Current News

The US government requires all international air travelers to present a negative COVID-19 test before they enter the United States, as announced by the US health agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
 
Specifically, the stricter entry regulations apply to trips from January 26, 2021 (departure date) from all regions or countries (not just Corona Travel Ban regions). The new compulsory test affects all air travelers entering the USA from abroad: ESTA holders (Visa Waiver Program), visa holders, green card holders and US citizens. The only exceptions are crew members (C-1D visas), employees of the law enforcement agencies and the US military, and persons under two years of age.
 
The exact test requirements are as follows:

• The test for COVID infection must be carried out at least 72 hours before departure (i.e. not older than three days). The time of the test and not the date of issue of the test result is decisive here.
• This must be a viral test or a PCR test (rapid tests are not permitted).
• The negative test can be in written form or electronically and must contain certain information about the test center (e.g. doctor, test center, laboratory).
• The test result must match the traveler's data (name, date of birth) and contain one of the following formulations: "NEGATIVE", "SARS-CoV-2 RNA NOT DETECTED", "SARS-CoV-2 ANTIGEN NOT DETECTED" or "COVID- 19 NOT DETECTED ".

Due to the further spread of the coronavirus, the Korean government has announced that all travelers must present a certificate of a negative PCR test when entering Korea.

The following applies from January 8th, 2021:

Entry by plane

• Certificate of negative PCR test to be submitted (in English / Korean) issued within 72 hours prior to departure. The certificate must first be presented to the airline before boarding the plane and then presented during the quarantine check upon entry into Korea.

Entry by ship

• Certificate of negative PCR test (in English / Korean) to be submitted within 72 hours of departure. The certificate must first be presented prior to boarding and then presented upon entry into Korea during the quarantine check.

Due to holidays or other reasons the following embassies and/or consulates will be closed in January (in case not otherwise stated this is always nationwide):
 

• 01.01. - 08.01.2021: Russian Federation

Due to holidays or other reasons the following embassies and/or consulates will be closed in December (in case not otherwise stated this is always nationwide):
 

• 03.12. - 08.12.2020: Pakistan (Berlin)
• 15.12. - 08.01.2021: Dem. Rep. Congo
• 21.12. - 04.01.2021: Thailand (Berlin)
• 24.12.2020: Japan (Hamburg)
• 29.12. - 03.01.2021: Japan (Hamburg)

From now on, the consulate of China in Frankfurt will only issue visas with a validity of 30 days for single entry and a stay of a maximum of 90 days.

Due to the latest regulation of the Chinese government, foreign passengers traveling from and over Germany by scheduled flight will have to apply for the required health declaration online from November 16, 2020 onward. Applicants are asked to register using their PC or smartphone at http://hrhk.cs.mfa.gov.cn/H5/ (keep username and password safe for later logging in) and fill out the form online with the information requested, health status and upload negative nucleic acid and IgM anti-body test results.

In order to enhance the testing accuracy, venous blood test method is required for the Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM Antibody test. The test results with capillary blood obtained by finger stick will not be accepted. Please inform the testing institutions that the results should be marked with the type of the blood sample.

The Chinese diplomatic missions in Germany will check and certify the documents. The certified health declaration (electronic version) is sent to the account registered by the applicant in the form of a QR code with an "HDC" mark (see examples). The green QR code must be presented on a smartphone or printed out on paper when boarding.

Please Note: From November 23, 2020, onward the health declaration previously requested by email and stamped will no longer be accepted in printed form.

There is a new process for all travelers to Thailand to obtain the Certificate of Entry for the flight. This can be requested online via the website https://coethailand.mfa.go.th/. The prerequisite is that you have already received the visa, as this must be uploaded, among other things.

According to the embassy, ​​the entire process takes 2-3 working days until the traveler receives the Certificate of Entry.

Another new feature is that a Health Declaration Form must be presented at check-in (T.8 form).

Here you finden the Form.

ALL passengers to China with travel date 6.11. or later must submit a negative PCR test and a negative IgM antibody test to the consulate for verification before departure (only the test variants mentioned in the Chinese declaration are accepted, i.e. as a corona test the PCR and as an antibody test the IgM). Both tests may be max. 48 hours before boarding. They are to be sent as a scan together with a scan of the data page of the passport and a scan of the Health Declaration Form for Travel (= not identical to that of the visa application) to the responsible consulate by email. Travelers then receive a verification that must be printed out and presented at boarding (together with the test results). Otherwise the flight will not be possible.

If the passenger does not travel to China directly from Germany, the tests must be carried out in Germany and in the last transit country before entering China.

Important: Even passengers who have themselves tested in the Centogene test centers at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports are no longer exempt from the obligation to verify the result as before!

Here you find the necessary Form.

The email addresses of the Chinese diplomatic missions in Germany are as follows:

Chinese Embassy:
test_deu[at]outlook.com

Chinese Consulate in Hamburg:
hhchgk.test[at]gmail.com

Chinese Consulate in Munich:
konsular.muc[at]gmail.com

Chinese Consulate in Frankfurt am Main:
frankfurt_test[at]outlook.com

Chinese Consulate in Düsseldorf:
test_dus[at]outlook.com

Due to holidays or other reasons the following embassies and/or consulates will be closed in November (in case not otherwise stated this is always nationwide):
 

• 02.11. + 11.11.2020: Angola
• 02.11. - 06.11.2020: Iraq (Frankfurt)
• 03.11. + 23.11.2020: Japan (Hamburg)
• 27.11. - 30.11.2020: Myanmar

As announced by the Embassy of Japan in Berlin, temporary business visas are currently issued for up to 90 days.

Under the following link you will find an overview of the documents required for this as well as the applicable regulations on entry and quarantine.

https://www.de.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/konsular_InformationenCoronavirus_VisaBusiness.html