Customs Regulations
This section gives you a general overview on customs regulations in Germany.
For specific inquiries please contact:
Obligation to declare cash in amounts of EUR 10,000 or more entering or leaving the EU
All travellers entering or leaving the European Union with €10,000 or more in cash must declare the sum to Customs from 15 June 2007. This initiative has been taken to assist the efforts being made at EU level to tackle crime and improve security by cracking down on money laundering, terrorism and criminality.
All goods purchased in Germany are subject to a value-added tax ("Mehrwertsteuer/MWST" or "Umsatzsteuer") of 19% (or 7% on certain goods). Tourists can apply for a VAT refund for goods purchased in and exported to a country outside of the European Union within three months after the date of the purchase.
VAT Return
Are you planning to travel with an animal from Canada to Europe? Please carefully read this information, as the EU strictly enforces regulations on animal travel in order to protect the member states against the introduction and spread of rabies and other infectious diseases.
Traveling with Pets
Products of animal origin may carry pathogens that cause infectious diseases in animals. There are strict procedures and veterinary controls on the introduction of products of animal origin into the European Union.
Can I take food products of animal origin to Germany?
The legal maximum limit for pharmaceutical products is the quantity required to meet the traveler's personal needs during the trip. Travelers are advised to carry a doctor's prescription or statement concerning the medication in question.
Can I take Pharmaceuticals to Germany?
If the quantity or value of goods exceeds custom exemption limits, the goods become dutiable goods and customs clearance is required. The Post Office is entitled to carry out customs clearance itself, provided that the package is accompanied by a customs declaration and the bill of mailed goods.
Mailing packages to Germany
Alongside the destruction of habitats, the economic exploitation of animals and plants is one of the greatest dangers facing the animal and plant worlds. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, in short the Washington Convention, is a legally binding international agreement dating from 1973 to protect endangered species of animals and plants. It is also known internationally as CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
CITES - Protection of species of plants and animals from extinction
