The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community has temporarily re-introduced checks at Germany’s borders with Austria and the Czech Republic, because the Czech Republic and the federal state of Tyrol in Austria have been designated as areas of virus variants of concern.

Since Sunday, 14 February 2021, at 0:00, new restrictions on entering Germany have been in place at the German borders with Austria and the Czech Republic. These restrictions apply to both commercial and individual travel. Transport bans are also in effect at these borders.

For travellers from the Czech Republic and the Austrian federal state of Tyrol (except for the district of Lienz, the municipality of Jungholz and the Rißtal valley within the municipalities of Vomp and Eben am Achensee), exceptions to the entry restrictions apply only to the following persons and in the following cases:

1. German citizens and members of their immediate family who are citizens of countries outside of the EU and are travelling with the German citizen. “Immediate family members” are spouses, registered civil partners, minor children and parents of minor children;
2. persons who are legal residents of Germany;
3. cargo transport staff and other staff needed for the transport of goods (including mail, freight and empty carriers, as well as returning aircraft, ships and crews);
4. medical staff (physicians, nurses, and staff of nursing homes) and other escort staff needed for air ambulance and organ transplant flights;
5. persons travelling to Germany for urgent humanitarian reasons.
   Urgent humanitarian reasons include the following:
   

   - death of an immediate relative (spouse, registered civil partner, own child or parent);
   - father for the birth of his child
   - two close relatives in the absence of any other adult entitled to care and custody of a minor child;
   - persons in need of medical treatment if serious harm to their health would otherwise result (confirmed by medical certificate) and one escort;
   - individuals admitted for humanitarian reasons in case of threat to life or limb;

6. persons travelling by order of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations (UN) or a UN organisation.

Travellers entering in these exceptional cases are subject to the rules on entry and quarantine specified in the ordinance adopted by the German Bundestag on 13 January 2021 (Coronavirus-Einreiseverordnung). According to these rules, travellers must

• correctly complete digital registration or the equivalent on entry,
• present proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, and
• self-quarantine for ten days after entering Germany, with the possibility of ending self-quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 after five days.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community has instructed the Federal Police to enforce compliance with these rules at Germany’s borders with Austria and the Czech Republic. Travellers who do not meet the conditions listed above will be denied entry.