Entry Requirements for Germany

[pacmom]

Good afternoon,

First let me say thank you for all the help you give on this board.enjoy reading about your short trips.

We are still hoping to travel at the end of the mobthto the markets in Berlin and Dresden. Having a hard time finding out what we need as entry requirements for germany. We are flying US to Heathrow and then on to Berlin. Return the reverse. We keep on finding conflicting reports. Is there a site that might help us figure it out.

Again many thanks for your past help. Pat

[steamboats]

You definitely need to be vaccinated and fill in the digital entry form. As you transit through UK you also need to fill in the UK entry form online. The airline might require a test too.

 

steamboats

[KBs mum]

Depending which Heathrow terminal(s) you travel through, if you are ticketed and your bags are checked all the way through you may be able to stay airside, which will simplify covid paperwork requirements. 

Transit through airport staying airside and entering the country by having to go landside can alter requirements at the destination. 

 

I don't know current requirements for Germany, but I do know they're keeping an eye on our covid levels in the UK, and may restrict travel from here. 

 

As a precaution I would still be aware of UK entry requirements in case of overnight flight delay, and have a plan B for flights in case you need to avoid the UK. 

Edited November 7, 2021 by KBs mum

[Canal archive]

I think at the moment it’s pretty equal as levels are reported to be rising in Germany and at the moment our powers that be have agreed to keep the status quo. Although hey ho that could change. Fingers crossed your booked straight through and being airside there should be no challenges. Enjoy!

[notamermaid]

18 hours ago, pacmom said:

First let me say thank you for all the help you give on this board.enjoy reading about your short trips.

Hello Pat. Happy to help, it is enormous fun. Thanks for reading my short trip reports.

 

Nice of the others to help out with quick answers. I was a bit busy yesterday. As @steamboats says, the form is essential. It is also important to note that keeping track of where you have been prior to flying to Britain and Germany is very important, seeing that you should not mix obscure countries into the 14 day period before entering those countries, an ocean cruise or short trip to a virus variant country would upend your plans, i.e. require a quarantine. I am not sure that vaccines are still required for entry, you definitely need either of the three of vaccinated, recovered or tested. It is just that you need quarantine when you are unvaccinated. See my links. @KBs mum has a good suggestion about staying air side. We do watch this in Germany. Checks in everyday life settings for the general public may not be everywhere but we do tend to check a lot in Germany. We are strict, as any violation of the part that wants to give you leeway could get into trouble when checked. If it's entry only with a vaccination certificate in a place then it is. The fines are high. Have your card with you everywhere, preferably the EU app.

 

Website. Hmm, I have not followed this much (I should do a bit more again), but I suggest "Zusammen gegen Corona" for general stuff, like mask-wearing. My advice is buy surgical masks and a small supply of FFP2 masks before you leave the states. This is the English version: https://www.zusammengegencorona.de/en/current-information-for-travellers/

There are several links, but I will give you two further sites directly, the German one has got a practical box with the requirements: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/quarantaene-einreise/2371468

This is the English version without the box: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus/2317268

 

The situation is not good in Germany, be very vigilant. To be honest, I would not travel to the East or Bavaria right now. Bear in mind that if the situation gets worse, a municipality may move into stage 3, which requires restrictions on everyday life. Not sure what happens then, this is partly state level policy and I do not know what the states in the East do.

 

Stay safe.

 

notamermaid

 

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by notamermaid
forgot link

[notamermaid]

5 hours ago, steamboats said:

As you transit through UK you also need to fill in the UK entry form online.

Yup, that is the one: https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk

 

You cannot complete the form Einreiseanmeldung (steamboats link) until shortly before you travel I think, but you can test fill it in now. A have just done it and I would say it makes it clear what you need, just entering countries and answering yes and no. Pretty straightforward. Do it again closer to your time of travel and then again for real just before you travel.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by notamermaid
added info

[rcaruso]

For Notamermaid and Steamboats:  We are going on a Viking cruise on 11-21 from Budapest to Passau (1 night on our own in Budapest before 7 day cruise).  When we get to Passau we plan 3 nights in Passau, 2 nights in Munich, three nights in Wurzburg, 4 nights in Karlstadt and two nights in Frankfurt then home.

