According to the German Embassy, there is no fixed daily amount required to enter Germany: the border police assess each case individually, and without documentary proof a traveller must have 45 euros per day.
Circumstances taken into account by the border police
The border police assess each case individually, taking into account the type and purpose of the trip, the length of stay, the availability of accommodation (friends, family or paid hotel/other lodging) and funds for food. If a foreign national cannot document these circumstances or provide truthful information about their stay, a requirement to show funds is applied.
Amount required if no proof is provided
If there is no proof, a traveller must have funds amounting to 45 euros per day per person. This sum is stated as a border-control requirement in the absence of other documentary proof of financing the stay.
Proof of funding can be provided in the form of cash, debit or credit cards with international recognition, travellers’ cheques, guarantee deposits from the inviting person or a third party at the authority responsible for foreign nationals in the planned place of stay, and also by means of a declaration of commitment.
How cards and invitations are checked
The validity of a credit card may be checked by border services by contacting the issuing financial institution or by other available means. Verification of a declaration of commitment and other invitations may take place by contacting the inviting person or by checking their financial capacity through national contact points.
Proof of return and rules for the Schengen area
A guarantee of the ability to return to the country of residence or transit is required. Proof can be a travel ticket issued in the traveller’s name and non-transferable to third parties, or an airline ticket. The ticket must contain information about travel dates and the relevant means of transport.
Checks on entry into other Schengen countries are carried out according to the same criteria.
Specific changes to social benefits in Germany
The Government of Germany on 23 September approved a 10-step plan to strengthen control over social benefits, which provides for improved information exchange between state authorities, increased responsibility for employers and prosecution of organisers of fraudulent schemes.
Timeframe: from 1 July new rules on the provision of social support for the unemployed came into effect, affecting both German citizens and Ukrainian refugees who receive the relevant benefits.
