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Visiting Germany: Is it possible to get the EU digital vaccine certificate?

Germany has strict Covid pass entry rules (known as 2G or 3G) to most public places. But tourists found an inconsistent picture of what vaccination proof is accepted, and varying experiences of being able to get the EU digital pass.

Published: 13 December 2021 16:25 CET
Updated: 14 December 2021 08:33 CET

A customer showing the EU digital vaccine pass at a book store in Saarbrücken, western Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Oliver Dietze

Whether it’s to see a loved one, embark on a skiing trip or enjoy a Christmas market (at least in the areas where they are still open), many people have travelled to Germany recently.

But tourists report varying experiences of using their foreign vaccination certificate as proof to enter public spaces, and of getting their hands on an EU digital pass.

We asked our readers what they thought about Germany’s 2G and 3G rules. 2G means only fully vaccinated people (Geimpfte), and those who’ve recently recovered from Covid (Genesene), can enter, and these regulations were recently widened to include non-essential shops, culture and leisure throughout Germany.

3G rules still apply for riding on public transport – meaning you have to be vaccinated, recovered, or have proof of a negative Covid test (getestet).

What kind of vaccination proof do visitors to Germany have?

Germany still has strict entry rules for travel. Generally only vaccinated people from non-EU countries are allowed to come to Germany. They have to show proof of vaccination before boarding the flight.

Once in Germany, people usually need to show vaccination proof (and possibly ID) whenever they go into a shop, restaurant, Christmas market or museum.

Matthew Rye, 59, visited from the UK recently. He found the Covid entry rules “largely very straightforward”.

He used the UK’s NHS Covid pass on paper and on his phone mainly for “getting into theatres, concert halls and hotels and a couple of restaurants, but the QR code was only scanned a handful of times (and only once or twice successfully)”, he said.

“Mostly stewards preferred to read the details on the paper/phone and checked ID against passport.”

Charlie, 28, from the UK said he found the rules easy to understand and that “everyone accepts my NHS pass”.

Others also reported having digital vaccinations from their home countries, including India, the USA and Canada (more on that below).

Can foreign visitors get the EU digital vaccination pass?

People in Germany get a QR code which they scan into the CovPass or Coronavirus-Warn app to upload the EU digital vaccination certificate. They can also use the paper certificate with the code if they don’t want to use a smartphone.

Readers of The Local have been getting in touch with us to say they are worried about not being able to get this certificate in Germany.

Unlike some countries – like Italy, France and Switzerland where tourists can apply for the respective country’s version of the EU digital vaccine pass – the German government currently only allows people who are based in Germany to transfer their vaccination pass into a digital version with QR code.

The official line from the German government is that to get the Covid-19 vaccine certificate, you need to live, work or study in Germany.

It has created some problems for visitors. Some restaurants or leisure facilities, for instance, only accept the EU digital pass.

One of the trickiest things about Germany’s system is the inconsistency. Despite the official standpoint by the government, some visitors from abroad have been able to get the digital vaccine pass at a pharmacy, while others weren’t so lucky.

Sandra, 54, from the UK said it was “very easy” to get.

“I got a pharmacy to import my NHS QR code into the EU system, and I have since scanned them into the Corona-Warn-App and the Luca app.

“Everyone has accepted this, although they always check I have had the course of vaccinations.”

*The EU digital vaccine pass. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marijan Murat*

Deb Turner, 66, from the US, said: “I am American and I took my passport, and vaccination card to the Apotheke and they translated it for me at no cost.

“It was all done very efficiently. It really was great!”

Stuart, 48, from South Africa, said: “I went to the International Pharmacy in Stuttgart, gave them my handwritten card and they converted it for me.”

A few respondents told us that some pharmacies refused to convert their foreign vaccination certificate to the EU one – but they eventually found one that did it.

Jake C. Kim, 40, said two places declined to provide an EU digital vaccine pass after he showed his US CDC vaccination card. Kim said he was told “that I needed to be a holder of German health insurance”.

