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Coronavirus / Entry & ResidenceBusiness Location Germany
Coronavirus
Germany's borders remain open and business trips from EU states, selected third states and within the country are generally possible.
Germany’s Federal Foreign Office has prepared important information relating to entry and travel restrictions, behavior when in Germany, and transit through other countries.
Following the identification of a new variant of the virus, the German Federal Ministry of Health has imposed a transport ban for travelers from Great Britain, Northern Ireland and South Africa effective from December 22, 2020 until January 20, 2021. For further information, please refer to the website of the Federal Ministry of Health (in German).
In order to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus, Germany has implemented general travel restrictions for entry from outside the Schengen area. However, in line with the recommendations of the European Council, unrestricted entry to Germany is allowed from specific third countries with low infection rates. For up-to-date information and a list of all relevant countries, please refer to the dedicated website of the German Federal Ministry of Interior.
Travel to Germany from other third countries is also permitted in specific cases including for example:
The possibility to enter Germany depends on the place of departure and not the person’s nationality.
Regardless of the possibility to enter the country, Germany has has a quarantine requirement in place for those returning to and entering Germany from regions designated by the Robert Koch Institute as being international risk areas within the last 10 days prior to entry. All travelers to Germany from international risk areas must register online prior to their entry. Travelers must present proof of the registration when entering Germany.
From January 14, 2021 travelers from international risk areas must additionally be tested within 48 hours and provide negative evidence to the relevant authority on request.
Furthermore, travelers from high-risk areas (areas where mutations of the virus have been identified or where the incidence rate is particularly high) must provide evidence of a negative test result before leaving on their journey to Germany and upon entry into Germany.
The mandatory quarantine period imposed by the individual federal states on travelers entering Germany from risk areas remains in place.
For details about the quarantine and testing requirements please refer to the dedicated website of the Federal Ministry of Health.
The EU web platform ”Re-open EU” provides up-to date information on borders, practical information on travel restrictions, and public health and safety measures for the EU member states.
To protect individuals from infection, a minimum distance requirement of 1.5 meters and the use of masks in public spaces - especially in shops and on public transport - will remain in place until further notice.
In reponse to rising infection rates in Germany, the German federal government and the 16 federal states have decided to extend the current restrictions until at least January 31, 2021. Further additional rules were introduced as of January 11, 2021.
Under the new restrictions, residents of corona hotspots (areas with a 7-day incidence rate above 200 infections per 100,000 residents) are restricted from traveling outside a 15 km radius from their home without a valid reason. Day trips are specifically ruled out. Furthermore, private meetings are limited to just one other person not living in the same household.
Urgent business travel is still permitted and Germany's borders remain open.
For details of the extended restrictions, please refer to the dedicated website of the German federal government.
For additional information on local restrictions, please check the rules that apply in the different federal states. For an overview of links to the federal states, please refer to the website of the federal government (in German only). Additionally, the special information website for the Corona virus provided by the Federal Ministry of Health offers useful information.
The official Corona “Warning” App of the federal government has been available since June 16. The free app has been designed to enable contact tracing of infected persons in order to shorten the potential chain of infection. Use of the app is entirely voluntary, with the government promoting its broad use and promising a high level of data protection.
As of October 2020, European Union (EU) member states have launched a cross-border coronavirus tracing network using a shared platform that links different member state tracking apps.
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