While residents of EU countries plus the UK, Iceland and Norway are able to freely travel to Germany at the moment, Berlin still has strict rules for those travelling from outside the EU due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
There are some restrictions within the EU. People arriving from certain regions that have been listed as “risk areas” due to current outbreaks are obliged to go straight into quarantine when they reach Germany.
READ ALSO: These are the countries and areas on Germany's high risk list
Since mid-July a list of countries has slowly been growing from which one can travel without restrictions. The interior ministry explains these exceptions due to their low rate of coronavirus infections.
These are:
- Australia
- Georgia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- Uruguay
There are also three Asian countries that Germany is currently negotiating reciprocal arrangements with. These are Japan, South Korea and China.
Every other non-EU state in the world is still considered a risk area. That means that you are only allowed to come to Germany if you have an essential reason for doing so.
READ ALSO: 'Insane adventure': What it's like travelling from abroad to Germany in coronavirus times
What is an essential reason?
Students and people on apprenticeship programmes are allowed to enter the country as long as they can show that they can’t complete the course via distance learning.
You are also allowed to visit a member of a “core family”. This means that spouses are allowed to visit one another, while underage children are allowed to visit parents and vice versa.
People who have refugee status are also allowed to bring their core family to Germany.
Furthermore, you are allowed to visit a “non-core” family member (eg an adult child) if there is a compelling reason to do so. The list of compelling reasons includes births, marriages, deaths, funerals, and severe illnesses.
Some jobs are also classified as being essential at the moment.
Doctors, nurses and carers are all allowed to travel to Germany, as are medical researchers.
You are also allowed in if you perform a job that is considered essential to the German economy and which you can’t do remotely. Scientists, IT specialists and people employed at the management level of a company are all exempt here.
Diplomats and employees of international organisations are also exempt from the travel ban.
People working in the cargo business, either on trains or on ships, are also allowed to enter Germany.
What happens when you arrive?
People arriving from risk areas have to undergo a free corona test. If the test is negative they do not have to go into a 14-day quarantine.
But they should self-isolate until they have received the results of their test, which can take up to three days.
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