As Germany is a member of the EU, no additional documentation is required on most parcels, however, the rules may be different for exporters. Please ask our staff for up to date information.
Prohibited and Restricted Items
Germany has entry restrictions on a wide range of goods, for example:
- Counterfeit products
- Obscene materials
- Materials that promote violence and war
- Asbestos
- Weapons
- Live animals and animal products originating outside an EU member state
- A variety of animal and vegetable products
- Various chemicals
- Medications
- Computer software
- Textiles
Please note this is not an exhaustive list. Here is some useful information.
As it is your own responsibility to check postal restrictions and prohibitions for your destination, please check up to date German customs information to ensure that the contents of your parcel will not be refused entry to Germany.
If you have any queries about restricted or prohibited items, please ask our staff for up to date information.
German Address Format
Germany has certain requirements for formatting your address which will help ensure smooth transit of your shipment. Addresses should be written in the following format:
Herr Gunter Schmidt
℅ The Business Company
Rathausmarkt 1
12345 Hamburg
GERMANY
Men should be addressed as Herr and women as Frau. Note that the street number appears after the street name, and the postcode comes before the name of the town, on the same line. ‘GERMANY’ should be written in caps.
Postcodes in Germany
German postcodes consist of 5 digits. Some large buildings have their own unique postcode, but most German postcodes refer to a geographical area that contains multiple addresses.
Each digit of the postcode refers to a geographic area that helps to narrow down the addressee to a specific location, so it’s a good idea to ensure you have the correct postcode, as it helps to speed up the delivery process.
German Public Holidays
Around public holidays postal services may be disrupted. There is only one federal public holiday, German Unity Day, but there are a number of other holidays that may or may not be observed at state level:
- January 1st New Year’s Day (Neujahrstag)
- January 6th Epiphany (Heilige Drei Könige)
- March 8th Women’s Day (Frauentag)
- 2 days before Easter Sunday Good Friday (Karfreitag)
- 1 day after Easter Sunday Easter Monday (Ostermontag)
- May 1st Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit)
- 39 days after Easter Sunday Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt)
- 50 days after Easter Sunday Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag)
- 60 days after Easter Sunday Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam)
- August 8th Augsburg Peace Festival (Friedensfest)
- August 15th Assumption Day (Mariä Himmelfahrt)
- September 20th World Children’s Day (Weltkindertag)
- October 3rd German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit)
- October 31st Reformation Day (Reformationstag)
- November 1st All Saint’s Day (Allerheiligen)
- 2nd Wednesday before First Advent Repentance and Prayer Day (Buß- und Bettag)
- December 25th Christmas Day (Weihnachtstag)
- December 26th Boxing Day (Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag)