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COVID-19 VACCINES

Reader question: Can under-5s get vaccinated against Covid in Germany?

Vaccines for children aged six months to five-years-old are currently being rolled out in the United States. But can very young children also get a Covid jab in Germany?

Published: 24 June 2022 17:22 CEST
young girl Covid jab Germany
A young girl gets a Covid jab in Dresden, Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Robert Michael

At the moment, only children aged five and above can get vaccinated against Covid-19 in Germany.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the use of a reduced dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine for children between the ages of five and 12, and this age group are able to get vaccinated by doctors at practices or at dedicated vaccine centres.

Back in May, Germany’s Standing Vaccines Commission (STIKO) issued a general Covid jab recommendation for 5-12 year olds. Previously, they had only recommended the shots to children with pre-existing conditions or vulnerable contacts.

READ ALSO: Germany’s vaccine panel recommends Covid jabs for all children over five

Of course, some parents are keen to get their younger children vaccinated as well – and news from the US, where both Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech has recently been approved for children under five, has given them hope that the same will happen in Germany.

So what exactly is going on?

Well, at the moment, there does seem to be some movement in that direction, but things are still up in the air. 

Back in April, Moderna announced that it had submitted a request to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for a variation to the conditional marketing authorisation.

In plain English, this means they want permission to roll out a 25mg dose of their vaccine (as part of a two-dose series) for children aged six months to five years. This is the same dosage that is being used to vaccinate toddlers and babies in the US. 

In response to a question from The Local, Pfizer/BioNTech said it was also planning to file for authorisation for the under-fives vaccine from the EMA in early July. 

Depending on the EMA’s decision, this could pave the way for very young children to get the Covid jab in Germany.

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the authorities will be recommending that all parents rush out and vaccinate their young’uns. 

Speaking to the Funke Media Group back in March, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) struck a cautious tone when talking about vaccines for under fives.

“In the studies, the vaccines have not shown the immunisation effect in young children that we had hoped for. But it is precisely in this age group that the effect must be particularly clearly proven,” he said.

“It is therefore unclear at the moment whether there will be a vaccination recommendation for under-fives in Germany.”

READ ALSO: KEY POINTS: German Health Ministry lays out autumn Covid plan

For its part, the EMA said it was in talks with Pfizer ahead of the submission of its application for approval.

“To date, no application for an extension of indication for the use of Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech) in children under five has been submitted to EMA,” a spokesperson for the EMA told The Local.

“However, EMA is in contact with the company about the possible submission of data and we will communicate on our website should we receive a request for an extension of indication.”

At the time of writing, the German Health Ministry and Robert Koch Institute (RKI) had not responded to a request for comment. 

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READER QUESTIONS

EXPLAINED: Do I have to declare income from foreign sources on my German tax return?

If you're a resident in Germany, you will typically have to declare and pay tax on your worldwide income. But there may be some exceptions in certain cases.

Published: 3 May 2024 11:11 CEST
EXPLAINED: Do I have to declare income from foreign sources on my German tax return?

If you’re filling in a German tax return, you are generally legally required to declare and pay tax on all income you earn – wherever in the world you earn it. This is true even if you keep the money abroad.

In most cases, your worldwide income is subject to what’s called “unlimited tax liability” – which means that there’s no exemptions or discounts on your taxes for money earned abroad – whether its from work or capital gains like the sale of stocks. This is generally even true if Germany doesn’t have a Double Taxation Agreement (DTA) with the other country in question.

If, however, Germany does have a DTA – some of your tax might end up getting limited in Germany. This is generally providing that you’ve paid it in the other country.

For example, the US may apply a withholding tax to payments made to you for freelance services you provide in the US, for example. In this case, the DTA between Germany and the US would allow you to submit documentation proving that you’ve already paid tax on this payment in the US. That’ll prevent you from having to pay tax again in Germany on the amount that actually gets wired to your account.

READER QUESTION: How can I find a German tax advisor?

Who has a double taxation treaty with Germany?

Germany has concluded double taxation agreements with numerous – but not all – countries and territories. You can check out the German government’s dropdown menu here to see which countries are on the list.

German residents earning money in other EU countries should still check this list, as certain tax provisions may be unique to the two countries in question.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about paying taxes in Germany

What about rental income?

As a general rule, rental income is taxed in the country where the property is located, meaning you don’t have to declare or pay it in Germany. There are some notable exceptions – for example if the property is located in Spain. In this case, you would report this income in Germany.

What about inheritance?

Some double taxation agreements have clauses that specifically govern what tax rules there are around inheritance that a German resident might get from abroad.

In general, the inheritor will still have to pay inheritance tax in Germany, but could see their tax liability reduced if tax already has to be paid abroad.

There are also other exceptions possible, such as if a child receives a property in their parent’s will and then proceeds to live in it for at least 10 years after they acquire it. In this case, they may not need to pay any tax on it.

In certain complicated cases – or if you have any doubt – it may be a good idea to seek out the services of a professional tax advisor who can make sure you don’t get in trouble with the Finanzamt (tax office). 

READ ALSO: Do foreigners owe tax in Germany on money that is inherited from overseas?

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