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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.
Where Can Germans Travel Without a Visa?
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 | Country | Allowed Stay |
---|---|---|---|
Albania | 90 days | Malaysia | 3 months |
Andorra | 90 days | Malta | Freedom of Movement |
Antigua and Barbuda | 6 months | Marshall Islands | 90 days |
Argentina | 90 days | Mauritius | 90 days |
Armenia | 180 days | Mexico | 180 days |
Austria | Freedom of movement | Micronesia | 90 days |
Bahamas | 3 months | Moldova | 90 days |
Barbados | 6 months | Monaco | 90 days |
Belarus | 30 days | Mongolia | 30 days |
Belgium | Freedom of movement | Montenegro | 90 days |
Belize | 1 month | Morocco | 90 days |
Bolivia | 90 days | Namibia | 3 months |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 90 days | Netherlands | Freedom of Movement |
Botswana | 90 days | Nicaragua | 90 days |
Brazil | 90 days | North Macedonia | 90 days |
Brunei | 90 days | Norway | Freedom of Movement |
Bulgaria | Freedom of movement | Oman | 14 days |
Canada | 6 months | Palau | 90 days |
Cape Verde | 30 days | Panama | 180 days |
Chile | 90 days | Paraguay | 90 days |
Colombia | 180 days | Peru | 90 days |
Costa Rica | 90 days | Philippines | 30 days |
Croatia | Freedom of movement | Poland | Freedom of Movement |
Cyprus | Freedom of movement | Portugal | Freedom of Movement |
Czech Republic | Freedom of movement | Qatar | 90 days |
Denmark | Freedom of movement | Romania | Freedom of Movement |
Dominica | 90 days | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3 months |
Dominican Republic | 90 days | Saint Lucia | 90 days |
Ecuador | 90 days | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 90 days |
El Salvador | 3 months | Samoa | 90 days |
Estonia | Freedom of movement | San Marino | Freedom of Movement |
Eswatini | 30 days | Sao Tome and Principe | 15 days |
Fiji | 4 months | Senegal | 90 days |
Finland | Freedom of movement | Serbia | 90 days |
France | Freedom of movement | Seychelles | 3 months |
Gambia | 90 days | Singapore | 90 days |
Georgia | 1 year | Slovakia | Freedom of Movement |
Greece | Freedom of movement | Slovenia | Freedom of Movement |
Grenada | 3 months | Solomon Islands | 90 days |
Guatemala | 90 days | South Africa | 90 days |
Guyana | 3 months | Spain | Freedom of Movement |
Haiti | 90 days | Sweden | Freedom of Movement |
Honduras | 3 months | Switzerland | Freedom of Movement |
Hungary | Freedom of movement | Thailand | 30 days |
Iceland | Freedom of movement | Timor-Leste | 90 days |
Indonesia | 30 days | Tonga | 90 days |
Ireland | Freedom of movement | Trinidad and Tobago | 90 days |
Israel | 3 months | Tunisia | 4 months |
Italy | Freedom of movement | Turkey | 3 months |
Jamaica | 90 days | Tuvalu | 90 days |
Luxembourg | Freedom of Movement | Ukraine | 90 days |
Kazakhstan | 30 days | United Arab Emirates | 90 days |
Kiribati | 90 days | United Kingdom | 6 months |
Kosovo | 90 days | United States | 90 days |
South Korea | 90 days | Uruguay | 90 days |
Kyrgyzstan | 60 days | Uzbekistan | 30 days |
Latvia | Freedom of movement | Vanuatu | 90 days |
Lesotho | 14 days | Vatican | 90 days |
Liechtenstein | Freedom of movement | Venezuela | 90 days |
Lithuania | Freedom of movement | 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 | Allowed stay | Country | Allowed stay |
---|---|---|---|
Bahrain | 14 days | Rwanda | 30 days |
Bangladesh | 30 days | Saudi Arabia | 90 days |
Benin | 30 days/8 days | Sierra Leone | 30 days |
Burkina Faso | 1 month | Somalia | 1 month |
Cambodia | 30 days | Sri Lanka | 30 days |
Comoros | 45 days | Tajikistan | 45 days |
Egypt | 30 days | Tanzania | 3 months |
Ethiopia | up to 90 days | Togo | 7 days |
Gabon | 90 days | Uganda | 90 days |
Guinea-Bissau | 90 days | Zambia | 90 days |
Iran | 30 days | Zimbabwe | 3 months |
Iraq | 60 days | Angola | 30 days |
Jordan | 30 days | Australia | 90 days |
Kuwait | 3 months | Azerbaijan | 30 days |
Laos | 30 days | Co´te d'Ivoire | 3 months |
Lebanon | 1 month | Djibouti | 31 days |
Madagascar | 90 days | Guinea | 90 days |
Malawi | 30 days | India | 60 days |
Maldives | 30 days | Kenya | 3 months |
Mauritania | 30 days | New Zealand | 3 months |
Mozambique | 30 days | Pakistan | 30 days |
Myanmar | 28 days | Russia | 16 days |
Nepal | 90 days | South Sudan | 3/6 months |
Papua New Guinea | 60 days | Suriname | 90 days |
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.