Visas Overview

EU citizens can enter on an official identity card. Americans, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Japanese just need a valid passport (no visa). Unless you're a citizen of a developing country, you can probably stay up to three months.

Customs Overview

German customs prohibits the private importation of firearms and ammunition, fireworks, 'literature of unconstitutional content', pornography, food, narcotics, medicines, dangerous dogs, pets (unless they have been appropriately vaccinated), animal products and counterfeit goods. For more detailed information, check out www.zoll.de.

Duty Free

Articles that you take to Germany for your personal use may be imported free of duty and tax with some conditions. The following allowances apply to duty-free goods purchased in a non-European Union (EU) country: 1L of strong liquor or 2L of less than 22% alcohol by volume and 2L of wine (if over age 17); 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extracts and 100g of tea or 40g tea extracts (if over age 15); 50g of perfume or scent and 0.25L of eau de toilette; 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of loose tobacco (if over age 17). Additional products up to a value of 175.00 may be brought in.

Do not confuse duty free with duty-paid items (including alcohol and tobacco) bought at normal shops and supermarkets in another EU country and brought into Germany, where certain goods might be more expensive. Then the allowances are more than generous: 800 cigarettes, 200 cigars or 1kg of loose tobacco; 10L of spirits (more than 22% alcohol by volume), 20L of fortified wine or apéritif, 90L of wine or 110L of beer; and petrol reserves of up to 10L.

Note that duty-free shopping within the EU was abolished in 1999. This means that you can still take duty-free goods into an EU country, such as Germany, from a non-EU country such as the USA or Australia. You can't, however, buy duty-free goods in an EU-country unless you're headed for a non-EU country.