Allemagne : à savoir avant de partir

Entrée et visas

Germany is in the Schengen area. Non-EU visitors are registered in the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) on first entry: fingerprints and a facial photo, no passport stamps. Visa-free visitors may stay 90 days in any 180 across all Schengen states. ETIAS is not operating yet: its launch is now expected in 2027, so ignore sites selling "ETIAS" approvals.

Validité du passeport: Non-EU passports: valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area and issued within the last 10 years.

À la frontière, on peut vous demander

• EES registration at the first Schengen border: fingerprints and face photo (children under 12 give no fingerprints). Allow extra time at passport control.
• Border guards may ask for a return ticket, accommodation proof, travel insurance and funds for your stay.
• Your 90/180 days are counted across all Schengen states together; use the EU short-stay calculator to check.

Douane

• From outside the EU: 200 cigarettes, 1 L spirits or 2 L fortified wine, 4 L wine, 16 L beer; other goods up to EUR 430 by air/sea (EUR 300 by land).
• Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products from non-EU countries are banned (small exceptions for infant food and medical needs).
• Declare cash of EUR 10,000 or more (or equivalent) when entering or leaving the EU.
• Prescription medicines: carry the prescription; narcotic or psychotropic medicines need a Schengen certificate (Article 75) or a doctor's letter.

Vérifié le 29 octobre 2026 · Sources: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu ↗, travel-europe.europa.eu ↗, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu ↗, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu ↗, taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu ↗, finance.ec.europa.eu ↗, gov.pl ↗

Argent

Espèces et cartes sont courantes. Cartes acceptées presque partout.

Réseaux de paiement : Visa, Mastercard

Apple Pay — fonctionne · Google Pay — fonctionne

Où changer de l’argent

• Withdraw euros from a bank-owned ATM in town, or bring euros from home.
• Pay by card or phone in euros; contactless is near-universal.
• Withdraw at Sparkasse, Volksbank, Deutsche Bank or Commerzbank ATMs; the fee, if any, is shown first.

Où éviter de changer

• Airport and station exchange bureaux (poor rates, high commission).
• Independent ATMs such as Euronet in tourist zones: high fees and currency-conversion offers.
• Exchange bureaux at airports and main stations.

Distributeurs: Bank ATMs may charge foreign cards a few euros; the amount is shown before you confirm. Choose to be charged in euros.

Pourboires: Round up or add 5-10% and tell the server the total when paying ("30, bitte"), rather than leaving money on the table.

• When a card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and pay in local currency: dynamic currency conversion adds roughly 3-10%.
• Cards issued by Russian banks (Visa, Mastercard and Mir) do not work here because of sanctions; bring enough cash or a card from a non-Russian bank.
• Card and phone payment is now common in cities, but carry EUR 50-100 cash for small shops, markets and rural areas. Amex is often refused.

Vérifié le 29 octobre 2026 · Sources: germany.travel ↗, gov.uk ↗, bundesbank.de ↗, support.apple.com ↗

Culture et tenue

Religion: Christian (Catholic and Protestant) with a large non-religious population and a Muslim minority.

Tenue: Practical and casual; smart-casual for good restaurants and the opera. Nudity is normal in saunas (no swimsuits).

Savoir-vivre

• Be punctual.
• Shops close on Sundays; plan groceries for Saturday.
• Recycle bottles: a deposit ("Pfand") is refunded at supermarket machines.
• Say "Guten Tag" entering shops and "Prost" with eye contact when toasting.
• Use formal "Sie" with people you do not know.

Vérifié le 29 octobre 2026 · Sources: germany.travel ↗, gov.uk ↗

Climat

Temperate: cold winters, warm summers, rain year-round; colder in the Alps and east. Figures are Berlin average highs/lows.

Meilleure saison : May-September; late November-December for Christmas markets.

Vérifié le 29 octobre 2026 · Sources: dwd.de ↗, germany.travel ↗

À emporter

• Some euro cash and coins
• Rain jacket and layers
• Type F plug adapter (230 V)
• Warm coat, hat and gloves in winter
• Comfortable shoes

À ne pas emporter / interdit à l’importation

• Clothing with Nazi or extremist symbols.
• Meat and dairy from outside the EU.
• Relying only on Amex or credit cards in small towns.

Pratique

Prises: Type F (Type C fits); 230 V, 50 Hz

Eau: Tap water is safe and high quality; restaurants usually serve bottled water only.

Circulation: à droite

Mobile et eSIM: EU roaming: SIMs from any EU/EEA country work at home prices (fair-use limits). Ukrainian and Moldovan SIMs too since 1 Jan 2026. Swiss, UK, Serbian and other non-EU SIMs pay roaming; an eSIM data plan is cheaper.

Applications: DB Navigator, BVG (Berlin) / MVV (Munich), FreeNow / Uber, Too Good To Go

Internet: Mobile coverage has gaps on trains and in rural areas; free Wi-Fi on ICE trains and in many cafés.

Santé: EU/EEA/Swiss and UK (GHIC) cardholders get state healthcare at local rates with their EHIC/GHIC. Others pay in full, so bring insurance. Pharmacies (green cross) handle minor issues.

Assurance: Schengen visa applicants must hold travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000 valid in all Schengen states. Everyone else: strongly advised.

Urgences: 112 fire/ambulance, 110 police

Vérifié le 29 octobre 2026 · Sources: europa.eu ↗, europa.eu ↗, digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu ↗, gov.uk ↗