Here’s the latest on German travel rules for people from outside Europe.
As of Tuesday August 11th, citizens from the following countries are permitted to travel to the EU:
- Australia
- Georgia
- Canada
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Rwanda
- South Korea
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Uruguay
- China, on the condition of reciprocity
Morocco was previously on the list but it was removed at the weekend.
Countries with high Covid-19 rates such as the US, India and Russia are not on the list.
Travel within the EU opened up several weeks ago, but from July 2nd visits to Germany have been possible from outside Europe for a handful of countries with low infection rates. Germany continues to update its travel list every two weeks.
Since June 15th anyone travelling from inside the EU, the Schengen zone or the UK has been allowed to enter Germany.
However, there are some restrictions when the number of infections rise. EU members Romania and Bulgaria were added to Germany’s list of high-risk countries at the weekend.
So what does this mean for people wishing to visit Germany?
Firstly, the travel rules are based around where you are coming from, not what passport you hold. So a non-EU citizen travelling from France, for example, would be permitted to enter Germany because there are no health restrictions on the French-German border.
Secondly, this does not affect non-EU citizens who are permanent residents of Germany, although they will need to show proof of residency at the border.
Essential travel has been permitted throughout the lockdown and this continues, although the definition of essential travel into the EU is stricter than many countries’ individual rules and does not include a category for family emergencies (more detail below).
So this latest ruling really affects tourists, second home owners and those wishing to visit family and friends in Germany.
Note that the government’s warning against travel from Germany to countries outside of the EU remains in place until August 31st.
Source: TheLocal