He then found a pharmacy willing to do it for a fee of €20 – however, the EU vaccination pass should be free, according to the German government.

Amelia, 29, originally from Canada, had a similar experience.

“Tried to go to one Apotheke to convert my US CDC card and was refused,” she said. “Found another Apotheke online via Reddit and went there; they were able to do it for me.”

“Once I got an EU digital certificate it was easy to use. For two weeks in Berlin I tried to use my US CDC card, which usually went well, but I was refused entry once to a restaurant and had to argue my way through on a few other occasions. I also avoided going to clubs until I got my EU code because they all said that they only accepted that.”

What about those who were refused the EU vaccination pass?

Barbara Larsen, 66, from the US wasn’t able to get EU digital vaccine proof during a recent visit to Germany.

“I tried to get a digital vaccination certificate at a pharmacy in Germany and was told it was only allowed for German citizens and legal residents,” said Larsen.

Another US citizen Ryan, 30, visited Bavaria and Berlin in November.

Ryan said he was told by a pharmacy that “tourists have no way of obtaining the EU digital vaccination certificate in Germany at the moment”.

A 25-year-old from Canada, who travelled to Baden-Württemberg, said she was frustrated because she couldn’t get the EU vaccine pass.

“We went to the Apotheke and they said they wouldn’t give it to us. This was a very disheartening process.”

Another Local reader Odarci Maia Jr, 57, visited Germany in November and said the EU digital certificate is “impossible to get for people from abroad”.

Vidya Ravi, 28, visited Germany from India in November and tried to get the EU vaccine pass but said “no one was willing to convert”.

Others didn’t try to get the EU pass but recognised the limitations of their foreign vaccination proof.

Kristine Munden, 54 visited areas including Lower Saxony and Berlin with her family from the US in November.

She said: “Everyone accepted our CDC certificate for three vaccination shots except the enclosed shops of Ku’damm Weihnachtsmarkt like Käthe Wohlfahrt (in Berlin).”

*Entry to a Christmas market in Mainz is 2G only. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Arne Dedert*

Lorie Whitaker, 44, from the US, said: “We had no issues. Every restaurant and hotel accepted our US paper cards. However if we had wanted to go ice skating in Baden Baden, at the outdoor rink, they were only accepting digital QR codes, so I don’t think we would have been able to do that.”

What are some of the other issues?

Our survey was aimed at visitors, but we received some comments from people who recently moved to Germany and they reported issues.

Supriya, 41, from India is based in Nuremberg, Bavaria, and is entitled to the EU vaccine pass. But when she tried to get it a pharmacy they did not have the Covishield vaccine in the database.

“This is an EU-approved vaccine but a foreigner like me who has moved to Germany, cannot get a digital certificate as the local certificate portal does not recognise it,” Supriya said.

Goel, 56, in Stuttgart reported other problems when using an Indian digital vaccination certificate.

“Most Restaurants accept the Covishield vaccination certificate,” said Goel. “Some shops refused to accept non-EU certificates.

“Pharmacies informed us that non-EU certificates cannot be converted into digital EU certificates.”

Meanwhile, Odarci Katelyn, 26, who is based in Berlin for grad school, said: “So far, everyone has accepted my paper certificate. But several people have told me that I should have the QR code because soon they won’t accept the paper one.”

What’s the verdict on Germany’s Covid ‘2G and 3G’ rules?

Most respondents to our survey said Germany’s entry rules to public were clear and made sense, although some people said they didn’t have their vaccination status checked consistently.

However, this has been stepped up in the last two weeks after Germany tightened its rules.

Andrew H., 46, from the US said the German Covid entry system was “a lot better than the US”.

“Rules are across-the-board and very clear.” he said.

Heidi, 41, also from the US, said: “I have been asked for proof of vaccination before being seated at any restaurant or cafe. I appreciate knowing that they are being so diligent.

