The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland remains affected by COVID-19. This is resulting in restrictions throughout the United Kingdom, and in travel restrictions designed to curb the spread of the pandemic.

As the incidence is now much lower (fewer than 50 new infections per 100,000 of population over 7 days), as of 18 April the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is no longer classified as a risk area.

The advice is to avoid non-essential travel to the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

National and regional restrictions may be imposed at short notice due to ongoing developments.

The devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have implemented their own different pandemic restrictions with different regional alert levels (“lockdown” or “tiers” or “protection levels” or “alert levels”).

These alert levels entail different restrictions on public life. You can find detailed information here: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Guernsey, Alderney, Jersey and the Isle of Man.

A national lockdown has been in place in England and Scotland since 5 January 2021, but a phased relaxation of measures is under way. In both countries foreign travel is only permitted for valid exceptional reasons. Before travelling abroad, please check whether the trip is permitted under the British coronavirus restrictions where you are and at any places on your route. You can find detailed Information on the website of the British government.

Some hotel accommodation, but mostly self-catering accommodation, is open to travellers in the UK. National long-distance trains and local public transport are in operation.

There are currently entry restrictions (online registration, Covid-19 test, quarantine) in place in the United Kingdom. National and regional restrictions may be imposed at short notice due to ongoing developments. Further information can be found here.

Travellers entering the United Kingdom are required to fill in a passenger locator form online no earlier than 48 hours before entry. Registration must be proven upon entry. For more information and access to the online form, please visit the British government website.

• Since 6 April, all hauliers entering England are required to take a Covid-19 test after arrival if they are staying for more than 48 hours. They then have to take further tests every 72 hours.
  

• Since 15 February 2021, travellers entering Scotland from any country outside of the Common Travel Area are required to quarantine in a hotel for ten days.
• Since 15 February 2021, travellers entering England (this includes people travelling to Wales via England) who have travelled from or passed through a country on the banned travel list in the 10 days before their arrival (not Germany currently) are required to quarantine in a hotel for ten days as well as taking a COVID-19 test prior to arrival. Further tests must be taken on day 2 and day 8 of hotel quarantine. The hotel must be booked in advance through a British government website. The quarantine package costs £1750 and includes accommodation, food and testing. Anyone breaching the hotel quarantine requirement or giving false information regarding having visited a country on the banned travel list in the 10 days prior to arrival may face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
• All other travellers, including from Germany, are also required to quarantine for 10 days (home quarantine) and register online.
• Since 15 February 2021, travellers arriving in England (also applies to people travelling to Wales via England) and Scotland from all countries must, as well as taking a COVID-19 test prior to arrival, also book two further tests in advance for day 2 and day 8 of quarantine. Confirmation of the booking is required prior to/ upon entry and there is a charge for the tests. Airlines and other transport companies are prohibited from carrying passengers to the United Kingdom who are unable to provide proof of having booked the two tests to be taken after arrival. Information on the tests to be taken after arrival can be found on the British government website.
• All travellers entering England from all countries with the exception of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey must be able to show a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken no more than 3 days prior to arrival, i.e. for example if you travel on Friday, you can have your test on Thursday, Wednesday or Tuesday. PCR, RT-LAMP and antigen tests (lateral flow tests) are accepted. The negative test confirmation in English, French or Spanish must be presented prior to travel (prior to boarding the aircraft, ferry or train). Further information can be found here.
• Proof of having had a Covid-19 vaccination does not exempt you from the abovementioned requirement to take a test prior to arrival.

Similar entry restrictions are in place for travellers entering Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Travellers in home quarantine in England have the opportunity to voluntarily take a chargeable Covid-19 test (test to release) at a licensed testing facility five full calendar days after entry (e.g. entry on Sunday, test on Friday at the earliest) and, if the test result is negative, they can end home quarantine early. This regulation only applies to England and not to the other parts of the country. They still also have to take a test on day 8 after arrival.

Anyone violating the registration and quarantine requirements may be fined.

Travellers from the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man are generally exempt from quarantine and do not need to submit the online form.

The Embassy cannot provide any individual information on Registration and quarantine requirements in the United Kingdom.

For any further enquiries, you can call the hotline of the British Government Monday-Friday: 0044 800 678 1767 (from Germany) or 0800 678 1767 (from the United Kingdom).

Travelling abroad from England is only possible with a reasonable reason. From 8 March, anyone travelling abroad from England must declare their reason by filling in an electronic form. Further information and the form can be found here. This filled-in form must be presented either on paper or electronically upon leaving the country. Breaching this rule is punishable with a fine of £5,000, and you may be turned back at the port of departure. Travelling to Germany for visits (for example, visiting parents who live in Germany) is not permitted.

The other nations have introduced a similar regulation.

As of 18 April 2021, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute no longer classes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a risk area. The rules for third countries continue to apply.

Travellers may only enter Germany if they are returning to their place of residence*, serving in an important role or there is an urgent need for their journey.

