June 9, 2020

Beginning June 15, Germany will officially lift travel restrictions with a number of European countries.

After nearly three months of strict border controls, the country will open for travel to and from the following countries:

• all countries within the European Union
• United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
• Switzerland
• Liechtenstein

Caution urged against “a false sense of security”

According to a statement by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, however, the move is not intended to signal a return to business as usual.

In fact, Federal officials continue to warn against traveling more than is necessary. This guidance is part of a cautious approach to returning to daily life following months of extensive restrictions related to COVID-19.

The German government is also urging people to be sensible when making plans. Even though travel warnings are being lifted, potential travelers must make sure that destinations have appropriate “occurrence of infection” levels. In other words, travelers should avoid places that have high COVID-19 infection rates or severe quarantine policies.

Planning ahead is wise, anyway. Even though Germany is welcoming travel to and from Norway, for instance, the Norwegian government has to yet to open its borders to anyone outside Norway. The same holds true for Spain, which is part of the EU.

For the moment, travel from Germany to other worldwide destinations is still restricted.

For U.S. government employees, including service members, remember to always follow command regulations, which may be different than host nation policies.