Another respondent criticised the fact that some businesses are not aware of the rules on allowing exemptions for groups, such as pregnant women, because Germany did not give an official recommendation on the vaccine for this group until months after the general population.

A few other people said that didn’t think there was any need for Germany’s Covid pass entry system.

*******

Thanks to everyone who shared their experience with us. Although we weren’t able to include all the submissions, we read each of them and are sincerely grateful to everybody who took the time to fill in the survey.

If there’s anything you’d like to ask or tell us about our coverage, please feel free to get in touch.

Member comments

Anonymous - 13 December 2021 at 18:20 CET

I’m a British citizen living in Italy: I have had all 3 of my vaccinations in the U.K. I recently visited Germany(Frankfurt) and scanned in the NHS QR code of my third vaccination into the Corona-warn app and it accepted it. It was very easy to do… I was then able to use the Corona-warn EU digital Covid certificate during my stay in Germany.
Anonymous - 13 December 2021 at 20:42 CET

I live and work in Germany and was vaccinated on my military base. I had a hard time getting my EUDCC’s for me and my family. We cannot live a normal life here without them and we are at our wits end. Even our youngest child (9) is fully vaccinated and everyone who qualifies for a booster has had one and yet we are still bring turned away trying to buy shoes or clothing. It is unacceptable. Germany is a mess.
Anonymous - 15 December 2021 at 09:00 CET

I was vaccinated in the USA back in early April, because it was at that time impossible to get vaccinated in Germany. Upon returning to Germany, it was impossible to get my US vaccination recognized here. I ended up getting re-vaccinated in late Summer here in Germany just so I could get the EU digital certificate. I knew then that it would not be long before “normal” life would be gone if I did not have it.

The US Embassy has been saying for 8 months now that they are attempting to work with the German government to get US vaccinations recognized, but there has been no progress at all. One would think that with the strong tourism and business ties between the US and Germany there would be some priority put on this, but the previous German government has botched the entire process for the past 12 months.

It is incredible to me that the decision to issue a EU digital certificate is left up to individual Apotheken. Whoever thought this was a good idea is a world-class idiot.

Let’s hope the new government is more competent than the last one.

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Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Germany’s highly anticipated citizenship reform, which comes into effect as of Thursday June 27th, is intended to make Germany more competitive as a destination for skilled workers and also to allow long-term residents an easier path to naturalisation.

The biggest changes to current rules around citizenship include: allowing dual citizenship, reducing the residency requirement from eight years to five, and allowing for birth right citizenship to be extended to children born in Germany to a parent who has resided here for the past five years.

On Monday Business Insider shared data from a legal service provider that specialises in citizenship applications and immigration law to identify trends among those getting ready to apply for citizenship.

Additionally, The Local previously surveyed 121 of our readers about why they were applying and how the process is going so far.

Here’s what we can say about Germany’s incoming citizens based on those sources.

Gainfully employed long-term residents

Many long-term residents who haven been put off from getting citizenship previously – perhaps due to the stricter rules – will be considering applying now. The majority of applicants for citizenship in Germany are expected to be employed.

Generally being able to support yourself economically without depending on social benefits like Bürgergeld or long-term unemployment insurance is a prerequisite for German citizenship. Specifically, under the new law you need to have supported yourself for at least 20 months out of the previous 24 before you apply.

Business Insider looked at data from 50,000 requests for naturalisation in the first five months of 2024 that was shared by legal service provider PassExperten, which specialises in citizenship and immigration cases.

Of those 50,000 applicants for naturalisation, 86 percent had permanent employment or self-employment. Also, a significant portion had already earned professional credentials within Germany – 43 percent had completed a degree or professional training programme in the country.

READER QUESTION: Can I still get German citizenship after claiming benefits?

For many, access to a German Passport and freedom of movement within the EU are among the most important benefits offered by German citizenship. Photo by Anna Gru on Unsplash

In addition to steady employment, the majority of those applying for citizenship have spent the last decade in the country.

