notquiteaff- yes I do have a CDC card that says Trial Participant. I am due to return for a clinic visit on May 17 so crossing fingers I get the more official looking CDC card that does not say trial participant but I can also ask for a letter from the clinic physician stating whatever may be necessary. I have until July 7 before I leave so maybe I will be okay. It was my pleasure to be in the trial and it appears to be providing me with much better antibody protection with a much longer duration than many of the other kids on the block. I do home antibody tests and still detected IgG antibodies more than 8 months later.

FLYMSY- it is being widely mentioned about the slow walking approval by the FDA in many media outlets and when some of the other vaccines got speedy approval in less than a month after applying for EUA with the FDA many are scratching their heads about the true delay. January 31 was the filing and it is now April 24! Going on close to 3 months.

Is 270-day rule gone for sure?
 

Can anyone confirm that Germany has recently allowed entry with just 2 doses, even if 270 days have lapsed?

I last traveled to Germany in January when there was no expiration to shots. Then all of a sudden sometime I think in February a 270-day rule appeared. Then March 31 the official pages outlining Germany rules dropped the rule, at least until October 1. What had me worried is how long it took for other sites, such as IATA, Lufthansa, and United to catch up and drop the 270 verbiage. Has anyone been challenged or denied entry since March 31 without booster? Wondering how much documentation to print out for my next flight!

Well, there is unfortunately one recent report in this thread of a traveler having problems getting in with just two doses.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/34167615-post186.html

My reading of the law and various webpages is that the Bundespolizei officer in that case was mistaken. Obviously the opinion and interpretation of a stranger on the internet isn’t going to help you if you end up in that situation (or similar).

You could remove all doubt and get boosted. There is no delay with recognition, it counts from the day of the jab.

Yes, I saw that. At that time many sources still referenced the 270-day rule. It was only a few days ago that I noticed many websites got updated to reflect 2 doses only (this includes United info on my reservation and IATA Timatic). So one would hope the information would have been cascaded to Bundespolizei etc. by now, and certainly by the time summer travel is in full swing. Interesting enough Lufthansa travel regulations have still not been updated.

What you say is true, but it’s not the whole story. As, also, has been widely mentioned by many media outlets, some of the blame for this situation can be laid squarely at the feet of Novavax itself, i.e., poor management decisions and manufacturing problems. Heck, even a well known professor at a highly regarded D.C. university, who is a frequent critic of the FDA including this slow walking, acknowledges that Novavax is partially to blame. And, now, the conspiracy theory crowd is jumping on this “slow walking” bandwagon. (A simple internet search will confirm this.) And, I’m not inferring that you are part of this, obviously, since you’re taking part in the trial of the vaccine, for which you are to be commended. I‘ll be happy when Novavax is approved in the U.S. because it will provide another vaccine option for people. If it convinces even one more person to get vaccinated, that’s progress.

Now, to bring this back to a relevant discussion of Germany. I think you’ll find out that the anxiety that you’re feeling about your vaccination status will be far greater than the reality when you actually begin your Germany trip. I’ve been to Germany 3 times in the last 9 months and just returned from my latest trip about 10 days ago. The only time that I had to show proof of vaccination was at check in at my originating U.S. airport. The check in agent glanced at it for about 2 seconds. Was asked for it zero times in Germany.

Enjoy your time in Germany.

May I ask where you were in Germany? We have a trip to Berlin less than two weeks, and my wife and I qualify for a second booster shot in the US. We're hesitant about not having 2 weeks between recent 2nd booster and travel, but from folks on another thread, it seems our concern is unwarranted. If people really aren't taking the card seriously right now, as you point out, we may simply just get the jab.

I was in the state of Baden-Württemberg, farther south and west than Berlin. Therefore, you may have a bit of a different experience. It would be better if one of the German residents chimed in with their knowledge about Berlin. We are eligible for the second booster, but even though we have another European trip in two weeks, we aren’t going to get it at this point. We are both in good health and prefer to wait until Fall. If you’re concerned, best to talk with your physician and see what they recommend in your situation. I hope y’all have a wonderful time in Berlin.

Official German definition of "fully vacinated" Infektionsschutzgesetz / Infectionprotection law

GERMAN
Ein Impfnachweis ist ein Nachweis hinsichtlich des Vorliegens eines vollständigen Impfschutzes gegen das Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in deutscher, englischer, französischer, italienischer oder spanischer Sprache in verkörperter oder digitaler Form. Ein vollständiger Impfschutz gegen das Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 liegt vor, wenn

1. die zugrundeliegenden Einzelimpfungen mit einem oder verschiedenen Impfstoffen erfolgt sind, die
   1. von der Europäischen Union zugelassen sind oder
   2. im Ausland zugelassen sind und die von ihrer Formulierung her identisch mit einem in der Europäischen Union zugelassenen Impfstoff sind,
2. insgesamt drei Einzelimpfungen erfolgt sind und
3. die letzte Einzelimpfung mindestens drei Monate nach der zweiten Einzelimpfung erfolgt ist.