 

We are fully vaccinated (3 Moderna jabs) and will have PCR test before we leave as required by Hungary and Viking.  Do we need to fill out the German locater form too?  And what are your thoughts on the Luca App? Starting to get a little worried.

 

Thanks!

[notamermaid]

24 minutes ago, rcaruso said:

Do we need to fill out the German locater form too? 

Oh, good question. I have no clue. 1. You are coming from a Schengen country so have entered the area already. 2. You are coming by ship with a provider, not by yourself. Both those things may make a difference. Steamboats may be better able to help with that. Or contact Viking. I wonder how past river cruisers have done this.

 

I do not use the Luca app. I fill in forms. I am in two minds about this app, but they say the data protection is good. So, unfortunately I have no details on this. @steamboats?

 

Bavaria has just announced increased restrictions, as the situation is not good. No offense, but I would avoid the large cities. No public transport for me if I can avoid it. I may well not go to Bavaria at all this year and just do day trips.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[pacmom]

Thank you all for your so prompt and good replies. DH will spend the afternoon going over the suggestions. My afternoon will be spent at our local university enjoying Mama Mia.  Both audience and cast will be masked.

Again, thanks so much Pat

[notamermaid]

30 minutes ago, pacmom said:

Thank you all for your so prompt and good replies. DH will spend the afternoon going over the suggestions. My afternoon will be spent at our local university enjoying Mama Mia.  Both audience and cast will be masked.

Again, thanks so much Pat

Oh, my what a difference in spending a Sunday afternoon. You have just given me a song to whirl around in my brain for the next hour.

 

Enjoy the fabulous music.

 

notamermaid

 

[KathyK13]

7 hours ago, steamboats said:

You definitely need to be vaccinated and fill in the digital entry form. As you transit through UK you also need to fill in the UK entry form online. The airline might require a test too.

 

steamboats

We are flying to Budapest through Munich in December.  Will we need to fill out the digital entry form if we are just transiting through Germany?  I have read conflicting information....

 

[steamboats]

1 hour ago, KathyK13 said:

We are flying to Budapest through Munich in December.  Will we need to fill out the digital entry form if we are just transiting through Germany?  I have read conflicting information....

 

 

As far as I´ve read for transit only you don´t need to fill in the German form.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

@rcaruso I think they will tell you onboard whether you do need to fill in the form coming from Austria to Germany by ship.

 

Be aware that (by today) Bavaria is back to FFP2/KN95 masks (in shops, restaurants, public transportation).

 

You won´t need the Luca app. I don´t have it. First data protection is pretty worse regarding the Luca app. Second we currently don´t have any contact tracing in restaurants anymore. In case they do reinstate this you still can fill in a form. In some restaurants I was able to use the Corona Warn App for contact tracing (and data protection is much better). Even without loggin in for contact tracing the app warns you when a person which was close enough for a certain amount of time later has a positive test (and allows the app to warn others which is of course anonymous).

 

And enjoy my former home town for 10 years of my life - Karlstadt.

 

steamboats

Edited November 7, 2021 by steamboats

[notamermaid]

1 minute ago, steamboats said:

You won´t need the Luca app. I don´t have it. First data protection is pretty worse regarding the Luca app.

Thanks. I had gathered that the computer experts had sorted out the problems, but it appears there are still concerns. I do prefer forms and the warning app is helpful, but I do not use it myself.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[rcaruso]

3 minutes ago, steamboats said:

@rcaruso I think they will tell you onboard whether you do need to fill in the form coming from Austria to Germany by ship.

 

Be aware that (by today) Bavaria is back to FFP2/KN95 masks (in shops, restaurants, public transportation).

