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.

Adults in Germany may carry up to 25g of cannabis in public and keep 50g and grow up to three plants at home, but there are still no recreational shops and buying or importing cannabis commercially remains illegal.

Commercial sale and import remain illegal; possessing over 30 g in public (or over 60 g at home) is a criminal offense.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.