About the Conference of the Ministers of Federal States in Germany and Chancellor Merkel to find new agreement on navigating through pandemic 

Seven hours later and what now? The ministers of Germany’s federal states and Chancellor Angela Merkel have sat together on Wednesday, October, 14^th to establish common ground with the handling of the pandemic. In Germany, the government sets guidelines for the handling of the current pandemic and each Federal State has their right to interpret these guidelines and set their own rules. This has the disadvantage that rules vary from state to state and people are confused. Especially with fall breaks and possible plans to travel within Germany. If one aim of this Wednesday’s conference has been to find a more united approach to Corona rules, it has only been a partial success and Merkel made clear that she does not think the agreements found are sufficient.  

Here is an overview of what is valid for everywhere in Germany. One benchmark of evaluation is the incident number. If there is an increase of 35 newly infected people per 100,000 inhabitants during the last seven days, counter measurements are put in place in that municipality. Before, the incident number of 50 newly infected people per 100,000 inhabitants was a benchmark for counter measurements. Counter measurements for so called hotspots with 35 new infections per 100,000 people are 

• A recommended curfew for restaurants at 11 p.m.  

• Though in Berlin a court ruled out the curfew on October 16^th, 2020 

• Wearing a mask in public areas wherever you stay longer/closer to other people 

• Shopping streets, bus stops, queuing  

• Events are limited to 25 attendants (exceptions can only be made if the relevant public health office approves of the hygiene concept) 

• Private gatherings are limited to 15 attendants 

If new infections increase to 50 cases per 100,000 people, the measurements agreed upon limit the attendants of events to 10 in both public and private gatherings. For private gatherings no more than two households may participate. The states of Rhineland-Pfalz, Hessen and North Rhine-Westphalia make that a serious recommendation only and not a general rule.  

There is no agreement on the ban of accommodation. This has been discussed widely recently, especially with fall breaks in Germany. Many courts in Germany have put a halt to the ban of accommodation already. It is recommended to postpone all unnecessary travel until further notice. The ministers have agreed to discuss that again after the last State’s fall break are finished, around November 8^th, 2020. Generally, one can note that the numbers are more specific now than they were this Spring, because testing has increased.  

PROGEDO – your first friend abroad. For us this is not just a statement but a commitment! That is why we regularly inform our customers about current events and happenings that we consider particularly important for them.

A 14-day self-isolation will remain obligatory for travelers from high risk areas from October 1^st onwards. A shortening of this period is possible with a negative corona test. It will still be mandatory to get in touch with the competent public health institution. New to those guidelines is that the test can only be done 5 days after entering Germany, which means that one must plan with a week of self-isolation at least because it usually takes 48 hours for the test result to arrive.

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Due to the measures adopted by the German government to combat the corona virus, many expats, like everyone else, face the problem of complying with regulations and deadlines. PROGEDO is the first friend abroad – therefore we regularly inform our customers about current events in Germany in connection with Covid-19.

Entry and quarantine regulations for Germany

The federal government has eased the existing entry measures. From now on, return travelers and immigrants from the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland are no longer obliged to quarantine at home for two weeks.

For those who entered Germany from EU or Schengen countries before May 19 and are currently in domestic quarantine, this is no longer necessary – as long as they do not have any symptoms of illness.

ATTENTION! The abolition of the quarantine regulation does not mean that free travel in Europe, which was common before Corona times, is now possible again. Travelers without German citizenship may continue to enter Germany only for important reasons. Here is a list of these reasons, which is not exhaustive: https://www.bundespolizei.de/Web/DE/04Aktuelles/01Meldungen/2020/03/200317_faq.html

An entry with the purpose of beginning a first-time employment in Germany is actually only possible if the traveler has an “important” function. And that is not the case with a “normal” activity, e.g. in IT, production or marketing. However, we looked after EU expats at various PROGEDO locations, who were allowed to enter Germany. We advise our customers accordingly to increase their chances. However, the decision rests solely with the customs officials who check the people at the airport or at the borders. We would be happy to advise you, please make your request here.

As a matter of principle, immigrants from third countries (non EU-members) still have to stay in quarantine for 14 days and immigration is only permitted in selected cases. This rule applies until June 15, 2020. However, in the case of entry from a third country, the quarantine obligation can be waived if the RKI detects a low infection rate for the respective third country. It is therefore advisable to keep yourself up to date on the applicable regulations. In some cases, however, we have already seen that PROGEDO customers from third countries have been able to enter the country in recent weeks without working in a systemically relevant profession. Here too, the responsible customs officers at the airports are solely responsible. With corresponding, complete evidence of the reason for entry and other documents, there is now a chance in some federal states to be allowed to enter. The quarantine obligation then exists in any case. We would be happy to advise you, please make your request here.