The following are allowed to enter Germany regardless of their reason for travel:

1. Germans and citizens of another EU or Schengen state and members of their immediate family (spouses, unmarried minor children and parents of minor children)
2. Third-country nationals domiciled in and with a long-term right of residence in one of these states and members of their immediate family, provided they meet the passport and visa criteria.

Please note:

• Since 30 March 2021, all travelers entering Germany by plane must present a negative COVID-19 test to their airline prior to departure. People under the age of six are exempt. The The test must have been taken no more than 48 hours before arrival in Germany. This rule will stay in place until at least 12 May.
• The test must have been taken no more than 48 hours before arrival in Germany. PCR, LAMP, TMA and antigen tests are all accepted. Antigen tests must meet certain quality standards. More details can be found here. The German Federal Government has asked transportation companies only to transport travellers who can present proof of registration and of a negative test at the start of their journey. This also applies to travellers in transit.

*It is up to the Federal Police to decide what documents count as adequate evidence of residence. Airlines, too, often carry out strict checks on this at check-in. The following documents can be used as evidence of residence in Germany:

Residence registration certificates, confirmations of registration with a foreigners authority, especially in connection with the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, tenancy agreements, payslips from a German employer, tax statements, account statements, credit card statements, electricity bills, telephone/internet bills, Part I of a Registration Certificate (vehicle registration certificate) and similar documents. A single document is not normally sufficient. The more supporting documents you can present as proof, the better. We advise expressly that this list is not exhaustive.

Third-country nationals should in principle travel directly to their destination country.

However, third-country nationals are allowed to transit through Germany to reach another EU member state or Schengen country subject to the following conditions.

Third-country nationals are allowed to transit through Germany to reach a third country subject to the following conditions

If travelling through Germany by car, you may, as an exception, make an overnight stay and continue your journey the next day. 

If transiting through Germany by plane, third-country nationals are only allowed to stay overnight if they remain in the airport transit area. There is a hotel in the transit area at Frankfurt am Main Airport.

The decision as to who is allowed to enter Germany is taken solely by the Federal Border Police. Should you have questions regarding your entry into Germany or should your transportation company refuse to acknowledge proof of your place of residency, then you can contact the Federal Border Police at your destination airport in Germany. Please use the below email addresses when possible. In spite of the very high volume of enquiries, the Federal Border Police endeavour to reply to enquiries within twelve hours. You should carry a printout of the reply from the Federal Border Police or ensure it is displayable on your mobile device.

Federal Border Police Hamburg Airport
Tel: +49 40 50027-0
E-Mail: bpolifh.ham@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Bremen Airport
Tel: +49 421 53616-6
E-Mail: bpolrfh.bre@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Hannover Airport
Tel: 0511 7281-1111
E-Mail: bpolifh.haj@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Berlin Brandenburg
Tel: +49 30 856211-0
E-Mail: bpoli.ber@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Düsseldorf Airport
Tel: +49 211 9518-0
E-Mail: bpolifh.dus@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Köln/Bonn Airport
Tel: +49 2203 9522-0
E-Mail: bpolifh.cgn@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Erfurt-Weimar Airport
Tel: +49 361 22008-0
E-Mail bpoli.erfurt@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Leipzig/Halle Airport
Tel: +49 34204 736-0
E-Mail: bpoli.leipzig@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Dresden Airport
Tel: +49 351 881-1600
E-Mail: bpoli.dresden.fh-leitstelle@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Frankfurt am Main Airport
Tel: +49 69 3400-4999
E-Mail: bpold.frankfurt@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Saarbrücken Airport
Tel: +49 6893 9493-0
E-Mail: bpolr.scn@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Stuttgart Airport
Tel: +49 711 78781-0
E-Mail: bpolifh.str@polizei.bund.de

Federal Border Police Munich Airport
Tel: +49 89 97307-0
E-Mail: bpol.muc@polizei.bund.de

Entry into France from the UK is is possible again without a compelling reason from 12 March 2021. However, you still need to present a negative PCR test taken a maximum of 72 hours before departure. For hauliers, antigen tests (VUI-2020-12-01) from the following providers will be accepted as an alternative. Technically, under the French rules, transit through France by car is not permitted if you have arrived from the United Kingdom. However, the Embassy is not aware of any cases to date where the French authorities have refused transit. Please note that if you intend to enter France, a certificate (“attestation de déplacement vers la France depuis le Royaume-Uni”) stating the purpose and destination of the trip is required. You can find detailed information on the French regulations here.

A general travel ban for flights and ferries from the UK to the Netherlands is in place. Only a few exceptions are permitted. More details here.

Travel through Belgium to other EU and Schengen countries is possible. Please refer to the travel and safety information for Belgium (in German only) and the information from the Belgian Embassy in London. All travellers must also register online prior to entry. If transit does not exceed 48 hours, proof of a negative Covid test and online registration are not required.

See “What options do I have for travelling to Germany?”

