Germany Classifies Six Countries As High-Risk (Includes US)

Germany has changed entry requirements as of August 15, 2021, for those who in the past 10 days have been in the United States, Israel, or Montenegro, and from August 17^th, those who have been in Turkey.

Previously, arrivals from the three countries only required a negative Covid-19 test but now need to be fully vaccinated or have a positive PCR-RT test minimum of 28 days or a maximum of six months old. Travelers need to upload this information to a German government website and have copies of the required documents.

You can access German’s page for entry requirements here.

Germany also classified Vietnam and Kenya as high-risk areas, but arrivals from these two countries and Turkey were not on the list for unrestricted entry.

Here’s the information from the German US Embassy’s website:

From Sunday, August 15th, 0:00 Uhr CET the USA are classified as a so-called COVID high-risk area. This classification as a risk area is the result of a joint analysis and decision-making process by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community for areas outside the Federal Republic of Germany for which a particularly increased risk of infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has been identified.

Travelers who have spent time in the U.S. within 10 days prior to entering the Federal Republic of Germany will have to be fully vaccinated or need to demonstrate an important reason for entering Germany. More information on this new regulation can be found here.

Decisions concerning entry into Germany are made by the Federal Police. The German Foreign Missions have no influence in this process.

Please consider the following when travelling to Germany from the U.S.,  Sunday, August 15th, 0:00 CET onwards:

• Please fill out the digital registration on entry at https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de and carry the confirmation with you when entering the Germany. The confirmation will be checked by the carrier and may also be checked by the Federal Police within the framework of its responsibilities as a border control agency.
• Travelers older than 12 years of age must carry with them a test result or proof of full vaccination or recovery and, if demanded by the carrier, present such proof for the purpose of carriage. This proof must be uploaded via the travel portal at https://einreiseanmeldung.de
• Travelers who have not uploaded their vaccination or recovery status at https://einreiseanmeldung.de must make their way directly to their home upon arrival and remain isolated there for a period of ten days (home quarantine). In such cases quarantine at home may be ended prematurely if proof of recovery, proof of vaccination or a negative test result is submitted via the Federal Republic of Germany entry portal https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de. Otherwise Quarantine can be ended in each case from the time the negative test result has been submitted. The test may not be conducted earlier than five days after entry.
• Please additionally inform yourself prior to departure of any possible covid-related requirements of your respective airline.

Who is regarded as fully vaccinated or recovered?

• Travelers who received all the required doses of a COVID-19 vaccine cited on the website of the Paul Ehrlich Institute are considered fully vaccinated (Comirnaty is known in the U.S. as Pfizer). It must be at least 14 days since the last vaccine dose was administered. On entry, travelers must have proof of vaccination in written (e.g. CDC card) or digital form (a cellphone photo is not sufficient). Vaccinated travelers must additionally show no relevant symptoms.
• Travelers who can prove they were previously infected with COVID through a positive PCR test, taken at least 28 days but no more than six months prior, and who show no relevant symptoms are considered to be fully recovered.

What sort of COVID-test is accepted, if a test needs to be done in Germany?

Both PCR tests and rapid antigen tests are accepted. A list of approved rapid antigen tests that meet the requirements of the Robert Koch Institute for entry can be found here.

Transit via Germany

Transit travelers with a destination outside Germany who do not leave the international transit area of the airport do not need to present a negative test prior to departure to Germany. Please follow entry regulations for your country of destination in any case and also check with your airline for further demands on their side.

Here’s the list of countries that can enter Germany outside of the EU/EEA who are not fully vaccinated:

Germany allows unrestricted entry for residents of the following countries and territories:

• Albania
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Australia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brunei Darussalam
• Canada
• Hong Kong
• Israel (up to 14 august 2021, 23:59 p.m.)
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kosovo
• Lebanon
• Macao
• Moldova
• Montenegro (up to 14 august 2021, 23:59 p.m.)
• New Zealand
• North Maedonia
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Serbia
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Ukraine
• USA (up to 14 august 2021, 23:59 p.m.)

In addition, the list is to be expanded to include

• China

as soon as the possibility of mutual entry is confirmed.

Conclusion

The situation with the Covid-19 is again very fluid, and countries are in the process of becoming more restrictive in entry requirements, as they are facing the fourth wave of infections.

Americans, Israelis, and Montenegrins can continue to enter Germany if they upload the vaccination or recent recovery record on the dedicated website.