The United Kingdom has left the European Union on 31 January 2020.
As of 1 February 2020 a transition period is being applied while the EU and the UK negotiate future arrangements. The transition period is currently scheduled to end on 31 December 2020.
During the transition period the following rules on travel will continue to apply:
- British citizens do not require visas for travel to Germany - neither for visits nor for any other purpose. Any residence permit required for a stay after the end of the transition period or eventual other arrangements can be applied for with the local immigration office in Germany.
- Holders of British Residence Cards for EU/EEA family members do not require visas for travel to Germany provided that they accompany the Union citizen. This exemption does not apply to British Residence Cards under the EU settlement Scheme (“pre-/settled status”). Holders of these permits require a visa.
- Non-EU/non-British family members of British nationals continue to benefit from the rights in the Free Movement Directive and its visa facilitations. They have the right to obtain a visa as an EU family member free of charge and as soon as possible on the basis of an accelerated procedure.However, these rights will no longer apply once the transition period has come to an end. Travellers holding a visa issued to a non- EU/non-British family member of a British national under Freedom of Movement rules and valid beyond the end of a transition phase should then be prepared to provide evidence at the point of entry into the European Union that they fulfil all Schengen entry requirements, e.g. possession of a valid travel document (validity of no more than ten years and valid for three months after the intended departure from the Union), proof of accommodation, employment, sufficient means of subsistence, invitation letter or return ticket, documents proving the family member’s economic situation in the country of residence or the genuine intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa.
- Non-EU/non-British pupils at British schools travelling in the context of a school excursion as members of a group of school pupils accompanied by a teacher from the school in question do not require visas but may travel on a List of Travellers issued by the British Council.
- Holders of Convention Travel Documents for Refugees (1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, dark blue) and 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 visas for travel to Germany. Holders of British Certificates of Travel (black) continue to require visas.
- Non-EU/non-British staff of British companies providing so-called Van der Elst services in Germany will still be able to apply for a corresponding visa.
You DO NOT need a visa for short stays in Germany if you are:
- a citizen of the EU/EEA/EFTA;
- a spouse (married/civil partnership) or child of an EU/EEA/EFTA national must hold one of the following British visas that say explicitly: “Residence Card of a Family Member of an EU Citizen” OR “Residence Card of a Family Member of an EEA National” OR “Permanent Residence Card” - and must travel with the EU/EEA/EFTA national. Please compare displayed samples carefully; If you intend to travel on your own you must apply for a regular visitor, business or tourist visa. Regular visa fees will apply.
- holder of a Service, Official or Special Passport from Bolivia, Philippines;
- holder of a Service Passport from Bolivia, Chad, Colombia, Ecuador, Moldova (biometric passport), Oman (biometric passport), Philippines, Qatar (biometric passport), Thailand, Turkey;
- holder of Special Passport from Kuwait (biometric passport), Oman (biometric passport), Qatar (biometric passport), Turkey;
- holder of a Diplomatic Passport from Albania, Algeria, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Chad, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Gabon (biometric passport), Georgia, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kuwait (biometric passport), Macedonia, Malawi, Moldova, Mongolia (biometric passport), Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Oman (biometric passport), Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar (biometric passport), Russian Federation, Serbia, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine;
- a citizen of a country listed below (provided you are not going to stay longer than three months and you are not going to do any paid or self-employed work):
Albania (biometric passports) |
Israel |
Saint Lucia |
Andorra |
Japan | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Antigua & Barbuda |
Kiribati |
San Marino |
Argentina |
Korea (Republic of) |
Serbia (biometric passports) |
Australia |
Macao (RAE only) |
Seychelles |
Bahamas |
Malaysia | Singapore |
Barbados |
Mauritius | Solomon Islands |
Bosnia and Herzegovina (biometric passports) |
Macedonia (biometric passports) |
St. Kitts & Nevis |
Brazil |
Marshall Islands | Switzerland |
Brunei |
Mexico |
Taiwan (only passports that include an ID number) |
Canada |
Micronesia |
Timor-Leste |
Chile |
Monaco | Tonga |
Colombia |
Moldova (biometric passports) |
Trinidad and Tobago |
Costa Rica |
Montenegro (biometric passports) |
Tuvalu |
Dominica |
Nicaragua |
Ukraine (biometric passports) |
El Salvador |
New Zealand | Uruguay |
Georgia (biometric passports) |
Palau | USA |
Grenada |
Panama | United Arab Emirates |
Guatemala |
Paraguay |
Vanuatu |
Honduras |
Peru |
Vatican |
Hong Kong (SAR passports) |
Samoa |
Venezuela |
Holders of British Passports/Travel Documents:
To enter Germany without a visa, you must have one of these:
- British “European Community” passport issued in or after July 1988
- British “Isle of Man”, “Jersey” and “Guernsey and its dependencies” passport
- Travel Documents according with the Convention of July 28, 1951 or the Convention of September 28 1954. (These Travel Documents must be valid for at least another four months at the time of entry into Germany.)
- British Subject passport
- British Overseas Territories citizen passport
- British Nationals Overseas (BNO) passport.
- British Protected Persons Passport
- British Overseas Citizens Passport
Citizens of any country not mentioned above DO need a visa to enter Germany.
Please note:
Processing times for visa applications is 14 days for nationals of the following countries. In addition to regular requirements these nationals have to provide a full address of reference in Germany with postcode.
Afghanistan | Algeria |
Azerbaijan |
Bangladesh |
Belarus (diplo/service pp) |
D.R.Congo |
Egypt (except diplo/service pp) |
Eritrea |
Ethiopia |
Iran |
Iraq |
Jordan |
Kazakhstan (except diplomatic/service pp) | Kenya | Kuwait |
Kyrgyzstan |
Lebanon | Libya |
Mali |
Mauritania |
Morocco |
Niger |
Nigeria |
North Korea |
Pakistan |
Palestine | Qatar |
Russia (service pp only) |
Rwanda |
Somalia |
Saudi Arabia |
South Sudan |
Sri Lanka |
Sudan |
Syria |
Tajikistan (except diplomatic/service pp) |
Tunisia | Turkmenistan |
Uzbekistan |
Vietnam | Yemen |
Please note that Travel Documents issued by the countries named above will need the same processing time.