Current information for travelers

General Questions

What does the Ordinance on Coronavirus Entry Regulations regulate?

The Ordinance on Coronavirus Entry Regulations Coronavirus-Einreiseverordnung) regulates the uniform, nation-wide obligation to quarantine, test and furnish proof, as well as the ban on carriage from areas of variants of concern.

A distinction is drawn between:

a) Areas of variants of concern, in which a variant of concern already exists

(A ban on carriage, an obligation to furnish proof and an obligation to quarantine apply)

b) Areas of variants of concern, in which a variant of concern threatens to emerge

(Only an obligation to furnish proof before entry into Germany and an obligation to submit to random testing after entry apply)

Are the regulations of the Ordinance on Coronavirus Entry Regulations limited in time?

The Ordinance ceases to be effective upon the expiry of 7 April 2023.

What is an area of variants of concern?

An area is considered an area of variants of concern if:

a) there is widespread occurrence of a variant of concern of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that is not widespread within Germany and which can be assumed to pose a particular risk.

Such particular risks might include:

• the fact that the virus variant constitutes a higher risk of severe illness and hospitalisation, or
• that the vaccines or prior infection with coronavirus afford only limited protection against this variant or none at all.

b) based on specific indicators, a variant of concern threatens to emerge.

Such indicators might be:

• an observed or presumed faster spread of infection or higher incidence relative to the Federal Republic of Germany,
• in addition to the absence of sufficient or reliable sequencing data on variant incidences and epidemiological data, which could allow conclusions to be drawn regarding disease severity.

Who determines which regions are classed as areas of variants of concern?

The determination of areas of variants of concern is carried out by the Federal Ministry of Health, in agreement with the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community.

Obligation to furnish proof

Who is required to furnish proof?

a) Entering from areas of variants of concern in which a variant of concern already exists

Travellers aged 12 or over who, at any time within the last ten days prior to entry, spent time in such an area must at the time of entry present their carrier with a test result, where the test in question is based on a nucleic acid test (PCR, PoC-NAAT or other nucleic acid amplification test methods). Proof of recovery or vaccination is not sufficient. In the context of policing cross-border traffic into Germany, such proof may also be demanded by the Federal Police or other responsible authority. Children under the age of 12 are exempt from the obligation to furnish proof of testing.

b) Entering from areas of variants of concern in which a variant of concern threatens to emerge

Travellers aged 12 or over who, at any time within the last ten days prior to entry, spent time in such an area must, before commencing their journey to Germany, present at least a rapid antigen test result taken no earlier than 48 hours prior to actual or scheduled entry. Here, too, proof of recovery or vaccination is not sufficient.

What rules apply to travellers entering Germany who have been vaccinated or have recovered?

Travellers aged 12 or over must, if

a) they previously spent time in an area of variants of concern, be in possession of a negative test result, where the test in question must be based on a nucleic acid test (PCR, PoC-NAAT or other nucleic acid amplification test methods).

b) For areas of variants of concern, in which a virus variant of concern threatens to emerge, a PoC antigen test will suffice.

Proof of vaccination or recovery does not suffice.

In the context of policing cross-border traffic into Germany, such proof may also be demanded by the Federal Police or other responsible authority. Upon request, airline passengers are to present their carrier with this proof before starting their journey. In the context of policing cross-border traffic into Germany, this proof may also be demanded by the Federal Police.

Without such proof, carriage is not possible in any of the above cases.

The test result must pertain to a test that is no older than 48 hours. Where testing involved a PoC antigen test, the actual or scheduled time of entry into Germany is decisive. Where testing involved a nucleic acid test (PCR, PoC-NAAT or other nucleic acid amplification test methods), the actual time or scheduled time of carrier departure is decisive.

What rules apply to travellers from China?

Until 21 February, travellers from China had to present a rapid antigen test before entering Germany. This obligation to furnish proof has now been lifted, since China is no longer classed as an area of variants of concern. Similarly, random tests are no longer requested upon entry into Germany.

How recent must a test result be upon entry?

The test result must pertain to a test that is no older than 48 hours. Where the testing comprised a nucleic acid test (e.g. PCR), the actual time or scheduled time of carrier departure is decisive. Where testing involved a PoC antigen test, the actual or scheduled time of entry into Germany is decisive.

What tests are recognised?

In principle, nucleic acid amplification techniques (PCR, LAMP, TMA) and antigen tests are recognised as direct evidence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Antibody tests are not recognised as proof of testing.

Proof of testing can be provided in German, English, French, Italian or Spanish in written or digital form.