Exceptions to the quarantine obligation continue to apply to commuters, transport drivers, construction and seasonal workers, employees of utility companies, employees of the police, fire brigade and Bundeswehr, among others, as well as employees from the healthcare and health authorities.

You can find further information here: https://www.germany.info/us-de/service/corona/2313816

The rules are currently changing almost weekly. It is often not easy for expats living in Germany to find out about the current corona regulations that apply at their place of residence. If in doubt, you should contact the responsible health department at the place of residence. You can find out which health department is responsible for you here: https://tools.rki.de/PLZTool/

In another blog post you will find more about the effects of the Corona virus on visas and work permits, including a recommendation for action for employees.

We are of course available at any time with help and advice, please contact us here.

Due to the measures that the German government has taken to combat the corona virus, many expats, like everyone else, face the problem of complying with regulations and deadlines. PROGEDO is your first friend abroad – therefore we regularly inform our customers about current events in Germany in connection with Covid-19.

Entry and quarantine regulations for Germany

The Federal Government has extended the existing entry requirements until May 3, 2020. Additoinally, since Friday, April 10, those who are entering Germany have to go into a  mandatory quarantine of two weeks. This applies to both Germans and foreigners. However, there are exceptions for certain groups of people and activities if there are no symptoms of Covid 19:

• Activities in the fields of transport, health care, public security and order, diplomacy, law, representation of people, government, administration, EU and international organizations
• employees and crews of airplanes, ships, trains, buses, who were abroad as part of their work
• commuters and business travelers
• armed forces, law enforcement officers
• travelers
• seasonal workers

Further information can be found, here:

• https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/DE/themen/bevoelkerungsschutz/coronavirus/coronavirus-faqs.html
• https://www.germany.info/us-de/service/corona/2313816#content_1
• https://www.germany.info/us-de/covid19/2321562

Expired Schengen-Visa

Due to an issued ordinance, all holders of a C visa (Schengen visa) or D visa (national visa) who are currently in Germany are exempt from the requirement of a residence permit until June 30, 2020. You are therefore legally resident in the federal territory until June 30, 2020 and can, if possible, leave without restrictions during this period. However, re-entry is only possible with a valid visa or residence permit.

In addition, foreigners with a D visa who are exempt from the requirement of a residence permit under this regulation are allowed to pursue gainful employment until June 30, 2020. This applies only if this was previously permitted to them.

The ordinance can be found here:  

• https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/downloads/DE/veroeffentlichungen/2020/corona/verordnung-schengen-visa-covid19-unterzeichnet.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2

Further information about the differences between the types of visas can be found here:

• https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/de/kategorien-eines-schengen-visums/

And here you can find information about employment, that does not count as employment in the sense oft he foreigener’s law:

• https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/beschv_2013/__30.html

• https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/beschv_2013/BJNR149910013.html

Drivers license regulations for third country nationals

By general decree, the period for using a foreign driver’s licens is now extended to 12 months throughout Germany.

Usually the following is the case: holders of an EU driving license or that of another contracting state of the EEA (Lichtenstein, Norway, Iceland) are allowed to drive in Germany for an unlimited period of time. They can drive with the vehicles listed in this driving license. For all other foreign driver’s licenses, the following applies: The holder of a foreign driver’s license is generally allowed to drive with his foreign driver’s license in Germany for 6 months after the first registration with the registration office.

In view of the current situation, once the general decree, which will be announced by each federal state of Germany individually, comes into force, the following rule applies: foreign license holders may still drive motor vehicles in Germany to the extent of their authorization, 12 months after registration in Germany. The exceptional extension of the statutory period to twelve months is possible until April 1, 2021 at the longest.

After the 12-month period has expired, the holder of a foreign driver’s license loses the right to drive motor vehicles in Germany. A violation of this regulation is not an administrative offense, but a criminal offense (driving without a license) in accordance with § 21 of the Road Traffic Act (StVG).

Experience has shown that it takes some time to implement those rules everywhere, since the implementation of the regulation is a decision of the federal states of Germany. Therefore, those who are currently affected should, for safety’s sake, reinsure themselves with the driving license offices responsible for them, especially in the months of April and May 2020. It is recommended to carry a copy of the regulation with you while driving a vehicle, so that you can avoid discussions by showing this document in a traffic control.

Another blogpost, in which we inform more about the effects of the Corona-virus for visas and employment, including recommended actions for employees, can be found here.

We are of course available at any time with help and advice, please contact us here.