Border Control


Important information for border controls

If you are a citizen of an EU country and arrive from a country that has joined the Schengen Treaty, there are no passport checks. Otherwise, your travel documents have to be checked.However, we recommend that you always carry the documents prescribed by the national regulations of the Schengen states for determining your identity (a passport, ID card or the equivalent) and show them to the German Federal Police on request.

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

  • You can obtain information and advice on the current entry requirements of the country you are traveling to from its embassy or consulate in Germany or by contacting the  German Foreign Office  (external link)  or consulting its website.
  • For all trips abroad, you must carry sufficient and valid personal identification such as a an ID card or passport. Check well in advance to make sure that your document will still be valid on the date of your trip.
  • Some countries require you to carry a passport.
  • Some countries also require that your passport be valid until at least six months after the end of your planned stay. This applies especially when traveling to countries in other parts of the world.
  • Immigration officials may also request additional documents such as a letter of invitation, evidence that you have booked accommodations, or proof that you have arranged onward or return transportation.
  • Your airline
  • The German Federal Police at +49 69 690 78578 or the free service hotline at 0800 6888000 (from within Germany only).

EasyPASS and EasyPASS-RTP

Quick, Easy and Modern Border Control


EasyPASS/EasyPASS-RTP lets you clear border checks faster. Thanks to this automated system, travelers can pass through in seconds.

You place your e-passport or personal ID on the document scanner, which reads and authenticates digital data stored on it. Then you step into the lock and look at the camera so that the system can compare the image with your biometric photograph on your travel document. If the data match, you have permission to proceed and the lock opens to let you out. You repeat the same procedure when returning home after your trip.

EasyPASS: It is available for holders of electronic passports (ePassports) from the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland – provided that you are at least 12 years old. There are EasyPASS locks in both terminals at Frankfurt Airport, right next to the conventional border checks. More information on EasyPASS is available on the website  (external link) of the German Federal Police.

EasyPASS-RTP: The Federal Republic of Germany has signed agreements according the mutual use of automated border control systems with the United States of America, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. After one-time registration in an enrolment centre of the Federal Police at the airport the automated border control system EasyPASS is open to eligible citizens from Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and the USA.  More information can be found here  (external link).