 

You won´t need the Luca app. I don´t have it. First data protection is pretty worse regarding the Luca app. Second we currently don´t have any contact tracing in restaurants anymore. In case they do reinstate this you still can fill in a form. In some restaurants I was able to use the Corona Warn App for contact tracing (and data protection is much better). Even without loggin in for contact tracing the app warns you when a person which was close enough for a certain amount of time later has a positive test (and allows the app to warn others which is of course anonymous).

 

steamboats

ok we have kn95 masks purchased (we already thought we would need), I assume if we need more can purchase in Germany.  I think now, we maybe plan to skip Munich, but stay in Passau, Wurzburg, Karlstadt and have two days in Frankfurt before flight.  I know the restaurant/guest house we stay in Karlstadt as of today is 2G.  Please provide any input you have, Thank you so much--you and Notamermaid have been so helpful.

[steamboats]

Just now, rcaruso said:

ok we have kn95 masks purchased (we already thought we would need), I assume if we need more can purchase in Germany.  I think now, we maybe plan to skip Munich, but stay in Passau, Wurzburg, Karlstadt and have two days in Frankfurt before flight.  I know the restaurant/guest house we stay in Karlstadt as of today is 2G.  Please provide any input you have, Thank you so much--you and Notamermaid have been so helpful.

 

Yes, you will get masks in supermarkets or drugstore (DM, Rossmann, Müller). Don´t buy them at a pharmacy as they are pretty pricey there.

 

2G allows them to skip masks indoors. Anyway I would recommend wearing a mask when walking indoors. You can take them off in your room or in the restaurant when seated anyway. But walking I personally still feel more on the safe side wearing a mask.

 

The numbers in Munich are still o.k. (we´re a bit below 100). Passau is much higher (343.4), especially the county of Passau (567.6). You can check here.

 

steamboats

[notamermaid]

1 minute ago, steamboats said:

Don´t buy them at a pharmacy as they are pretty pricey there.

I agree.

 

2 minutes ago, steamboats said:

Anyway I would recommend wearing a mask when walking indoors. You can take them off in your room or in the restaurant when seated anyway. But walking I personally still feel more on the safe side wearing a mask.

Same here.

 

2 minutes ago, steamboats said:

The numbers in Munich are still o.k. (we´re a bit below 100).

Glad to read that.

2 minutes ago, steamboats said:

especially the county of Passau (567.6)

EEkk! Haven't looked at the figures for ages. Suddenly, Rhineland-Palatinate feels like a safe place. What on earth has happened in the Ore Mountains?? The municipality South of Dresden has an incidence rate of 865.1! It is all around the Czech and Austrian borders again, isn't it? What is Ludwigsburg-Parchim in the Northeast doing right one wonders, they have zero. I will either go there or stay at home.

 

@pacmom A polite suggestion: should we have explanatory words in the title thread? Perhaps add entry requirements for Germany ?

 

notamermaid

 

[rcaruso]

1 hour ago, steamboats said:

@rcaruso I think they will tell you onboard whether you do need to fill in the form coming from Austria to Germany by ship.

 

Be aware that (by today) Bavaria is back to FFP2/KN95 masks (in shops, restaurants, public transportation).

 

You won´t need the Luca app. I don´t have it. First data protection is pretty worse regarding the Luca app. Second we currently don´t have any contact tracing in restaurants anymore. In case they do reinstate this you still can fill in a form. In some restaurants I was able to use the Corona Warn App for contact tracing (and data protection is much better). Even without loggin in for contact tracing the app warns you when a person which was close enough for a certain amount of time later has a positive test (and allows the app to warn others which is of course anonymous).

 

And enjoy my former home town for 10 years of my life - Karlstadt.

 

steamboats

We love Karlstadt, had spent five weeks there many years ago and met some good friends.  We always stay at Zum Fehmelbauer on the Hauptstrasse, Udo Vollert is a wonderful host and chef (he is boss and cook).  He now gives us the small apartment upstairs).  We so miss Karlstadt.

