Germany

Illegal drugs carry severe penalties in Germany - expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines for possessing, using or smuggling them, including if you are only transiting through a German airport.

The UK Foreign Office tells travellers to expect a long jail sentence and heavy fines. Detection applies to transiting passengers' baggage, not just to passengers entering Germany.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

Adults 18 and over may carry up to 25 grams of cannabis in Germany and use it privately, but a visitor has no legal way to buy any: there are no cannabis shops, and the cultivation associations that lawfully supply it may only admit members who live in Germany. Bringing cannabis into or out of Germany is a criminal offence even if it came from a country where it is legal.

Possessing more than 25 g and up to 30 g away from your home is an administrative offence (§ 36); more than 30 g away from home, more than 60 g in total, or more than three plants is a criminal offence carrying up to three years' imprisonment or a fine (§ 34(1)). Importing or exporting cannabis carries the same criminal penalty. Consuming in a banned place, or in front of someone under 18, is an administrative offence.

Verified Aug 20, 2026

Carry prescription medicine in its original packaging with your doctor's prescription. For medicines Germany classifies as narcotics you may bring only a 30-day supply, and German customs requires a certificate from your doctor. You cannot receive prescription medication by mail in Germany.

The State Department warns of potential fines and confiscation. Check your medication against the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) list before you travel.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

You ALWAYS need a licence, issued in advance by the competent German weapons authority, to bring firearms or ammunition into Germany from outside the EU - and they must always be declared to customs. Weapons that are freely available for sale in the US may be restricted or outright banned in Germany.

Illegally bringing firearms or ammunition into Germany is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years, and up to ten years in particularly serious cases. German customs states that non-observance of firearms legislation is ALWAYS followed by criminal proceedings and confiscation of the items.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

Entering or leaving Germany to/from a non-EU country with €10,000+ in cash (incl. banknotes, securities and gold) must be declared in writing to German Customs.

Failure to declare is an administrative offence — fine up to €1,000,000.

Verified Jul 22, 2026

Arriving in Germany from outside the EU, goods other than alcohol and tobacco are duty-free only up to 300 euros by land, 430 euros by air or sea, or 175 euros if you are under 15. If one single item is worth more than your allowance, duty is charged on its FULL value, not just the amount over.

Goods over the allowance must be declared to customs and import duties paid. Allowances cannot be added together between travellers, and can be used only once per journey - crossing the border repeatedly to reuse the allowance does not work.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

It is illegal to bring into or take out of Germany any literature, music, or items that glorify fascism, the Nazi past, or the "Third Reich" - including souvenirs and memorabilia that are legally sold in the US.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

Bringing alcohol into Germany from outside the EU duty-free, you must be at least 17, and you get EITHER 1 litre of spirits over 22% ABV OR 2 litres of alcohol up to 22% - PLUS 4 litres of still wine AND 16 litres of beer.

Alcohol over the allowance must be declared to customs and import duties paid. The allowance is not available at all to travellers under 17.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

German customs treats e-cigarette liquid as a "substitute for tobacco product". It is taxed like tobacco, it counts against your general goods allowance (300 euros by land, 430 euros by air or sea) rather than getting its own volume allowance, and the allowance only applies from age 17.

E-liquid above the general goods value allowance must be declared and import duties paid. Tobacco tax applies to these products in the same way as to finished tobacco products.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

Bringing tobacco into Germany from outside the EU duty-free, you must be at least 17, and you get ONE of: 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, or 250 grammes of tobacco. The 250g figure also covers heated-tobacco products and water-pipe (shisha) tobacco.

Tobacco over the allowance must be declared to customs and import duties paid. The allowance is not available at all to travellers under 17.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

Seat belts are mandatory in both front and back seats, and children under 12 may not ride in the front and must use a child safety seat.

EUR 30 fine; an accident with belts unfastened can invalidate your insurance.

Verified Jul 22, 2026

Most major German cities have low-emission zones (Umweltzonen) you may enter only with a green Umweltplakette emissions sticker displayed on the windscreen.

About €80 fine for driving in a zone without a valid sticker.

Verified Jul 26, 2026

Germany's blood-alcohol limit is 0.5 mg/ml (0.05%) for standard drivers, but there is a total alcohol ban (0.0) for novice drivers in their probation period, drivers under 21, and professional drivers.

Over the limit brings fines and licence withdrawal; from 0.3 mg/ml you can be penalised if your driving is impaired or you crash.

Verified Jul 22, 2026

In Germany a camera drone must be registered before it flies, however light it is - the under-250 g exemption is void the moment there is a camera or microphone on board. You register with the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt for EUR 20, it can take up to 14 working days, and third-party liability insurance is compulsory with proof carried on you while you fly. You may not fly over anyone's home without that owner's express consent.

Breaching the EU Drone Regulation, operating without the required liability insurance, failing to affix the registration number, or failing to carry proof of insurance: administrative fine of up to EUR 50,000, per LuftVG Paragraf 58(2) with Paragraf 58(3), and published by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt in its own Bussgeld table for flight operations. No per-offence tariff is published - EUR 50,000 is the statutory ceiling, not a standard fine, and Land-level Bussgeldkataloge were not checked. Separately, unauthorised image-taking under StGB Paragraf 201a carries up to 2 years' imprisonment or a fine, and the camera or drone itself may be confiscated.

Verified Aug 26, 2026

Germany bans an entire class of gadget outright: any device disguised as an everyday object that can secretly record sound or video. It is illegal to possess one and illegal to bring one into the country - the regulator names children's smartwatches with a voice-monitoring or baby-phone function, GPS trackers, robot vacuums, toys and drones. If you own one, the Bundesnetzagentur tells you to destroy it and keep proof; you cannot just put it in the bin.

Manufacturing such a device or making it available on the market: up to 2 years' imprisonment or a fine, and up to 1 year if merely negligent (TDDDG Paragraf 27(1) no. 3 and (2)). Advertising one: administrative fine up to EUR 10,000 (Paragraf 28). Possession and import are prohibited by Paragraf 8(1) but carry no fine of their own - the Bundesnetzagentur's remedy is destruction with documented proof. Separately, operating a signal jammer is unauthorised spectrum use and carries an administrative fine of up to EUR 500,000 (TKG Paragraf 91(1) with Paragraf 228(2) no. 17 and Paragraf 228(6) no. 2). CONFLICT RECORDED, NOT RESOLVED: the Bundesnetzagentur's consumer page instead states it can fine "Hersteller, Verkaeufer, Kaeufer oder Nutzer" of non-compliant radio equipment up to EUR 100,000, matching FuAG Paragraf 37(2) and EMVG Paragraf 33(2); the two ceilings attach to different offences and no official source reconciles them for a jammer. EMVG Paragraf 33(3) also allows the equipment to be confiscated.

Verified Aug 26, 2026

Germany has no laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations, same-sex marriage is legal, and federal anti-discrimination law protects people on the basis of sexual orientation. Major cities including Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Hamburg and Frankfurt encourage Pride events.

Verified Aug 18, 2026

Carrying ID is not a legal requirement in Germany, but if you cannot show ID when police ask, they can escort you to wherever your passport is so you can produce it.

Verified Aug 18, 2026