Europe

No restrictions in this travel advice

Avoid all but essential travel to part(s) of country

Avoid all but essential travel to whole country

Avoid all travel to part(s) of country

Avoid all travel to whole country

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• General
 

 

• There is a high threat from terrorism in Germany. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. See Safety and Security - Terrorism.
  
  
• We are aware of British nationals who have been arrested for possessing counterfeit currency.  We advise against changing currency anywhere other than banks or legitimate Bureaux de Change.
  
  
• 1,986,891 British nationals visited Germany in 2010 (Source: Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland - www.destatis.de ). Most visits are trouble-free. See General - Consular Assistance Statistics. If you need to contact the emergency services in Germany call 112.  
  
  
• You should carry your passport with you at all times. German police have the right to ask to see identification.
  
  
• You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling to Germany.  See the General - Insurance.
  

Safety and Security - Terrorism
There is a high threat from terrorism in Germany. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in public places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.

See our Terrorism abroad page.

Safety and Security - Crime
You should take normal, sensible precautions to avoid mugging, bag snatching and pick pocketing.  You should be extra vigilant at airports railway stations and Christmas Markets.  Do not leave valuables unattended.  See our Victims of crime abroad page.

Safety and Security - Local Travel
There is an environmental zone (umweltzone) in various inner city centres in Germany. Only vehicles that meet specific exhaust emission standards will be allowed to enter the zone. Any vehicles with especially high emissions are barred. See the following links for further information:

http://www.bmu.de/english/air (Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, 28/07/2010)

http://gis.uba.de/Website/umweltzonen/index.htm  (Federal Environmental Agency, 28/07/2010)

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Road Travel
If you wish to drive in Germany you must carry a valid driving licence, insurance and vehicle documents with you in the vehicle at all times. If the vehicle does not belong to the driver, written permission from the registered owner may also be requested. The minimum age for driving a car in Germany is 18 years old. 17 year-old British drivers with valid British licences are not permitted to drive a car. Anyone who contravenes this law may be fined and your vehicle will be impounded.  Advice on driving outside the UK can be obtained from motoring organisations such as the AA and RAC. In 2010 there were 3,651 road deaths in Germany (source: DfT). This equates to 4.5 road deaths per 100,000 of population and compares to the UK average of 3.1 road deaths per 100,000 of population in 2010.

Many drivers undertake long journeys in, or through, Germany. Care should be taken to plan journeys and take sufficient breaks; a minimum break of 15 minutes after every two hours of driving is recommended. It is illegal to take part in motor vehicle races or rallies on German roads.  Such activities constitute an offence under paragraph 29 of the German Highway Code. Offenders are liable to be detained, fined and to have their vehicles confiscated.  Pedestrians in Germany should be aware that it is illegal and dangerous to cross German pedestrian crossings when the red pedestrian light is on. Offenders render themselves liable to a fine and all costs in the event of an accident.

See our Driving abroad page.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Air Travel
The revised EU-wide security measures that came into effect for all passengers departing from UK airports in November 2006 are also being implemented in Germany.  For more details about this see: Airline security.

Safety and Security - Political Situation
Germany Country Profile

You should carry your valid passport with you at all times. German police have the right to ask to see identification. For British citizens, the only acceptable form of ID is a valid passport.

See our Your trip page.

Entry Requirements - Passport validity
You must hold a valid passport to enter Germany. For stays of up to three months your passport must be valid for the proposed duration of your stay; you do not need any additional period of validity on your passport beyond this. However, it is always sensible to have a short period of extra validity on your passport in case of any unforeseen delays to your departure. You do not have to wait until your old passport expires to apply to renew it. Any time left on your old passport when you apply will be added to your new passport, up to a maximum of nine months. For passport applications in the UK, you should apply to the Identity and Passport Service. For stays of longer than three months, contact the Embassy of the country to which you are travelling.

Entry Requirements - Visas
You need a passport to enter Germany.  British Citizens and EU passport holders do not require a visa.

Entry Requirements - Stays of longer than three months
If you intend to stay in Germany for three months or more you must register with the German authorities (Einwohnermeldeamt) within seven days of arrival. Those staying in Germany for a short visit are not normally required to register.  Hotels are legally obliged to register guests and this information is passed automatically to the Einwohnermeldeamt. There is no longer a requirement for EU Citizens to apply for a residence permit.  

Entry Requirements - Working in Germany
If you intend to work in Germany, you should obtain detailed information on employment regulations from the German Embassy.

Entry Requirements - Travelling with children
For information on exactly what will be required at immigration please contact the German Embassy.

The Form E111 is no longer valid.  You should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before leaving the UK. The EHIC is not a substitute for medical and travel insurance, but entitles you to emergency medical treatment on the same terms as German nationals.  It also does not cover you for medical repatriation, on-going medical treatment or treatment of a non-urgent nature.  See our EHIC page.

In the 2010 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 67,000 adults aged 15 or over in Germany were living with HIV; the prevalence percentage was estimated at around 0.1% of the adult population compared to the prevalence rate in adults in the UK of around 0.2%. You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see HIV and AIDS.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to Germany and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date.  For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the  NaTHNaC and NHS Scotland's Fit For Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

See our Travel health page.

Entry Requirements - Travelling with children
We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the all activities you want to undertake.  See our Travel insurance page.

If things do go wrong when you are overseas see: When Things Go Wrong.


General - Registration
Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency. 


General - Emergency Passports
The British Consulate-General, Düsseldorf is the only full passport issuing post within Germany. However Emergency Travel Documents can be obtained from either the British Embassy Berlin, the British Consulates-General, Munich and Düsseldorf, or the Honorary-Consul office Hamburg (arranged by calling the British Embassy Berlin).

A call centre now handles all passport enquiries. If you wish to speak to an operator please call Careline on 0044 208 082 4723 between Monday 09:00am until Friday 06:00 pm GMT.

General - Money
Since 15 June 2007 new legislation on the controls of cash entering or leaving the EU apply in all Member States.  Any person entering or leaving the EU will have to declare the cash that they are carrying if this amounts to 10,000 Euros or more; this includes cheques, travellers' cheques, money orders, etc.  This will not apply to anyone travelling via the EU to a non-EU country, as long as the original journey started outside of the EU, nor to those travelling within the EU.


General - Consular Assistance Statistics
1,986,891 British nationals visited Germany in 2010 (Source: Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland - www.destatis.de ). Most visits are trouble-free. 670 British nationals required consular assistance in Germany in the period 01 April 2010 - 31 March 2011 for the following types of incident: 484 deaths, 31 hospitalisations; and 108 arrests, for a variety of offences.