Following the recommendation of the European Commission, the German authorities have decided to shorten the validity of vaccination certificates to 270 days. Such a recommendation was made to coordinate travel measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to make the travel process less complicated.
According to this proposed rule, persons arriving in Germany must provide valid proof that they have received the last dose of vaccine (of a two-dose vaccination schedule) within the last 270 days in order to be exempted from additional entry measures, such as testing requirement and quarantine.
It is believed that people who were vaccinated more than 270 days ago will be considered unvaccinated when they arrive in Germany if they have not yet received the booster dose. In addition to this change, Germany has also shortened the validity of recovery certificates.
According to the German body responsible for disease prevention and control, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), recovery certificates are now only valid for a period of 90 days. Previously, recovery certificates were valid for 180 days.
Persons traveling to Germany are required to present at the time of entry into the federal territory documents attesting to the vaccination against COVID-19, the cure of COVID-19 or the negative result of a test for COVID-19, regardless of the mode of transport used (air, land, naval) and the area from which the journey begins. Children under the age of 6 are exempt from this obligation.
- Proof of vaccination must meet the criteria established by the Paul Ehrlich Institute in collaboration with the Robert Koch Institute for the type of vaccine, the number of doses required for each type of vaccine, booster doses required for complete protection depending on the type of vaccine administered, and the time frame between doses. Details can be found here: www.pei.de/impstoffe/covid-19.
- Proof of previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus and, consequently, the cure must meet the criteria established by the Robert Koch Institute for the type of laboratory test to confirm the disease, the time elapsed since the date of the test or the evidence of quarantine and the maximum time allowed from the date of testing to the date of travel. Details can be accessed here: www.rki.de/covid-19/genesenennachweis.
- Proof of negative testing is performed by presenting a negative test for SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.
PCR, PoC-NAAT-type tests or tests performed by other methods of nucleic acid amplification, the validity of which does not exceed 48 hours, are accepted. Local authorities may request a new PCR test upon arrival in Germany.
The above documents may be submitted in printed or electronic form and must be in one of the languages German, English, French, Italian or Spanish.
IMPORTANT! Starting with 23.01.2022, at 00.00, Romanian citizens traveling to Germany from Romania have the obligation to register online the proof of vaccination, testing or cure, prior to entering the federal territory, on the portal www.einreiseanmelde.de.