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Germany

General Information

Capital City:
Berlin
Population:
81.80 million
Area:
137,846 square miles
Language:
German
Electricity:
220V AC 50Hz
Direct Dial:
49
Driving:
Driving is on the right. National or EU licence required. Minimum driving age is 18 (17 for holders of a full UK licence)
Currency:
Euro (EUR 1 = 100 Cents)

Business Hours

Bank:
0830-1300 & 1430-1600 Mon-Wed & Fri, 0830-1300 & 1430-1730 Thur
Office:
0900-1700 Mon-Fri (many offices close earlier on Fri)
Shops:
0900-1830 Mon-Fri, 0900-1300/1400 Sat (regional shops), 0900-2000 Mon-Fri, 0900-1800/2200 Sat (city shops)
Public Holidays:
<b>2012</b> 01 Jan : New Year's Day 06 Jan : Epiphany* 06 Apr : Good Friday 09 Apr : Easter Monday 01 May : Labour Day 17 May : Ascension 28 May : Whit Monday 07 Jun : Corpus Christi* 15 Aug : Assumption* 03 Oct : Day of German Unity 31 Oct : Day of Reformation* 01 Nov : All Saints' Day* 21 Nov : Repentance Day* 25 Dec : Christmas Day *not observed in all areas of Germany

Business and social hints

General:
English is widely spoken. Smoking is banned in restaurants bars and the majority of public places unless a separate dedicated smoking room is provided. On social occasions, eg invitation to restaurants, be punctual and dress as for business meetings unless otherwise indicated. The minimum drinking age is 16 years
Tipping:
If a service charge has been added to the bill, tips are not necessary, additional discretionary tips are around 10%
Clothing:
Light or mediumweights for the summer and medium or heavyweights for winter, with rainwear all year round
Emergency Services:
Police: 110. Fire & Ambulance: 112
Hotel Classification:
The official hotel classification system in Germany is a voluntary scheme administered by the German Hotel & Guesthouse Association (DEHOGA), which awards hotels from 1 star up to 5 stars. Where applicable, we have included the star rating of the property. Otherwise, arbitrary categories of � up to ����� are given based on rack rates, facilities and perceived quality which equate to the commonly used 1- to 5-star system. These categories serve only to compare relative standards within any given area.

Climate

Weather can be changeable throughout the year. Eastern Germany and South East (Bavarian Alps) tend to have colder winters with more frequent snow and frost. Rainfall is fairly evenly spread throughout the year although less in summer

Berlin

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Maximum Temperature °C 2 3 8 13 18 21 24 22 19 13 6 3
Minimum Temperature °C -3 -3 0 3 8 11 14 12 9 5 1 2
Average Humidity (mornings) % 89 87 87 83 79 78 79 86 90 92 91 90
Average Humidity (afternoons) % 81 73 63 56 50 53 55 58 60 68 79 84
Average Rainfall 46 39 33 41 49 64 72 69 48 48 46 43

Customs

Import Allowances:
For persons of 17 years of age or older: 1) Travellers entering from non-EU countries (including Canary Islands, Channel Islands & Gibraltar): a) 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250gr of tobacco b) 1 lit of spirits of more than 22� proof or 2 lit of up to 22� proof c) 2 lit of still wines d) 50gr of perfume & 0.25 lit of eau de toilette e) Other goods to the value of EUR 175 2) Travellers entering from EU countries (goods obtained duty & tax paid - guidance levels): a) 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos, 200 cigars & 1 kg of tobacco, except if entering from the b) 10 lit of spirits over 22%, 20 lit of fortified , 90 lit of wine (of which, a max of 60 lit of sparkling wine) & 110 lit of beer

Health

Participant of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC scheme) which allows visitors on short-term stays to other member countries to use the public health care sector for free or reduced-cost medical treatment and emergency care. EHIC replaces the E111 form. <b>Please note:</b> The EHIC scheme is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will <b>not</b> cover any private medical healthcare or the cost of things such as mountain rescue in ski resorts repatriation to the UK lost or stolen property etc. For full details on eligibility and how to apply for a card visit www.nhs.uk or click<a href="https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/home.do"> here</a>

Compulsary Vaccinations
None.
Recommended Immunisations
None required, however for those travelling to Germany frequently or intending to spend extended time there, Tick-Borne Encephalitis should be considered.
Risks
None. <b>GENERAL INFO FOR ALL TRAVELLERS:</b> Details listed can occasionally change at very short notice and it's recommended that all travellers seek advice from their Practice Nurse, GP or Travel Clinic when planning a visit to Germany. It should be noted that some vaccinations and treatments may require one or more visits and should be planned well in advance of travel. Primary courses and boosters should always be up to date as recommended for life in the UK. This should include vaccines given to special groups due to complications or risk exposure such as Hepatitis B for health care workers, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines for the elderly etc.

Immigration and Passport

Passports and passport replacing documents must be valid for the period of intended stay. Exempt: a) Expired passports (max. 5 years) issued to nationals of Austria, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain & Switzerland. b) Expired German passports (no limit). c) Expired ID Cards (max. 1 year) "Personalausweis" & "Kinderausweis"

The following DO NOT require a visa: 1) Nationals of Germany. 2) For an unrestricted length of stay by: a) Nationals of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Rep, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland (Rep of), Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland & the USA. b) Holders of British passports endorsed "British Citizen" c) Holders of Identity Cards issued by Gibraltar endorsed "Validated for EU travel purposes under the authority of the United Kingdom". d) Holders of a residence permit issued by Monaco or a Schengen Member State. 3) For stays up to 90 days in any 6 month period by: a) Nationals of Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR China passports), Macao (SAR China passports), Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, St Kitts-Nevis, Uruguay, Vatican City & Venezuela. b) Holders of British passports endorsed "British National (Overseas)" or "British Citizen" c) Holders of British passports endorsed "British Overseas Territories Citizen" or "British Subject" containing a Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode issued by the UK. d) Holders of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) passports providing the passport includes an ID card number. e) Holders of biometric passports issued to nationals of Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia (FYROM) & Montenegro. f) Serbia - Holding normal passports providing the passport is not issued by the Coordination Directorate (Koordinaciona uprava).

Entry requirements may change from time to time and should be checked with the German Embassy/Consulate.

Useful Contacts

Embassy

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany 23 Belgrave Square London SW1X 8PZ Visa appointments tel: 09065 540740* Visa hotline tel: 7823 2854 Passport appointments tel: 020 7824 1426 Visa information service tel: 020 7824 1465/466 Passport information service tel: 020 7824 1463/464 fax: +44 20 7824 1449 e-mail: info@london.diplo.de website: www.london.diplo.de hours: Monday-Thursday 8.30-17.00 & Friday 8.30-15.30 * calls cost �1 per minute

Airports

  • Allgau Airport GmbH & Co. KG
  • Altenburg
  • Berlin Schonefeld
  • Berlin Tegel
  • Bremen
  • Cologne Bonn
  • Dortmund
  • Dresden
  • Dusseldorf International
  • Dusseldorf Moenchengladbach
  • Dusseldorf Niederrhein
  • Frankfurt
  • Frankfurt Hahn
  • Friedrichshafen
  • Hamburg
  • Hanover
  • Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden
  • Leipzig/Halle
  • Lubeck
  • Muenster/Osnabrueck Intl
  • Munich International
  • Nuremberg
  • Paderborn/Lippstadt
  • Rostock-Laage
  • Saarbrucken
  • Stuttgart Echterdingen
  • Westerland - Sylt
  • Zweibrucken

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