How long between flights is still a "Transit" through Munich airport?
I have a ticket from Munich to Bangkok in late December. In order to board the flight I will need a recent covid test and a fit to fly certificate. There is a test centre at Munich airport that will do this for me.
I am a UK passport holder and will be travelling to Munich from Portugal. There are restrictions on entry to Germany but they don't apply if you are only in transit. The details of this exception are left up to the individual Länder.
I need to arrive in Munich well in advance of the flight to Bangkok, so that there's time to get the covid test done (unfortunately I can't get it done in Portugal). The Bangkok flight goes in the early afternoon, so in reality I would have to arrive in Munich the previous day. I am concerned that the authorities will not count that as transit and will send me straight back where I came from, or maybe to the UK.
There must be some form of regulation that defines what counts as "transit" in Bavaria. Can anybody point me to it? I have found this but as far as I can tell (with my GCSE German) it doesn't deal with the issue.
Best Answer
As far as I can tell after quite a bit of research, there are no restrictions that would entirely prevent you from entry.
The Bavarian regulations (see §1 (1) and §2 (1)) only say that you have to quarantine yourself in an appropriate accomodation, and that this requirement does not apply for transit travellers who leave Bavariy "directly and immediately". I could not find any further clarification, but staying overnight probably does not count as "immediate", so you'll have to be in quarantine during this time. In practice the question is: where will you be allowed to stay overnight? You haven't mentioned any plans.
My suggestion would be:
- fill out the digital entry registration.
- contact one of the hotels directly at the airport to see if you can stay there overnight under these circumstances.
- for additional reassurance, send emails to the testng center at the airport (info-muc@airport-lab.com) and the Bavarian health office (coronavirus@lgl.bayern.de) and describe your plan.
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How long should a connection be between flights?
Consider allowing at least 60 to 90 minutes for a U.S. domestic connection, and at least two hours for an international connection.Is 45 minutes enough time for a connecting flight in Munich?
If so 45 minutes is enough but leaves absolutely no room for contingencies. Everything has to go smoothly. The only formality at Munich will be passport control. This is quick and efficient.Is 2 hours enough between connecting flights?
Two hours. Mayers recommends two hours as a standard buffer between flights to be safe. This gives you a cushion in case things go wrong during your journey. You'll definitely want at least a two-hour window if you've booked a \u201chacker fare,\u201d as opposed to flying with the same airline your entire trip.Do you have to go through customs on a connecting flight in Munich?
Re: Customs? -connecting flight? In Europe, Customs generally takes no time at all, apart from waiting for your luggage. Usually, you just walk through a door labelled "Nothing to declare". But at your first stop (Munich), you have to go through Immigration (Passport Control) and this may not be quick.5 SIMPLE RULES FOR TRANSIT AT THE MUNICH AIRPORT - HOW TO CATCH A CONNECTING FLIGHT
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