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In 2016, roughly 73.6 billion euros were spent by the German residents on travelling abroad. Preferred travel destinations of the German citizens were Austria and Netherlands.
Nevertheless, some countries don’t yet to recognize the German passport as an entry permit, so they apply also a visa regime towards its holders.
Visa Free Countries for Germans
The majority of world countries can be visited by the Germans only by holding a valid German passport. Traveling to such countries, thus, is very much simpler compared to the visa regime countries.
Here are the 145 world countries that can be visited by German citizens without a visa:
| Country | Allowed stay |
|---|---|
| Albania | 90 days |
| Andorra | |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 6 months |
| Argentina | 90 days |
| Armenia | 180 days |
| Austria* | |
| Bahamas | 3 months |
| Barbados | 6 months |
| Belarus | 30 days |
| Belgium* | |
| Belize | 1 month |
| Bolivia | 90 days |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 90 days |
| Botswana | 90 days |
| Brazil | 90 days |
| Brunei | 90 days |
| Bulgaria* | |
| Canada | 6 months |
| Cape Verde | 30 days |
| Chile | 90 days |
| Colombia | 180 days |
| Costa Rica | 90 days |
| Croatia* | |
| Cyprus* | |
| Czech Republic* | |
| Denmark* | |
| Dominica | 90 days |
| Dominican Republic | 90 days |
| Ecuador | 90 days |
| El Salvador | 3 months |
| Estonia* | |
| Eswatini | 30 days |
| Fiji | 4 months |
| Finland* | |
| France* | |
| Gambia | 90 days |
| Georgia | 1 year |
| Greece* | |
| Grenada | 3 months |
| Guatemala | 90 days |
| Guyana | 3 months |
| Haiti | 90 days |
| Honduras | 3 months |
| Hungary* | |
| Iceland* | |
| Indonesia | 30 days |
| Ireland* | |
| Israel | |
| Italy* | |
| Jamaica | 90 days |
| Japan | 90 days |
| Kazakhstan | 30 days |
| Kiribati | 90 days |
| Kosovo | 90 days |
| South Korea | 90 days |
| Kyrgyzstan | 60 days |
| Latvia* | |
| Lesotho | 14 days |
| Liechtenstein* | |
| Lithuania* | |
| Luxembourg* | |
| Malaysia | 3 months |
| Malta* | |
| Marshall Islands | 90 days |
| Mauritius | 90 days |
| Mexico | 180 days |
| Micronesia | 90 days |
| Moldova | 90 days |
| Monaco | |
| Mongolia | 30 days |
| Montenegro | 90 days |
| Morocco | 90 days |
| Namibia | 3 months |
| Netherlands* | |
| Nicaragua | 90 days |
| North Macedonia | 90 days |
| Norway* | |
| Oman | 14 days |
| Palau | 90 days |
| Panama | 180 days |
| Paraguay | 90 days |
| Peru | 90 days |
| Philippines | 30 days |
| Poland* | |
| Portugal* | |
| Qatar | 90 days |
| Romania* | |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3 months |
| Saint Lucia | 90 days |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 90 days |
| Samoa | 90 days |
| San Marino | |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 15 days |
| Senegal | 90 days |
| Serbia | 90 days |
| Seychelles | 3 months |
| Singapore | 90 days |
| Slovakia* | |
| Slovenia* | |
| Solomon Islands | 90 days |
| South Africa | 90 days |
| Spain* | |
| Sweden* | |
| Switzerland* | |
| Thailand | 30 days |
| Timor-Leste | 90 days |
| Tonga | 90 days |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 90 days |
| Tunisia | 4 months |
| Turkey | 3 months |
| Tuvalu | 90 days |
| Ukraine | 90 days |
| United Arab Emirates | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | 6 months |
| United States | 90 days |
| Uruguay | 90 days |
| Uzbekistan | 30 days |
| Vanuatu | 90 days |
| Vatican City | |
| Venezuela | 90 days |
| Vietnam | 15 days |
Countries Requiring Visa on Arrival or eVisas for German Citizens
Certain countries have abandoned the classic visa requirements where you have to get the visa early before traveling. They have replaced them with a visa taken at the borders of the country by the immigration staff, known as a visa on arrival. For traveling to few foreign countries, Germans are required to obtain an electronic travel authorization (eTA) beforehand, through a simple online application procedure.
| Country | Visa requirement | Allowed stay |
|---|---|---|
| Angola | eVisa | 30 days |
| Australia | eVisitor | 90 days |
| Azerbaijan | eVisa | 30 days |
| Bahrain | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 14 days |
| Bangladesh | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Benin | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days/8 days |
| Burkina Faso | Visa on arrival | 1 month |
| Cambodia | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Comoros | Visa on arrival | 45 days |
| Côte d'Ivoire | eVisa | 3 months |
| Djibouti | eVisa | 31 days |
| Egypt | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Ethiopia | eVisa / Visa on arrival | up to 90 days |
| Gabon | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 90 days |
| Guinea | eVisa | 90 days |
| Guinea-Bissau | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 90 days |
| India | eVisa | 60 days |
| Iran | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Iraq | Visa on arrival | 60 days |
| Jordan | Free visa on arrival | |
| Kenya | eVisa | 3 months |
| Kuwait | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 3 months |
| Laos | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Lebanon | Visa on arrival | 1 month |
| Madagascar | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 90 days |
| Malawi | eVisa / Visa on arrival | |
| Maldives | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Mauritania | Visa on arrival | |
| Mozambique | Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Myanmar | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 28 days |
| Nepal | Visa on arrival | 90 days |
| New Zealand | Electronic Travel Authority | 3 months |
| Pakistan | Electronic Travel Authorization | |
| Papua New Guinea | eVisa / Free visa on arrival | 60 days |
| Russia | eVisa | 16 days |
| Rwanda | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Saudi Arabia | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 90 days |
| Sierra Leone | Visa on arrival | |
| Somalia | Visa on arrival | |
| South Sudan | Electronic Visa | |
| Sri Lanka | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 30 days |
| Suriname | E-tourist card | 90 days |
| Tajikistan | Visa on arrival | 45 days |
| Tanzania | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 3 months |
| Togo | Visa on arrival | 7 days |
| Uganda | eVisa / Visa on arrival | |
| Zambia | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 90 days |
| Zimbabwe | eVisa / Visa on arrival | 3 months |
Countries With Visa Regimes Towards the Germans
Apart from the main percentage of the world countries, there are remaining states which have retained the visa regime towards German nationals.
Thus, for visiting such countries a German passport holder should obtain a visa at the consular service abroad, usually to be stamped on a blank page of their passport, early enough before traveling.
Every country has its own visa requirements, usually accessible on the official website of the respective country’s embassy in Germany.
The following 25 countries apply a visa regime towards all the holders of German passports coming to visit their territory:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Bhutan
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Republic of the Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Cuba
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ghana
- North Korea
- Liberia
- Libya
- Mali
- Nauru
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Sudan
- Syria
- Turkmenistan
- Yemen
Countries That Use EURO Currency
There are 18 foreign countries where you can pay with Euro currency, used as the official local currency. This includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
Further countries and territories recognizing Euro as their main currency are the Azores, the Canaries, Ceuta and Melilla, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City.
Moreover, two countries outside the EU also use the Euro as their currency: Kosovo and Montenegro.
Passport Validity Requirements for German Citizens
Commonly, German travelers to overseas countries are required to possess at least 3 to 6 months remaining validity period on their passports, beyond the period of their visit.
Return/Onward Travel Ticket
Most of the countries you will attempt to visit require from you to have a return or onward travel ticket when you enter the country.