Documents to travel to Germany

The nation has also become popular for various events Y large-scale fairs which are held throughout the year. Some examples are the Oktoberfestthe berlin marathonthe Cologne Carnival and the Museum Riverside Festival. All this, without counting the multiple festivals that bring together the greatest exponents of the different musical genres in the world.

This variety in touristic offerlet this be a perfect destination for couples, families, groups of friends, art and history lovers or hikers. In short, it is a place that you cannot miss. If you have already decided to travel to Germany, we congratulate you and we will facilitate your preparations, sharing with you the information on the documents that you must carry when you arrive in the country.

Conditions of entry to Germany

Germany is a member of Schengen AreaHence, this nation does not require an exaggerated list of documents, or extraordinary formalities from foreigners. However, his border controls They are among the most organized in the world and the revisions are carried out rigorously, in order to prevent visitors from circumventing the National security.

In view of this, it is advisable to ensure that you travel without missing any of the requirements mentioned below:

• Valid passport. That it has been issued within the previous ten years and whose validity extends, at least, during the three months following the exit from the Schengen Area. This last requirement may be ignored in cases of urgency.
• Visa. It will be required depending on the foreigner’s nationality. Tourist, residence or long-term visit visas will be valid.
• Proof of object and conditions of stay. In accordance with the provisions of the Schengen Borders Code, the following will be accepted: invitations from individuals or accommodation reservations; travel itinerary and return ticket to the country of origin or to a third party.
• Means vouchers. Germany does not set a minimum availability of funds. Instead, the submitted evidentiary documents are evaluated by the border police; which, in attention to the reason and conditions of stay, will determine if the person can assume the expenses of his trip.
• Not be disabled by the Schengen Information System. This platform, also known as SIS, is exclusive to members of the Schengen Area. Its purpose is to record the data of people on whom a security alert has been issued.
• Do not pose a threat to national security. This condition will be verified by consulting the database of the member states of the Schengen Zone and other international border control organizations.

The conditions described above only apply to those traveling with tourist purposes and foresee a stay of less than 90 days, within a period of 180 days. Foreigners who intend to enter through business, study, scientific research or employment purposesyou can review the information applicable to your case on the official website of the German Federal Foreign Office: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/aamt/leitung/Leitung.

Requirements to obtain the Schengen visa

With regard to entering Germany, they are only exempt from a visa, tourists from one of the member countries of the Schengen Zone. Nor is it an obligation, for those who have a residence permit within that territory. Consequently, the third country citizensthey will have to request this authorization before formalizing their trip.

It is advisable to consult the Web page of the german embassy operating in the country of origin. However, in general terms, the requirements that must be met to request the schengen visa are:

• Fill out the German VIDEX form, signed three times, which is available at: https://videx.diplo.de/videx/desktop/index.html#start
• Those who cannot access the VIDEX form can fill out the general Schengen short-stay visa application form, whose direct access is as follows: https://quito.diplo.de/blob/2294394/f39e1109379cd4cf35126a49ce25ff12/2020-01-20-formulario-solicitud-visa-schengen-data.pdf
• recent photoon a white background and passport size.
• Passport whose validity extends at least up to three months after the trip and that contains at least two blank pages. In addition, a copy of the data sheet must be attached.
• Original previous passports.
• Copy of Previous Schengen visas (if apply).
• International health insurance with minimum coverage of 30,000 EUR.
• Payment of 80 EUR for consular fees. The same will be carried out in dollars in cash, according to the exchange rate of the day. Bills whose denomination is greater than 20 USD are not accepted.
• Proof of settlementsuch as work certificates, study certificates, company records or shareholders’ minutes.
• Valid financing credentials: account statements for the last three months, credit card summary or proof of fixed-term investment.
• Reservations of travel tickets, lodging and tourist itinerary. Those who will stay with relatives or friends, must present an invitation letter and the declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung) in original and copy.

The request must be formalized by going, personally, to the consular appointment. In it, the aforementioned documents will be presented and the person will be interviewed about matters related to your trip. The process takes between five and ten business daysat the end of which the decision will be notified and the passport will be returned.

If the visa application is rejected, the interested party or his legal representativethey may exercise a counterclaim. Details about this procedure are available on the websites of the German embassies operating in the different countries.

Sanitary regulations decreed by COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany has developed a strict admission protocol. The same applies depending on the nationality and rate risk in which the country of origin is located, which can be verified by entering: https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Risikogebiete_neu.html/

For now, entry is only allowed by tourist or non-essential reasonsto residents of countries belonging to the European Unionto the Schengen Area or low risk areas. In this sense, all visitors over six years of age will be required to COVID certificate digital EU. Those who do not have it, will have to present the following requirements:

• Full proof of vaccination, made at least 14 days before the trip. The only authorized vaccines are: Pfiezer-BioNtech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson and Johnson and Novavax.
• Negative PCRmade within 48 hours prior to boarding.
• Those who have recently been infected, may present positive PCR testpracticed between 28 and 180 days prior to the trip.
• Those people who enter from countries classified as high risk areathey will have to take an antigen test within 48 hours prior to travel.

It is important to bear in mind that the classification of risk areas will depend on the levels of virus spread Or the appearance of variants; and therefore the information may change. Therefore, each visitor is responsible for verifying the status of the nation from which they will depart to Germany, in order to comply with the entry rules.

Now, the citizens who have the restricted entry for reasons of nationality or country of originthey will only be able to enter Germany in emergency cases. In such situations, the same requirements as for foreigners who do not possess the EU Digital COVID Certificate will apply.

Additionally, they will be required to fill out the digital entry formavailable in: https://einreiseanmeldung.de/#/. Those who do not have a vaccination or recovery certificate will comply mandatory quarantine during ten dayswhich may be reduced if a negative test is presented after the fifth day of arrival.

It is recommended to keep up to date with all travel requirements; since, the conditions could be modified even hours before it. In any case, make sure you comply with the immigration and health regulations that we have described in this post.