Reporting presence to authorities while on Schengen visa in Germany
I visited Denmark and Germany on a Schengen visa issued by the Danish consulate. My visit to Germany was for six days and I entered from Denmark. This was mentioned in my visa application.
Hotel bookings were provided for my stay in Germany in the visa application. However, upon visiting Germany, I met a friend and stayed at his residence.
After leaving the Schengen area, I noticed that part (d) of Article 23 from 2016/399 in the Schengen Borders Code states this:
The absence of border control at internal borders shall not affect:....
(d) the possibility for a Member State to provide by law for an obligation on third-country nationals to report their presence on its territory pursuant to the provisions of Article 22 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders (‘the Schengen Convention’).
Question 1: Was I supposed to report to the German authorities about my stay when I entered from Denmark?
Question 2: In case I was supposed to report, but I did not, what are the consequences? Is there anyway to fix this? (e.g. ex post facto notification of stay?)
Thanks in advance!
Best Answer
No, foreigners staying temporarily in Germany are not required to report or register their whereabouts.
Had you stayed in a hotel or another kind of commercially operated lodging, the accomodation would have been required to collect and keep records of your personal data, but these records are also only handed out to the authorities on request and not by default.
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Do you have residence permission for Schengen countries?
A valid 'single entry' visa allows you to enter the Schengen area once. You are allowed to stay in the Schengen area for 90 days in any 180 day period. During these 90 days you are allowed to travel to and stay in all Schengen countries.How long can you stay in Germany without registering?
Exemptions from the registration requirement Persons who usually live abroad and are not registered in Germany do not have to register if they stay in Germany for less than three months.How long can I stay outside Germany with Aufenthaltstitel?
A Residence Permit (Aufenthaltstitel) expires 6 months after the departure from Germany. It means that if you hold a temporary German Residence Permit (Aufenthaltstitel) then you can stay outside Germany for not more than 6 months. You have to come back to Germany before the expiration of six months.What happens if I stay in Europe for more than 90 days?
The Schengen law states that you can't stay in the Area for more than 90 days. If you do, you're subject to a fine and possibly deportation and being banned from re-entering the Schengen Area.France Denied/refused/deport to give entry on valid Schengen visa
More answers regarding reporting presence to authorities while on Schengen visa in Germany
Answer 2
In Germany, all residents have to register their place of residence with the municipal authorities. A special rule applies to hotels and hostels.
Tourists with extremely long stays might come under this regulation, but not for less than a week.
Answer 3
I will take the liberty to write a general answer of the entire EU and for any length of stay, as I think it might be useful for other people with this question:
Stays under 3 months
Some EU countries require you to report your presence to the relevant authorities (often the town hall or local police station) within a reasonable period of time after arrival and may impose a penalty, such as a fine if you fail to do so.
Source (Emphasis mine): europa.eu
Now, in all cases I am aware of if you go to a hotel or other official accomodation this has to be handled by the accommodation. The exception is when you - often illegally - stay at a couchsurfing or airbnb accommodation, as a lot of those function without the proper paperwork. Also worth noting that in addition to the town hall or local police station, in some countries you have to register with the foreign police.
To find out the specific rules for your specific country go to this page and click the Choose Country button which gives a full list of all EU member states with the relevant rules. For Germany this is:
If you are moving into an apartment or a house, for up to 3 months, there is no obligation to notify the registration authority.
Stays over 3 months
After 3 months in your new country, you may be required to register your residence with the relevant authority (often the town hall or local police station), and to be issued with a registration certificate.
Source: europa.eu
Once again you can find the full list of countries on this page when you click the Choose Country button. For Germany this is:
EU citizens do not need to apply for a residence certificate (Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung). You must nevertheless register at the competent residents' registration office when moving into accommodation in Germany.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: David Floyd, Rida El Ali, Markus Winkler, Siegfried Poepperl