Of the 50,000 applicants reviewed by PassExperten, 60 percent had been living in Germany since at least 2015 and one-third since 2012: “Most of the people from whom we receive an application for naturalisation have been living in Germany longer than the fourth World Cup title,” lawyer Mohamed El-Zaatar told Business Insider.

Of course that number may be expected to fall somewhat following the reform, which will cut the minimum residency requirement from eight years to five.

Applicants that just barely meet the five year residency requirement would have come to Germany in 2019 – meaning they had been living in the country through the entire Covid pandemic.

Asked what citizenship meant to them, readers of The Local most often highlighted the value of becoming more integrated, gaining the right to vote and securing the right to live and move within the EU.

Where are Germany’s newest citizens coming from?

Statistics show that newly added citizens are a diverse bunch coming from every corner of the globe – people from 157 different countries became German in 2023 according to Germany’s statistical office (Destatis).

In 2023, Syria was the most common country of origin by far, followed by Türkiye, Iraq, Romania and Afghanistan – these countries combined amounted to a little more than half of all the newly naturalised citizens.

But these proportions, as well as the total number of applicants, are constantly changing and have shifted dramatically in recent years. Around the turn of the century, immigrants of Turkish descent – many from the so-called ‘guest worker’ generation who helped rebuild infrastructure after the war – made up the biggest group of incoming citizens. In the following years, the total number of incoming citizens fell significantly until it spiked again last year.

The recent spike in Syrian immigrants is linked to the surge in refugees who came to Germany between 2014 and 2016, many of whom became eligible for German citizenship within the last couple years.

The new law also has carve-outs specifically to encourage people who came to work in Germany following World War II – the so-called guest-worker generation. The government is hoping to to encourage members of this group, some of whom have lived in Germany for 60 years now, to apply for naturalisation.

Meanwhile, Brits – who lost many rights due to Brexit – are also expected to be keen to become German partly to regain EU rights.

INTERVIEW: Germany’s new citizenship law is ‘historic’ moment for foreigners

But it’s hard to predict how these trends may change in the coming years. For example, the influx of Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion of the country in early 2022 has led immigrants and refugees from Ukraine to outnumber those from Türkiye and Syria in some parts of Germany.

While the majority of surveyed Ukrainian refugees say they plan to return home following the war, some of those who have integrated well in Germany could eventually be tempted to apply for citizenship, especially to make moving between the two countries easier.

The statistically average applicant is a young married man

PassExperten found that most of the applications for naturalisation it reviewed were submitted by men – at about 70 percent. About 41 percent were married, most of them were childless.

The male-dominant trend is confirmed, if a bit less dramatically, by Destatis data. Of those successfully naturalised in 2023, about 45 percent were women.

A German citizenship certificate and passport.

A German citizenship certificate and passport. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez

The average age of naturalised citizens was 29.3 years, which is about 15 years younger than the average age of Germany’s population.

Abdulghani, 26-year-old Master’s student in Munich from Syria, told The Local that he will apply to naturalise when he’s finished his studies. Having lived in Germany for three years so far, he’ll be close to the average age of Germany’s citizenship applicants by the time he is eligible under the updated law.

He noted that the ability to integrate and naturalise here “means everything” to him and was among the top reasons he chose to study here.

Primarily living in the cities and the west

Interestingly, if not surprisingly, there are dramatic differences in the number of people applying for citizenship from region to region.

The city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Berlin are home to the largest proportions of citizenship applicants, according to PassExperten, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia.

The five states that make up former East Germany – Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – are home to the smallest share of new citizenship applicants. Combined, they account for about seven percent of the country’s naturalisation applications.

In comparison, Berlin accounts for about eight percent by itself.

This aligns with results to our readers’ survey – the majority of respondents were living in major cities or towns in west Germany.

But there were a few readers in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg who said they were getting ready to apply for citizenship this year.

For Nida, 28, who lives in Thuringia, Germany is the “land of ideas”. She adds that her motive to naturalise is to “be part of the culture and society where [she] can contribute to science”.

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