What do I do if the test is positive?

If your test is positive, we urgently advise you self-isolate immediately; in some Federal Länder this is compulsory.  

If, in the 10 days prior to entry you spent time in

a) an area of variants of concern, in which a variant of concern already exists, you are subject to the obligation to quarantine (see below). Furthermore, it is not permitted to provide you with transportation.

b) an area in which a variant of concern threatens to emerge, you are not subject to a ban on carriage nor the obligation to quarantine.

What do I need to know if entering Germany accompanied by children?

Children under the age of 12 are exempt from the obligation to furnish test results. Minors are however not exempt from the obligation to quarantine.

Do airline passengers, who are simply changing flights in Germany, have to comply with the provisions of the Ordinance on Coronavirus Entry Regulations? Does this also apply to airline passengers spending time in the international transit zones of German airports?

Airline passengers entering from an area of variants of concern who are simply changing flights at an airport in the Federal Republic of Germany are not subject to the obligation to quarantine. Nor does the obligation to furnish proof before entry into Germany apply to people who, in the context of border traffic, spent less than 24 hours abroad or who will be spending a maximum of 24 hours in the Federal Republic of Germany. However, travellers entering Germany are subject to a random testing obligation after entry.

Obligation to quarantine

Can the quarantine be ended early?

Following a stay in an area classified as an area of variants of concern, in which a variant of concern already exists at the time of their entry into the Federal Republic of Germany, people with proof of vaccination or recovery are also, as a rule, obligated to quarantine for fourteen days. Ending quarantine early may be possible in the following two cases:

• The specific area of variants of concern is no longer classified as such (de-listed) during the person's quarantine in Germany.
• The person is fully vaccinated with a vaccine that the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has recognised as effective against the variant.

No obligation to quarantine exists for areas in which variants of concern threaten to emerge.

Ban on carriage

To protect the population of the Federal Republic of Germany and limit the spread of dangerous virus variants, in addition to the current rules on quarantine and furnishing proof, it is necessary to restrict the carriage of travellers into Germany from areas of variants of concern, in which a variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus possessing characteristics of concern already exists.

At whom is the ban on carriage aimed?

The ban on carriage obligates carriers. These are any undertakings that carry passengers to the Federal Republic of Germany by means of cross-border rail, bus, air or sea traffic.

Carriers are prohibited from carrying passengers from regions classed as areas of variants of concern, in which a variant of concern already exists, into the Federal Republic of Germany.

What are the exemptions from the ban on carriage?

The ban on carriage does not apply to:

1. the carriage of German nationals or persons who have their place of residence and right of residence in the Federal Republic of Germany. The same applies, in each case, to their spouses, life partners who form part of the same household, minors and, in the case of minors, their parent or parents.
   In the case of carriage from Member States of the European Union and from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, life partners need not form part of the same household.
2. The carriage of persons who are merely changing flights at an airport in the Federal Republic of Germany
3. Postal, freight or unladen transportation exclusively
4. The repatriation of aircraft, ships and crews
5. Transports with and of personnel in the public health interest, air-ambulance flights and flights carrying organs for transplantation, as well as the necessary escort personnel
6. Carriage for urgent humanitarian reasons
7. Carriage on behalf of EURATOM Safeguards, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations and its organisations, the European Union and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
8. The carriage of members of a foreign or consular mission whose appointment and arrival has been notified to the Federal Foreign Office. The same goes, in each case, for their accompanying spouse, life partner and minor children.
9. The carriage of persons who are to be accredited by the relevant organising committee to prepare, participate in, carry out or follow up on international sporting events
10. The carriage of vaccinated persons whose carriage the Federal Ministry of Health, with the agreement of the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, has determined to be in the national interest of the Federal Republic of Germany.

What are the exemptions from the obligation to quarantine on entry?

Please check the list below for the exemptions from the obligation to quarantine on entry. Even if one of the exemptions applies to you, you are required to immediately notify the competent authority if you show symptoms typical of an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus within 14 days following entry into the Federal Republic of Germany.

The exemptions:

• Transit
• Transport personnel
• Official delegations
• Necessary inpatient treatment for a coronavirus infection
• Stays of up to one day
• Cross-border commuters and border crossers
• Short stays of high-ranking members of the diplomatic or consular service, of parliaments or governments
• By the competent authority

Obligation to register

Is a Digital Registration on Entry still required?

Due to the expiry of the Digital Registration on Entry, the obligation to register upon entry from an area of variants of concern no longer applies.