Germany entry requirements, by passport

How much money you need to show

€45 per day if you cannot show the purpose of your trip or where you are staying

Germany sets no mandatory amount: border officers take into account the purpose and length of the trip and whether you are staying with family or friends. Besides money, a letter of guarantee from your host, a bank guarantee or a formal declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung) also count. You also need to show how you will leave, for example with a ticket.

Source: European Commission, Annex 25 to the Practical Handbook for Border Guards (reference amounts notified by each State), version of 8 June 2026. Checked on 1 November 2026.

What each Schengen country asks for →

Vaccinations

• No mandatory vaccines for entry. The international vaccination certificate is asked of nobody: not the yellow fever one, and not even of travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission. That is what the country has declared in the International Health Regulations list.

Customs limits

Cash

Declare in writing and unsolicited to German customs if entering from outside the EU with €10,000 or more in cash or equivalent means of payment.

Alcohol

Arriving from outside the EU (age 17+): 4 litres of still wine + 16 litres of beer, plus 1 litre of spirits over 22% vol. or 2 litres of drinks up to 22%.

Tobacco

Arriving from outside the EU (age 17+): 200 cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250g of tobacco.

Overstay penalties

Staying in Germany without a residence title once the obligation to leave is enforceable, no departure period remains and removal has not been suspended is a criminal offence: up to one year in prison or a fine (Residence Act, AufenthG, Section 95(1) no. 2). Done negligently, it is an administrative offence with a fine of up to 3,000 euros (Section 98(1) and (5)). Anyone who is expelled or returned also receives an entry and residence ban that covers the whole Schengen area. The authority sets its length, which may not exceed five years, or ten where there was a criminal conviction or a serious threat to public security (Section 11).

Check whether you would go over the limit →

What happens if you stay past 90 days →

Grounds for refusal

Apply to: Visa-free

• Not presenting a valid travel document: valid for at least three months after the intended departure and issued within the previous ten years (Art. 6(1)(a)).
• Not justifying the purpose and conditions of the stay, or not showing sufficient means of subsistence for the stay and the return (Art. 6(1)(c)).
• Having already used up the 90 days within the current 180-day period (Art. 6(1)).
• Being the subject of a Schengen Information System (SIS) alert for the purpose of refusing entry (Art. 6(1)(d)).
• Being considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of a Schengen State (Art. 6(1)(e)).

Source: Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code) , Art. 6(1). A refusal is given in writing with its reasons and can be appealed (Art. 14).

Apply to: Visa required

• Producing a false or falsified travel document, or reasonable doubts arising about the authenticity of the supporting documents submitted or the truthfulness of their content (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 32(1)(a)(i) and 32(1)(b)).
• Failing to justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay (Art. 32(1)(a)(ii); the same entry condition appears in Art. 6(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, so it is also checked at the border).
• Failing to provide proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole intended stay and for the return to the country of origin or residence, and not being in a position to acquire such means lawfully (Art. 32(1)(a)(iii)).
• Having already used up the 90 days of stay within the current 180-day period on the territory of the Member States (Art. 32(1)(a)(iv)).
• Being the subject of an alert in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purpose of refusing entry (Art. 32(1)(a)(v)).
• Being considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any Member State (Art. 32(1)(a)(vi)).
• Failing to provide proof of adequate and valid travel medical insurance, where applicable (Art. 32(1)(a)(vii)).
• Reasonable doubts arising about the reliability of the statements made or about the applicant’s intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the visa applied for expires (Art. 32(1)(b)).

What to do if you are refused entry →