Germany lifts travel ban on British visitors

Rules to be relaxed from Wednesday

Germany will lift its travel ban on Britons from Wednesday 7 July.

The UK will no longer be classed as a “virus variant area”, according to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute, with the rules relaxed for inbound travellers.

Double-jabbed travellers from the UK can forgo quarantine, while unvaccinated Brits can enter the country but must self-isolate for 10 days.

However, similar to the British government’s test to release scheme, Germany will allow arrivals to cut short their quarantine if they test negative on day five.

The new measures will also be applied to Portugal, Russia, India and Nepal which, along with the UK, have been reclassified as “high-incidence areas”.

It comes just days after Angela Merkel met Boris Johnson at Chequers as part of her farewell tour before she steps down as German chancellor in September.

She said on Friday: “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… be able travel again without having to go into quarantine.”

Previously, Germany had one of the tightest border controls on the UK.

From 23 May, when the UK was first designated a virus variant area of concern, only German citizens, German residents, or their spouses, partners and children under 18 were allowed into Germany.

Those who could “invoke an urgent humanitarian reason such as an immediate family bereavement” were also permitted entry, but all other travellers from the UK were banned, regardless of vaccination status.

From 7 July, all British visitors can enter Germany, providing they meet testing and quarantine requirements.

Germany remains on the UK’s own amber list for travel, meaning arrivals from there must quarantine for 10 days, whether they’ve been vaccinated or not, and take two PCR tests.

Travellers in England can pay for an additional test on day five to leave self-isolation early.