Abweichend von Satz 2 Nummer 2 liegt ein vollständiger Impfschutz bis zum 30. September 2022 auch bei zwei Einzelimpfungen vor

ENGLISH
Proof of vaccination is proof of the existence of complete vaccination protection against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in German, English, French, Italian or Spanish in embodied or digital form. Full vaccination protection against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 occurs when.

1. the underlying individual vaccinations have been carried out with one or different vaccines which are
   1. are approved by the European Union, or
   2. are authorised abroad and are identical in wording to a vaccine authorised in the European Union;
2. a total of three individual vaccinations have been carried out and
3. the last individual vaccination has been carried out at least three months after the second individual vaccination.

By way of derogation from sentence 2 number 2, full vaccination protection is available until 30 September 2022 for two individual vaccinations

There are additional exceptions where only two shots are acceptable (for example if you are recently recovered from an infection). I focused on the basic rule.

Summary:
Until September 30th 2022 fully vaccinated means TWO individual vaccinations with the last one at least three months after the second one.
From October 1st 2022 you need THREE individual vaccinations

So is J&J considered acceptable for one of the two shots? We are headed there in a month or so, will likely get a second booster just in case.

Yes, one shot is acceptable if the second one is with an mRNA vaccine (Biontech-Pfizer or Moderna). From October 1st you will need an additional booster with mRNA!

Just checked in (or tried at least) for a Condor flight to Germany tomorrow. They still list the 270 day rule during the upload of documents (which failed for probably other reasons).

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2f2696dbe7.png

I need to get a covid test done the day before I fly back from Germany to the US.
I have a test kit and an appointment for a supervised telehealth test, but the available time slots aren't very convenient.
I was thinking of having a rapid test done at a local test center or pharmacy instead.
Google searching located a couple of pharmacies and a couple of covid test centers close to where I'll be that day.
As a tourist, can I use a covid test center like https://lokal-testzentren.de/en/ ? I wouldn't expect it to be free for tourists.
Or should I try to locate a local pharmacy instead? Is there a directory where I can see which pharmacies in a region offers covid testing?

I've had non-German visitors get their travel tests at local free testing sites in Munich without any problem. (You have to show your passport when you sign up, so it's not as though they were trying to buck the system!) I've not done an official one for a while, but I have never been asked for proof of residency. You receive an emailed certificate with your test result - whether this is exactly the data needed for US entry, I don't know.

I think the info about test centres is held locally/by state so no national database that I'm aware of, but the Land or city you're in should provide a directory of test sites. If you tell us where in Germany you'll be, someone may be able to point you in the right direction.

Thanks for the info.
I'll be traveling from Enkirch (on the Mosel) via Rudesheim to Wiesbaden.

The most likely route has me passing through locations like Kirchberg, Simmern, and Bingen, and there seem to be some test centers available:

https://testzentrum-rlp.de (Kirchberg, Simmern, and some more locations)
https://www.testzentrum-rheinnahe.de (Simmern, Bingen, and some other locations)

That has been my experience as well. But it might be a case of YMMV - some test centers might turn you down, others will be happy to test you (and bill the government for a Bürgertest, I assume).

Worst case, you can get a test at FRA for about $30, I think.

Thanks for the info. I'm not planning to go to FRA until the morning of my flight, so I'd rather get the covid test out of the way the day before. But it's good to know that the option exists.

https://flughafen-frankfurt.ecocare.center/en/

open 24 hrs, located in the walkway between T1 and the Long Distance Train Stations, pretty easy to find. Antigen test costs 29 Euros, 15-20 mins to get results. I just checked for appointments today and they have openings all day, so should be no issue as a backup solution.

We spent some time in the Rhein/Mosel area last week where you’ll be and saw public testing centers all over the place. Pharmacies, popup centers in trailers and buses, etc. So you can probably find one that will test you for free the day before departure (remember, it doesn’t have to be within 24 hrs of departure for US, just the day of or before departure). Ask for the Bürgertest.

The free tests are technically reserved for citizens/residents, not every pharmacy will do them at a charge for non-residents as the pharmacy/testing company then bills the government based on the personal ID of the person tested. The free testing scheme for us also ends in May if i remember correctly.

Worth calling ahead if you're a non-resident, usually costs 25-30 €.

Correct, as I said in my earlier post, YMMV. Similar to the digital Covid certs for CDC card holders. I wanted to get new certs since I got booster shots and the original certs were approaching the 270 day validity date. One pharmacy turned me down (“we can only do it for people who were vaccinated in Germany”), another one in a different (smaller town) gave me the cert.

Just the question I was going to ask.

Can us ugly Americans just show up where there is an obvious sign and try to get a test? I looked at signing up ahead of time, but didn't really want to sign up for "free" when I'd happily spend 20euros or something vs. the 45euros they want at the (Munich) flughafen.

Germans like appointments, and because the free system is intended for residents, you might run into some hiccups (or the typical German stonewalling) if you try to get a test on the spot and then can't produce a German ID card.

Again, just a quick stop in advance or phone call along the lines of "I'm a non-resident but need a test, I can pay for it" should yield a quick answer.

so after reading various websites and the above FAQ as it stands now, as an American passport holder, I would be entering Germany by TRAIN after spending a few days in France. I am a dirty, heretical, scandalously unvaxxed plague rat. I'm responsible for the death of thousands.

So all I will need is an antigen or PCR test within 48 hours? is that what I read correctly?

In larger cities you will find test centers almost at every corner. You might need to pay for it. It really does not make any differences if you go to a pharmacy which offers tests or to one of the centers.

Thank you notquiteaff for listing the acceptable vaccine list!
I am a Novavax trial participant in the US and although I do have a CDC card documenting my 2 injections and the booster(On January 31,2022) that card says I am a "vaccine trial participant". All other documentation looks good on the card.
Eagerly awaiting our stupid FDA slow walk to approve Novavax in June and I fly in July.
Guess they do need to prioritize approving baby formula production now after dropping the ball on this issue since February! Ugh.

Here we go again!

You’ve posted the same comments above and received very helpful information - above. The ranting comments don’t add anything useful to the discussion and will do nothing to provide a solution to your specific “issues “.

Relax, you’ll get to go on, and, hopefully, enjoy your trip.

Note also that there are currently regular border checks on trains entering Germany, so you may well be asked to show proof on arrival even if you're not flying.

Deleted - I was wrong.

Octoberfest
 

My tour group organizer says I have to show vaccine to get there but have to get tested before coming back. I have to quarantine if I test positive. Quarantine hotel rooms are my responsibility.
I own my own business and it would be a pain quarateening in germany. If you were me, would you go or wait till next year?

Assume you are returning home to USA?

This is kind of a decision only you can make. There is a non-zero chance that you will test positive, so you have to factor in that risk.

There is also the chance that pre-arrival tests to come back to the USA will be dropped by September.
There is also the chance that another surge/outbreak causes disruptions to the 'fest as well.

September is a long ways off yet in Covid terms.
I am planning to attend, but am able to mitigate risk by working remotely and have flexible travel arrangments.

Yes, it will be us. I am a physician so I can do televisit if necessary from Germany.
But the pain of canceling my patients, having to go out and find food, wash clothes and find a cheap hotel in munich are the negatives. Can you imagine being couped up in a hotel in germany for 5 plus days. I have had patients who test positive for covid 1 month after getting it.

I don't have to imagine it. I was "couped up" in a hospital in Thailand for 10 days of quarantine after a positive test (asymptomatic). A hotel would have been paradise by comparison. Just the risks of international travel now.

There is a recent thread in the Germany forum from someone asking about quarantine options in Munich due to a positive test, so it is a possibility.

A couple of my friends went to Germany of a beer tour. Wife tested positive, husband did not. He headed home while she quarantined. Figured he might catch it, extending the trip, so he left. Another consideration for you.
She cleared 5 days later. Hotel was less than additional airfare. But she could go outside to hike in the small town she was in.

When was this? Did you wear a mask?

My friend wants to go and is in the side of you can't let covid dictate your life. She says just wear a mask and use sanitizer, especially inside the beer tents. When we eat, we will just go outside and sit on a hill somewhere to take our masks off to eat. I want to go badly but decrease my risk to near zero as possible. .

ff you are a physician, you were frontline during the pandemic for more than 2 years. I am sure you know how to minimize risks (and you know a sanitizer is as useful to prevent COVID than a box of magic bone powder), you do not need the advise of random strangers on an internet bulletin board.

[QUOTE=pbiflyer;34269661. But she could go outside to hike in the small town she was in.[/QUOTE]
Of course you can if you break the law......

If you want this risk to be zero, don't come. In a beer tent with drunk people from all over the world for several days, I'd say there's a high chance you'll catch it, unless you have very recently been infected. Some of the people inside might suspect they're positive but won't take a test because they feel OK, don't want to miss out on their trip, don't want to deal with quarantine in a foreign country etc. and would rather not know.

Of course, who knows what any of the travel (or local) rules will be in 4 months.

This was March of 2021. You can read about it here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/33091203-post1140.html
Masks worn on LONG plane trip to Thailand and while in the hotel during quarantine. Sometimes positive tests happen regardless of precautions.

Sanitizer isn't going to really help. If you are in the beer halls, you will have your mask off most of the time to be drinking (I assume). Not sure I understand the comment about going outside and taking mask off to eat.
There are outdoor tables set up at most tents, which would decrease your risk. But the atmosphere is not the same as inside.

Kinda agree with this. We can help with travel logistics / opinions, but you have to be aware of the basics here.

There are articles on the web that US might drop thr pre departure testing soon. Hopefully this makes it a moot point..

The tour operator did say that more people.are wanting to go to.okoberfest due to 2 years of not having it.

But still, just the thought of being couped up in munich for 5 plus days does not appeal to me.. that is why I want to minimize my chances as much qs possible.

This is the physician inside of me. I am going to wear n95 mask everywhere I go when I leave the room. Hand sanitizer, soap and water will be with me everywhere I go.
For the beer tents, when we get our food, instead of sitting a thet reserved table, we will find a spot outside or on a hill somewhere where few are around and eat there.

Do they still do temperature checks at the airport? If so take Tylenol before going so they don't mistakenly say I have a fever.