General entry requirements

Third-country nationals holding UK travel documents travelling to Germany are subject to all Schengen entry requirements. The entry requirements are contained in the Schengen Borders Code and comprise the following:

• You need to be in possession of a valid travel document entitling you to cross the Schengen borders. All UK travel documents referred to below are recognized as valid for travel to Germany. On the date of entry into the Schengen member states the travel document must have been issued within the previous 10 years. The document’s validity must extend at least three months after the intended date of your departure from Germany.

  Practical examples:

  • A traveller arriving on 1 December 2021 for a 20 days stay in Germany with a travel document issued on 2 December 2011 and valid until 2 April 2022 will be allowed entry.
  • The same person arriving on 2 December 2021 will NOT be allowed entry.
• You need to be able to justify the purpose and conditions of your intended stay, and you need to have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the duration of the intended stay and for your return to your country of origin or transit to a third country into which you are certain to be admitted, or you must be in a position to acquire such means lawfully.
• You are not a person for whom an alert has been issued in the Schengen Information System for the purposes of refusing entry.
• You are not considered to be a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any of the Member States, in particular where no alert has been issued in Member States’ national databases for the purposes of refusing entry on the same grounds.

Economic activities/ employment on short-term visits

As a rule, visa-free short-term visitors may not pursue any economic activity in Germany. However, some professional activities may be carried out without a corresponding visa or residence permit as they are not classed as an economic activity. For details, please click here.

Any other economic activity for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period requires a C visa authorising such activity.

1951 Convention Travel Document for Refugees

Irrespective of their nationality: holders of Convention Travel Documents for Refugees (1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, dark blue), issued by the United Kingdom, do not require a visa for travel to Germany provided that the duration of their stay does not exceed 90 days within any 180 day period. Please note that you may not take up any employment or pursue any gainful economic activity in Germany unless such employment is explicitly authorised by a visa or a residence permit issued by the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany.

1954 Convention Travel Document for Stateless Persons

Irrespective of their nationality: holders of Stateless Person’s Travel Documents (1954 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, red), issued by the United Kingdom, do not require a visa for travel to Germany provided that the duration of their stay does not exceed 90 days within any 180 day period. Please note that you may not take up any employment or pursue any gainful economic activity in Germany unless such employment is explicitly authorised by a visa or a residence permit issued by the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany.

Certificate of Travel

Holders of British Certificates of Travel (black) require a visa for Germany for any kind of stay. Depending on their nationality they may also require visas for airside transits through a German airport. For details please click here.