[KathyK13]

2 hours ago, steamboats said:

 

As far as I´ve read for transit only you don´t need to fill in the German form.

 

steamboats

Thanks Steamboats, that's what I was hoping for!  

[steamboats]

14 hours ago, notamermaid said:

EEkk! Haven't looked at the figures for ages. Suddenly, Rhineland-Palatinate feels like a safe place. What on earth has happened in the Ore Mountains?? The municipality South of Dresden has an incidence rate of 865.1! It is all around the Czech and Austrian borders again, isn't it?

 

I don´t have a clue but I don´t think it has something to do with the borders being close. There was some sort of wave after the summer school holidays. Numbers went down a little later but never were really low and now they exploded. Wow, a new record high 924.3 in Saxonia... Seems like Munich is the only spot in Bavaria still under 100 (but very close with 98.2).

 

steamboats

[malcliz]

We are on the Crystal Ravel and we were due to have an organ recital in Passau which was cancelled due to rising covid cases but we were still able to visit the cathedral wearing the thicker masks of course. We are in Vienna today, sailing to Budapest this afternoon. We were tested before boarding in Vilshofen and our temperature is taken before dinner every evening, otherwise things on board seem pretty much the same as usual. 

 

 

 

[Coral]

4 hours ago, malcliz said:

We are on the Crystal Ravel and we were due to have an organ recital in Passau which was cancelled due to rising covid cases but we were still able to visit the cathedral wearing the thicker masks of course. We are in Vienna today, sailing to Budapest this afternoon. We were tested before boarding in Vilshofen and our temperature is taken before dinner every evening, otherwise things on board seem pretty much the same as usual. 

 

I hope you are having a great cruise! Thanks for the comments!

[loriva]

We were on the Crystal Ravel a week ago, calling in Passau and disembarking in Vilshofen.  Crystal did not require us to fill in the entry forms for Germany (we asked at Reception).  We opted to do so as we stayed an additional three nights in Munich following the cruise, departing on 06 November--but no one ever asked to see it.  We guessed that was because we entered Germany via ship--it might have been different if we had arrived by air.  I did receive a text from the German Government, but it arrived three days after we entered Germany.  (You can only fill in the form three days before entry and it is a massive pain to fill out.  The website will translate into English, but the form itself is only in German.  We know enough of the language to figure it out, but it took a long time and lots of tries.)  We were asked for our COVID-19 vaccination proof (our CDC cards) when we entered restaurants and museums (Residenz and Deutsches in Munich) and wore our FFP2 masks on excursions (Ravel staff handed them out) and in stores.  You could buy the FFP2 masks in most souvenir stores as well as the usual locations--the fancy ones with patterns were 2 euros each.  I saw larger packs of plain white ones in Kaufhof for about the same price.  Not everyone wore the FFP2 masks (some stores in Regensburg did not ask for them) and some people wore simple cloth masks--at least in private businesses, no one seemed to check.  (We wore our masks a lot, including outside--those of us who live in Florida are not used to the cold temperatures and they kept our noses warm!)

[pacmom]

After much research, thanks to steamboat and notamermaid, we have decided to cancel our trip to Germany. The couple we are traveling with have health issues. I have some mobility problems. Hopefully next year.

 

We are so blessed to have such a great forum  and such wonderful peop!e who contribute. Again many many thanks.😊💝💐

[notamermaid]

Thanks Pacmom, that is very kind. I am really sorry to read about the cancellation. But I have the feeling I have not contributed to misery but relief, I mean you seem content with an unhappy decision.

 

And my gratitude to my fellow countrywoman steamboats for contributing. Quite a lot of stuff I do not know where she is closer to the industry than I am.

 

@pacmom I hope you have a great Winter and perhaps there is a short trip to a festive place near you possible for the couple and you together.

 

notamermaid