The Federal Government has issued a decree to lift the travel warning for EU countries and some European countries from June 15, 2020. For non-EU countries, the warning remains in effect. In some countries where travel and aviation are heavily restricted, they even apply quarantine measures.

The following is important information that is classified by field and presented in specific details, so that readers can understand it easily.

Freely traveling in Germany

Each state has its own travel restrictions, so it is necessary to consult the legislation of each state.

Before traveling, it is necessary to understand the legal regulations in that state, such as regulations on gatherings with family and friends, using resort apartments, camping, parking beds, etc. The states themselves decide the time to loosen social restrictions, allow the reopening of the catering business, hotels, resort apartments and mobile garages depending on the level of the epidemic in each state. The above issues were entered into force on May 6, 2020 by Prime Ministers and premiers of states, and were effective until June 29, 2020.

German traveling abroad

On June 3, the Federal Government issued a decree to lift European foreign travel warning. The decree took effect on June 15 for EU countries, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. However, each of these countries has their own decrees, so that they can impose their own visa restrictions. For example, there is a 14-day quarantine measure for entry to the UK. Norway is expected to lift its entry ban after June 15. Some of the above countries, before and after, still keep restrictions on aviation and international travel up to the present time.

European travel restrictions were lifted from June 15, 2020 in Germany

The fact that people traveling abroad and returning home may encounter the risk of incidents due to social restrictions, quarantine and blockade of epidemics is great, difficult to estimate in advance. 

Canceling tickets and refunds

There is no general rule for this issue, it depends on the specific situation. The factors that determine whether or not a ticket will be refunded depends firstly on whether the tour is a group travel or an individual travel, domestic or overseas travel and means of transport used. If at the time of departure. you fall into an unavoidable situation, dangerous violence or incidents that cannot be foreseen when buying tickets such as due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, the ticket will be canceled and refunded to the buyer. For overseas travel, the Foreign Ministry's warning is evidence of a "special or unavoidable situation" to demand a refund of tickets.

For travel within Germany, the following cases are applied: tickets can only be canceled and refunded when you can prove your unavoidable or special situation. A special situation in this epidemic is the travel warning of each state.

If the tour operator has to cancel the tour due to the epidemic warning, they must refund the ticket fare or issue a voucher to replace the money used to buy the next trip.

To make sure which situations are able to cancel tickets and get refunds, you can refer to the detailed instructions (original in German) of German Consumer Protection Center on website Startseite | Verbraucherzentrale.de and European Consumer Protection Center in Germany on website Verbraucherschutz in der EU | Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum.

Flight delay or cancellation - Liability for compensation

The responsibility of many EU countries as well as other countries depends on the general rules for passenger services and goodwill of each airline when incidents occur. Therefore, passengers themselves must directly negotiate with representatives of the airline. They often show their goodwill in unexpected situations and incidents, ready to change the flight schedule at the request of the guest or even refund the ticket.

If the flight is canceled by the airline, then the airline is responsible for refunding the ticket or looking for alternative means such as booking train tickets and changing flights with the agreement of the passenger.

To know your legal rights and responsibilities of airlines, you can refer to the relevant legal documents (original in German) of EU Passenger Rights Regulations on website Verbraucherschutz in der EU | Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum.

Traveling by coach regulations (mit Reisebussen)

Traveling by coach has been allowed to be back to work from May 28 and  accompanied certain restrictions. Passengers are expected to wear masks, toilet doors must always be closed and vehicles must be disinfected after each trip.

Passengers must wear face masks when traveling to avoid infection of the Covid-19 

If the trip is cancelled, the EU Regulation on the Rights of Passengers in Cars will come into effect (Regelungen der EU- Fahrgastrechteverordnung).

The transportation companies are responsible for notifying passengers for booking in time. Passengers need to contact the airline to agree on a solution. The EU Consumer Protection Organization in Germany website provides useful data and advice, so that passengers can refer to Verbraucherschutz in der EU | Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum (original in German) for more information.

Traveling by yacht regulations

Cruises are currently suspended worldwide. All tours have been cancelled. Many travel agencies have also offered free travel tickets for those who have booked. The relevant information is posted on the website of the companies.

Tags: German laws, travel, cross-border employment, travel regulations, covid-19 pandemic, German travel, German tourism, overseas travel