Can I travel to Germany from UK? Restrictions and quarantine rules explained as Covid travel ban for UK lifted

Germany is lifting its travel ban on travellers from the UK, along with four other countries hit by variants of Covid-19.

The restrictions for the UK, along with Portugal, Russia, India and Nepal, will be relaxed from Wednesday (7 July).

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The five countries have been classed as “virus variant areas” due to the spread of the Delta and Delta Plus coronavirus variants, which were first identified in India.

These counties will now be reclassified as “high incidence areas”, Germany’s Robert Koch Institute said on Monday (5 July).

What are the travel rules for Germany?

From Wednesday 7 July, travellers from the UK will be permitted to enter Germany, providing they meet coronavirus testing and quarantine requirements.

Quarantine rules will be relaxed for inbound travellers who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus from Wednesday, meaning people will no longer be required to self-isolate on arrival.

However, those who have not been vaccinated will still have to quarantine for up to 10 days, with the option to end the self-isolation period early with a negative Covid-19 test on the fifth day.

These relaxed rules will also apply to Portugal, Russia, India and Nepal.

The changes come just three days after German chancellor Angela Merkel met Boris Johnson at Chequers as part of her farewell tour before she steps down from her role in September.

She said on Friday (2 July): “As you know we are reviewing continuously our travel restrictions and we think that, in the foreseeable future, those who have received double jabs will then… be able travel again without having to go into quarantine.”

Is Germany on the green list?

Germany is currently on the amber list for travel, meaning that people returning from the country to the UK must self-isolate for 10 days on arrival.

Travellers must also take a pre-departure Covid test, as well as a PCR test on or before day two and on or after day eight.

However, the travel traffic light system is due to be reviewed later this week, with expectations that people who have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus will have the freedom to travel quarantine-free.

A date has not yet been confirmed for the announcement, but Downing Street said on Monday (5 July) that more information on travel rules will be released by the Transport Secretary in the coming days.

The decision on which countries are added to each list is based on a range of criteria, taking into account public health advice and the Joint Biosecurity Centre’s assessment of the latest Covid data.

The criteria for the lists includes:

- The percentage of a country’s population that have been vaccinated

- The rate of infection

- The prevalence of variants of concern

- The country’s access to reliable scientific data and genomic sequencing

Government scientists and ministers are currently reviewing countries based on this criteria.

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