covid test requirements for 2G+ rules

First: Official regulations for persons entering Germany in connection with coronavirus SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19.

In Germany the "+" in 2G+ stands normally for quick tests which are applied for free in local test centres. Self tests are allowed as well, prices depend on point of sales.
Be aware that also on special occasions 3G+ is requested which requires a PCR test.

In Germany do not care for the apps regarding digital vaccination pass as long as you were/are not vaccinated in Europe.

Reason: "No information is currently available about how those with a foreign vaccine card (e.g. from the US) can receive a digital COVID certificate which is recognized in Europe. Talks are currently underway regarding recognition of international vaccinations (i.e. received outside the EU). As soon as such information becomes available, we will communicate on this site." (Source)

Collette,

I am currently in Germany, and this is what I have experienced.

I definitely recommend downloading the Luca and CovPass apps before leaving for Germany, I have used both of them.

In Nuremberg, which is 2G+, I received a Covid test from the government run testing center, the cost was $20, since I am not a resident of Germany. Only free for those living in Germany. I was able to automatically link the result to the Luca app, which I used to enter museums. The TI office assisted me in sorting this out and directing me to the testing center. I had to book an appointment online in order to schedule the test.

I went to a pharmacy in Wurzburg, with my CDC card and passport, and the pharmacist generated three QR codes for my three vaccine shots, and uploaded them to the CovPass app on my phone.

Prior to the QR codes, which I use now, I used my CDC card and Passport. I still need to show my passport at some places, with the CovPass app.

In Berlin, it has been 2G, therefore no covid test has been necessary.

As others have said, each State/Land has different rules. You do not say where you will be visiting your son in Germany. Since he is living there, he will probably already know where testing centers are located and a pharmacy to generate your Q codes.

Also, several people have mentioned the CovPass App and the Luca App. What are these?

CovPass App: https://www.digitaler-impfnachweis-app.de/en
(as described by Traveller99 above, you need the help of a pharmacist to convert your US documents)

Luca App: https://www.berlin.de/en/news/coronavirus/6493422-6098215-luca-app-how-the-digital-contact-tracing.en.html

On this note, today in Trier we had a bit of a surprise at one restaurant where they wanted not only our vaccination card, but a negative test result also. This was the first/only place this has happened in Trier to us. Other places have simply perused our vaccination card and our passport (to confirm the vaccination card is actually ours).

Self tests are allowed as well

No, not usually. You need some kind of a certificate, and a self-test will not give you that.

A few venues may offer supervised self-testing, but since that requires a lot of extra staff and logistics, that's hardly done anywhere. Don't count on that being possible.

I have not heard of proctored online tests being used or being accepted here.

mistadobalina:

TRIER and other towns in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz now have 2G+ (additional testing requirement) in place as of today 12/4/21 for restaurants and hotels. You will now probably find this requirement to in place throughout the state:

Map of Rheinland-Pfalz

HOWEVER, an EXCEPTION is in place for anyone with a 3rd "booster" immunization. If you have that, passport, a CDC card and a mask are all you need.

https://www.stripes.com/covid/2021-12-01/rheinland-pfalz-pandemic-plan-testing-requirements-vaccinated-mask-3817384.html

German-language substantiation for this exception from the Governor:

"Dass Menschen mit Auffrischungsimpfung von der Testpflicht der neuen Regelung ausgenommen sind, gab Ministerpräsidentin Malu Dreyer (SPD) am Freitag bekannt."

https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/testen-2gplus-wo-rlp-100.html

If you have no booster, self-testing "under supervision" is an option and presumably will result in certification:

https://corona.rlp.de/fileadmin/_processed_/6/4/csm_2G2G-Plus___Ausnahmen_84986441cc.png

If you have no booster, self-testing "under supervision" is an option
and presumably will result in certification:

Just a note, based on my understanding: if by self-testing, you mean doing your own test at a particular business: this does not result in any type of certification. Business owners/managers of events can set up a system to self-test under supervision if they wish (but it is extra work and responsibility, so many do not do it), but the test result is only respected at that venue, and cannot be used elsewhere. Only a test conducted at a testing centre is valid for multiple sites etc.

