Germany Reopens For Tourism - Everything You Need To Know

Last Updated: November 1, 2020

Germany officially started to welcome travelers for tourism as of June 15, 2020. They allowed 31 countries to cross its borders at first. By June 30, The EU officially published the list of countries that will be allowed to travel to the European Union.

Starting on July 2, Germany decided to allow 8 of 15 third party nations approved by the EU council into the country for the purpose of tourism.

Update: the government has clearly stated that countries might be removed from the approved list if their case numbers get too high. The list is expected to be updated constantly.

Who Can Travel To Germany?

Germany has started lifting its travel restrictions on 31 countries when it reopened its borders. Included from the list are the 26 countries of the EU the UK, and 4 Schengen members. Additionally, by July 2, 2020, Germany also lifted travel restrictions to 8 additional third-party countries:

October 3 update: Authorities in Germany have categorized several areas in Europe as high-risk. Travelers from these areas will not grant entry to Germany as tourists and they can cancel their bookings free of charge. These areas include Belgium and Iceland, as well as some areas of the UK such as Wales and Northern Ireland. French regions Pays de la Loire and Burgundy are also considered high-risk, along with the various regions of Lithuania, Estonia, Ireland, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, and Romania.

Here’s the list of countries from EU/EFTA that are welcome to Germany. This listing data is loaded from our live map and Germany country travel restrictions page:

To clarify, travelers who can come to Germany are based on where he or she has previously been staying in the last 14 days and not on his/her nationality.

As of October 27, travelers from Canada can no longer enter Germany, except for urgent or essential reasons.

Moreover, starting November 1st, travelers coming from the following regions must go on quarantine for 14 days:

Nordjylland region in Denmark
West Macedonia in Greece
Latgale, Riga, and Vidzeme in Latvia
Klaipéda, Marijanpolé, Telšiai, and Vilnius in Lithuania
Centro region in Portugal
Dalarna, Halland, Kronoberg, Skåne, Västmanland and Västra Götaland in Sweden.

Is There A Required Coronavirus Tests For Arrivals?

Germany has recently announced that all arrivals arriving from risk areas will have to undergo a coronavirus test upon entering the country. All of those arriving from high-risk areas will have to be tested for coronavirus unless they can produce a negative test certificate no more than two days old.

The rules apply to anyone of any nationality arriving in Germany from a so-called risk area. All will have to undergo a test for coronavirus or show a recent negative test result. Certainly, these tests can be carried out in all major airports in Germany. But the tests have been encouraged for all travelers arriving in Germany from anywhere and not just from high-risk areas.

Is There A Mandatory Quarantine?

All travelers from risk areas should enter a two-week quarantine. In spite of them taking the coronavirus test, they need to isolate until they have a negative result. This includes all travelers entering Germany from the United States.

That is to say that the mandatory quarantine only applies to German citizens and residents coming from the high-risk countries outside of the safe list mentioned above. The mandatory quarantine also applies to other essential travelers such as workers, family members, etc.

To sum it up, if you are from coming the countries that are not on the safe list, you cannot enter Germany as a tourist.

Please note: The Federal Government examines, on an ongoing basis, the extent to which areas are to be classified as risk areas. As a result, this list can be modified at short notice and, above all, may be extended. Please see the list of high-risk countries here.

As of September 4, 2020, Germany has updated its list of high-risk countries. It now includes Spain and some regions in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, and Romania. Visitors arriving from these areas should undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test and may be subject to quarantine.

What Are Other Safety Measures in Germany?

All travelers and residents should wear face masks. Most importantly when taking public transport or indoor public places.
Everyone should practice social distancing at all times.

With this, all travelers should expect lots of spread out dining tables, hand-washing stations, barriers, and sanitizing protocols throughout their visit.

What’s Open in Germany?

There are different rules about what is officially open in each city in Germany. However, here’s the list of what is generally open across the country: