News

Entering Germany from EU member states, from "Schengen associated" states (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein) or from Great Britain:

From 15 June 2020, travel from these countries to Germany will be possible again in principle; entry restrictions and internal border controls will no longer apply; a "valid reason for entry" is no longer required. For Spain, the restrictions and controls will not end until 21 June. Students from these countries and with EU citizenship may therefore enter Germany.

Travellers without German nationality may - at least until 30 June - only enter Germany in exceptional cases if there is a compelling reason for doing so.

According to information on the websites of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Police, for example, the continuation of studies upon return to the place of residence may constitute a compelling reason.

Changes as of 30 June:

On 30 June 2020, the EU Member States agreed on "Council Recommendations on temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU and the possible lifting of such restrictions" (Council document 9208/20). Under the recommendations, member states will gradually and in a coordinated manner lift temporary restrictions on non-essential travel to the EU for persons residing in certain third countries. The list of these third countries will be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary.

On the basis of this recommendation, Germany will initially lift the entry restrictions from 2 July 2020 onwards for the residents of the following countries ("positive list")

•     Australia
•     Georgia
•     Canada
•     Montenegro
•     New Zealand
•     Thailand
•     Tunisia
•     Uruguay

 In addition, this list shall be extended to include the States

•     Japan
•     South Korea and
•     China

extended as soon as the mutual possibility of entry is established.

For persons residing in third countries other than those mentioned above, the previous entry restrictions continue to apply, i.e. they may only enter Germany if they perform an important function or their trip is absolutely necessary.

Source: BMI

A mandatory requirement for entry into Germany from 2 July 2020 onwards is considered in the following cases:

•     Health personnel, health researchers and geriatric care personnel,
•     foreign professionals and highly qualified workers whose employment is necessary from an economic point of view and whose work cannot be postponed or carried out abroad
•     Personnel in freight transport and other transport personnel,
•     seasonal workers in agriculture,
•     Sailors,

•     foreign students whose studies cannot be completely carried out from abroad

•     foreign family members arriving by way of family reunification and visits for urgent family reasons,
•     persons in need of international protection or protection on other humanitarian grounds,
•     diplomats, staff of international organisations, military personnel and humanitarian workers in the course of their duties
•     Late repatriates,
•     Passengers in transit.

The entry of third-country nationals requires the necessary entry requirements (e.g. D visa). When visiting for urgent family reasons, travellers are requested to carry appropriate proofs of identity which show that it is absolutely necessary to cross the border.

The decision on the entry permit is made at the dutiful discretion of the local officials.

Travellers must observe the respective quarantine regulations of the federal states.

Source: https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/faqs/DE/themen/bevoelkerungsschutz/coronavirus/coronavirus-faqs.html#doc13738352bodyText3

Irrespective of entry restrictions, on the basis of the quarantine regulations of the federal states, persons who have been in a "risk area" within 14 days before entering Germany are obliged to remain in quarantine in Germany for 14 days and to inform the local health authority of their entry. The list of risk areas is published and regularly updated by the Robert Koch Institute. At the moment, about 120 countries are listed there.

If you are planning a study stay at our university, please find out in advance whether your home country is on the list of risk areas and please plan a 14-day quarantine before the start of the semester.

Here you can find more information about the quarantine conditions in Lower Saxony:

https://www.niedersachsen.de/Coronavirus/hinweise-zur-quarantane-187498.html

Anyone coming from a country that is on the RKI's list of risk areas must undergo a 14-day quarantine. You can avoid the quarantine by submitting a certificate of a negative corona test. This test must be available in German or English, must not be dated more than 48 hours before the date of entry and must be a PCR test:

https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/InfAZ/N/Neuartiges_Coronavirus/Tests.html

• Entry into Germany
• Please send an email to coronavirus(at)region-hannover.de with the following content directly after your entry:
  • Date of entry
  • Home country
  • Contact details
  • Address in Hannover
  • Own confirmation of a negative result in the PCR test

Please always carry the test result with you for up to 14 days after entry.

•     Immediately after arrival in Hannover, go to your own accommodation and undergo a 14-day quarantine
•     Please send an email to coronavirus(at)region-hannover.de with the following content directly after your entry:
  •         Date of entry
  •         Home country
  •         Contact details
  •         Address in Hannover
  •         Own confirmation that you are in 14-day home quarantine

"A Covid 19 test centre was set up at Hannover Airport. This is available exclusively for travel returnees from risk areas in accordance with the Robert Koch Institute. These tests are currently still voluntary to avoid quarantine.

The test center is located on the short-term parking level on the arrivals level in front of Terminal C and is open around the clock. Please follow the signs in the terminal. In the area of the test centre, please wear your mouth and nose cover.

In the entrance area there is an accreditation to enter the test station. Please have your identification documents as well as proof of your flight (boarding card, booking confirmation, luggage label, etc.) ready to prove your identity. If you have your health insurance card with you, please also have it ready to speed up the procedure. The test procedure takes a few minutes. Afterwards you will receive a QR code, which will provide you with the test result after 24 hours by scanning the code".

A previous registration is not necessary. The tests are free of charge for travellers.

Source:https://www.hannover-airport.de/rund-ums-fliegen/coronavirus-passagierinformationen/

These tests are offered at several airports throughout Germany such as Airports Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Frankfurt am Main, Dortmund, Munich, Airport Münster-Osnabrück (FMO).

Source: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/niedersachsen/Flughafen-Osnabrueck-Testzentrum-in-Betrieb,reiserueckkehrer108.html

"In cooperation with Lufthansa and Fraport, the company CENTOGENE will be offering coronavirus rapid tests at Frankfurt Airport. It is a so-called RT-PCR test (Reserve Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Test), which detects whether an acute infection with the COVID-19 virus is present.

This test may help avoid restrictive measures following your arrival  at your destination, e.g. the quarantine period required in many countries, or when returning to Germany from abroad.

Opening hours and prices

The test center is located in the passage between Terminal 1 and the office building "The Squaire" and open as follows:

• Monday to Friday: 7:00 to 19:00
• Saturday, Sunday, public holidays: 9:00 to 17:00

Following a prior registration at the CENTOGENE website, a throat swab may be collected at the test center - no appointment necessary. You will receive the test result in digital form from CENTOGENE.

Two versions of tests are available:

• € 59 incl. VAT for a result within 6 - 8 hours
• € 139 incl. VAT for a result within 3 hours (Express Test)"

Source: https://www.lufthansa.com/de/en/corona-testcenter

Please go from the airport to your accommodation in Hannover immediately. If a 14-day quarantine has to be carried out (and you do not have a certificate with a negative test result), the quarantine will be carried out in your accommodation in Hannover.

Information about the Corona-Warn-App in several languages

Information on and download of the Corona-Warn-App in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Albanian, Dari, Farsi, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Croatian, Polish, Romanian, Vietnamese, Tigrinja

Why do we need an app?
The app helps stop the spread of the coronavirus. It detects other smartphones around you on which the app is also activated. The app will inform you if you have had contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus who has also installed the app. You can then react quickly and prevent the virus from spreading unwittingly. The Federal Government supports the app because it is for the protection and health of the community. Your data is encrypted. No one can draw any conclusions about you or your location.

How does the app work?
The app uses Bluetooth technology to measure the distance and duration of encounters between two people who have both installed the app. The devices exchange random codes with each other. If people using the app test positive for coronavirus, they can voluntarily inform other users. Then the random codes of the infected person are made available to everyone else who uses the app. 

When does the app warn me? 
You will not receive an immediate warning if you approach a person who has tested positive for coronavirus by closer than two metres. Otherwise your privacy would not be guaranteed. Your smartphone has no information about who is infected. It only knows that it has been near another smartphone on which a positive coronavirus test result has been stored.

Am I obliged to install the app? 
No. Use of the app is voluntary and is for your protection. You can delete the app at any time and all stored information will be deleted.

Who is behind the app? What about my privacy? 
The app is a project developed on behalf of the Federal Government. Deutsche Telekom and SAP developed the app. The Federal Office for Information Security and the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information were involved in the project’s data protection and security. Protecting your privacy is a top priority with the app. You remain anonymous at all times when you use the app.

Source: https://www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/ib-de/service/fragen-und-antworten/back-to-everyday-life-with-the-corona-warn-app-for-germany-1761634

The Federal Foreign Office's worldwide travel warning has been extended until 31 August 2020. This excludes travel to most EU countries.

Travel warnings are an urgent appeal by the Federal Foreign Office, not a travel ban. In any case, travellers decide on their own responsibility whether to travel.

The University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hanover recommends that full-time international students should not return home during the semester breaks in order to avoid being caught up in the maelstrom of entry restrictions, cancelled flights and quarantine measures.

Please also check the list of risk areas for this purpose in order to plan for a possible quarantine after re-entry into Germany at the beginning of the semester.