test.
If you’re fully vaccinated
You may enter Germany from the UK for any travel purpose if you are fully vaccinated.
Proof of vaccination status
Travellers aged 12 or over entering Germany from abroad must possess either proof of vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative COVID-19 test prior to arrival and present this proof on request to carriers or authorities.
A full list of German requirements and information needed as proof can be found in English at the Ministry for Health webpages and from the German Embassy in London.
Germany will accept the UK’s proof of COVID-19 recovery and vaccination record and proof of COVID-19 vaccination issued in the Crown Dependencies. Your final vaccine dose must have been administered at least 14 days prior to travel. Evidence of your COVID-19 vaccination status can be provided digitally (through the NHS app or NHS website) or as a printout (this can be requested from the NHS by calling 119). A screenshot or photo is not sufficient. Further details can be found (in English) on the German Embassy website.
Your NHS appointment card from vaccination centres is not designed to be used as proof of vaccination and should not be used to demonstrate your vaccine status.
If you’re not fully vaccinated
Travellers from the UK to Germany who are not fully vaccinated may not currently enter Germany unless they are a German citizen; the spouse/partner/child under 18 of a German citizen; a resident of Germany; the spouse/partner/child under 18 of a resident of Germany; serve in an important role; or have an urgent need to travel.
Children between 0 to 5 years old and unvaccinated 6 to 11 year olds may enter if accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent. All permitted unvaccinated or unrecovered travellers aged 12 or over from the UK arriving in Germany need a negative COVID-19 test result. It can be either a PCR test that is no more than 48 hours old at the time of departure, or a rapid antigen or other test sample that is no more than 48 hours old at the time of entry. The result of the test required by the authorities can be either in paper or electronic form in German, English, French, Italian, or Spanish.
For more information on acceptable tests, see “What tests are recognised?” on the Federal Health Ministry website.
Quarantine after travel from high-risk areas
Travellers arriving from high-risk areas who are not fully vaccinated, are subject to 10-day quarantine, and test and release is available after 5 days. Fully vaccinated and recovered individuals are exempt from this requirement, once they have uploaded their proof of status on the pre-departure digital registration portal.
If, in the 10 days before you travel to Germany, you have been in an area designated at the time of entry as presenting an increased risk of infection, you must register online in advance of travelling to Germany. On arrival, you must travel to your accommodation and quarantine there for up to 14 days. If you are travelling from a high-risk area, you can be released from quarantine immediately if you provide one of the following with the pre-departure digital registration:
- a negative C-19 test (only available after 5 days for travel from high-risk areas such as the UK)
- proof that you are fully vaccinated (this means that you have taken the last of the recommended doses of a C-19 vaccine authorised in the EU more than 14 days ago)
- proof that you have recently recovered from a C-19 infection. Proof of recovery is a positive PCR test no older than six months, but older than 28 days
If you are travelling from a virus variant area, you must quarantine for the full 14 days, and do not have access to early test to release.
For travel from designated high-risk areas there are some exemptions from the quarantine requirement, including for cross-border workers and individuals deemed to be providing essential activities. For precise details, see the Federal Health Ministry website page under the section, “What are the exemptions from the obligation to quarantine on entry?”.
If you have specific questions about the quarantine requirements which apply in your particular case, you should contact the local public health authority in your place of residence. You should also contact your local public health authority for further details on test and release. You can identify the relevant authority on the Robert Koch Institute webpage. Travellers from virus variant areas may be required by local public health authorities to undergo additional testing after arrival.
If you’ve had COVID-19 in the past year
Individuals who can prove recovery from the virus and the fully vaccinated are exempt from quarantine requirements. Proof of recovery requires at least 28 days and no more than 90 days to have elapsed since the date of the positive COVID-19 test (see ‘Quarantine after travel from high-risk areas’ and ‘Proof of vaccination status’).
Children and young people
Unvaccinated children 11 years of age and under are allowed to enter Germany from the UK as long as they travel with at least one fully vaccinated parent.
12 to 17 year olds may only enter if they are fully vaccinated, resident or the child of a resident, or have an urgent need to travel. If they are allowed to enter and are unvaccinated, they must have proof of a negative test or recovery.
For more information see the quarantine rules on the Federal Health Ministry website.
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