Before you travel, you must submit a digital registration form, if you have stayed in a risk area, high incidence area or virus variant area specified by the Robert Koch Institute in the previous ten days (even for a short time).

Based on the incidence rate, as of 18 April 2021 the Robert Koch Institute no longer classes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a risk area. As of 28 April, travellers no longer have to register online prior to entering Germany unless they have been in a risk area in the 10 days prior to arrival. You can find a complete list of all risk areas at the Robert Koch Institute.

This is how the digital registration works:

On the website www.einreiseanmeldung.de you provide the information about your stays of the last ten days. After you have given all the necessary information in full, you will receive a PDF document as confirmation. Your airline, train or ferry company will check if you can present this document. If you cannot show it on request, you will not be allowed to travel. If, in exceptional cases, it is not possible to submit a digital registration form, you must fill out a replacement registration form instead.

Since 21 March people in the following categories are exempt from the obligation to register:

The following groups of people would be exempt from the obligation to register, however this does not apply to the United Kingdom at present:

• Those who have only travelled through a risk area and did not have a stopover there,
• Those who only enter the Federal Republic of Germany for transit purposes,

• Those who have crossed the border into a neighbouring risk area and stayed less than 24 hours or who have entered the Federal Republic of Germany from such an area and stayed no more than 24 hours,
  

• Those who travel to the Federal Republic of Germany for professional reasons in order to transport people or goods across borders by road, rail, ship or plane.

Since 30 March 2021, all travelers entering Germany by plane must present a negative COVID-19 test to their airline prior to departure. People under the age of six are exempt. The test must have been taken no more than 48 hours before arrival in Germany. This rule will remain in place until at least 12 May.

As of 28 April, travellers from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are no longer subject to a quarantine requirement unless they have been in a risk area in the 10 days prior to arrival.

In this case, please check the quarantine regulations of the relevant federal state. Whether you need a second test after arrival or there are any exceptions to the quarantine rule depends on the responsible health authority for your place of stay. You can find the responsible health department here.

You can find a complete list of all international risk areas on the website of the Robert Koch Institute.

During your quarantine, you are not allowed to leave the house or flat, or receive visitors. Don't forget: This measure is to protect your family, neighbours and everyone else around you. Violations of the quarantine rules can be punished with fines.

A list of the relevant websites of the federal states can be found here:

A general overview can be found here

Public life is Germany is subject to considerable, constantly changing restrictions. You can find the latest regulations here (in German).

Changes to the situation at short notice, as well as new and/ or tightened restrictions can be expected.

The rights of air passengers are established under the EU's air passenger rights regulation, which sets out the rules of compensation and assistance to passengers (eg. hotel accomodation or meals) by airlines in the event of denied boarding, cancellation or long delays.

The EU Commission has published the so-called Interpretative Guidelines to clarify how certain provisions of the EU passenger rights legislation apply.

In order to assert your claim, the European Consumer Centre (ECC) recommends following these steps:

• contact your airline
• keep a track record of your spending: keep your receipts covering the costs of hotels, taxi, meals that have occurred as a consequence of your flight delay, cancellation or denied boarding
• get written confirmation: get the ground crew of your airline to give you written confirmation of the flight delay, cancellation or denied boarding, preferably with specific details of the circumstances. If the ground crew refuses to draft the relevant piece in writing, get a fellow passenger to do so.
• screenshot of an online complaint: if you have filled in the online complaint form of the airline, take a screenshot just in case.
• extrajudicial settlement: if the airline refuses to fulfil the (legitimate) claims within 2 months, we recommend seeking extrajudicial settlement to begin with.

More information on the website of the German Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection here.

There are no additional pandemic-related restrictions.

Click here for Travelling with pets on travelling with pets.

We would ask German nationals in the United Kingdom to follow NHS advice.

• Anyone with a cough and/ or high temperature, and/ or loss of smell and taste, and/ or other sympotoms, should self-isolate themselves and anyone living in the same household for 10 days.
• If you require advice or medical treatment, we would ask you to contact the NHS 111 Online Coronavirus Service or call the NHS hotline on 111. The hotline is usually experiencing a high volume of calls. Please expect longer waiting time. The hotline is free of charge and can be used whether or not you are registered with the NHS and/ or live in the United Kingdom.
• If you suspect you may be infected with coronavirus, please do not visit the doctor’s surgery pharmacy or any other facility without telephoning in advance.

Registering on the German Foreign Office’s crisis prevention list enables you to receive important information, such as the current situation in your host country, travel restrictions, natural catastrophes or (relevant for developing countries or tourist destinations in which flight operations have ceased), notice of planned repatriation efforts.

Regardless of the Embassy’s communications, it is important to keep up-to-date through regular reading of the press or information from news programmes. Embassy communications do not take individual cases into account (such as flight cancellations). Affected persons should, in particular during times of crisis, stay abreast of current developments via the media, travel company/airline, airports and so on.