Azra: The rlp link (official state site) I provided just above came from the main page of the official RLP state Coronavirus page; it uses just 6 words in one bullet point to introduce the alternative Selbstest option:

Selbstest vor Ort unter Aufsicht möglich

I assume this means that one can present oneself at an official testing station with an officially-approved self-test in hand, self-administer the test under their supervision, and obtain the necessary certification.

Do you read it the same way, or am I missing something?

It honestly doesn't make a lot of sense to me that it actually would work like this, so I'm more inclined to accept your version of it, which sounds more doable.

Hi Russ,

Selbstest vor Ort unter Aufsicht möglich

I assume this means that one can present oneself at an official
testing station with an officially-approved self-test in hand,
self-administer the test under their supervision, and obtain the
necessary certification.

Do you read it the same way, or am I missing something?

No, you are close, but not quite right. The thing is that the term "vor Ort" means not the testing centre, but the facility that you are wishing to use the test to enter, i.e. a specific restaurant.

This option is spelled out under point 3 (Testung vor Ort unter Aufsicht desjenigen, der Adressat der konkreten Schutzmaßnahme ist) of this federal document. As it says there, this is an option that you can use to get into a specific venue, but it does not count for other places that same day. Only the offical test counts that way. Also, and this may be a question that varies from Bundesland to Bundesland, but my understanding is that it is not required for business owners to allow this option (because they also have to verify it, requiring them to use an employee etc).

Where I live, there are a few restaurants that were doing this back in the spring, when we were using testing a lot. And then the rule is also used in some types of places that tourists wouldn't come in contact with, like sports clubs and other types of social activities, where the person holding the event will monitor us while we do tests to participate.

OK - thanks for that response... so for the tourist's purposes, reliance on "vor Ort" testing would likely be very hit and miss... most establishments won't go to the trouble or expense to set this up.... and even if they did, it'd still be less convenient than a daily test, a pain in the patrons' patoots.

The "good" news for visitors to Rheinland-Pfalz is that a booster (which most will likely want to arrange anyway) erases testing requirements for drinking/dining establishments altogether where 2G+ rules apply. It will be interesting to see whether other states looking to revise safety measures will take R-P's position.

most establishments won't go to the trouble or expense to set this up.

As I explained hours ago...

You did indeed, Anna, and I should have included "as Anna indicated" in my sentence above.

(You know what's truly improbable? That in light of all the dire Covid forecasts and all these complex state and federal controls on individuals, the same officials allow "vor Ort" to mean "at the bar's front door", where Covid testing can get turned over NOT to qualified medical personnel, but to on-site food/drink establishment employees! Here at home, where entrances to indoor venues are often manned by minimum-wage employees who aim digital thermometers at our foreheads, most of us don't see this as especially professional; here, it wouldn't surprise me if a $5 bill magically made my 101-degree temperature read normal.)

Thank you everyone for all your responses which help me to understand what is happening right now and how to navigate the current situation in Germany.
Thank you!

Russ and Anna, I can confirm that showing a booster shot has done the trick. The first place didn't ask us if we had a booster, only if we had a test as well. A second place asked if we had a third shot, and since then, we've been okay. We show them our CDC card, point at each shot, and say "ein, zwei, drei" - so far, so good.

Yes, mistadobalina, what you have experienced is part of the learning curve, as everyone gets used to the new rules.

I was at a restaurant last night where the guy who owned it and I were both on our phones comparing the newest versions of the regulations (which had changed in the course of the day) to ascertain whether we could eat there without test results. Probably by today or tomorrow, people will figure out how things are working (for the time being, at least). Glad you have been able to get by with your card!

This is a reminder that additional rules around discussing the pandemic are still in effect. We're not doing enough to keep things on topic for the OP. Some posts have been removed to try and keep this thread going for Collette. Make your posts directly relate to the travel question at hand.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/new-rules-for-discussing-the-pandemic