GermanyLevel 2/4

Level 2/4 — Exercise Increased Caution, U.S. Department of State, retrieved on 16 October 2026.

• Is the whole country advised against? United States: no · France: no · United Kingdom: no · Switzerland: no (reading of 27 September 2026).
• Contractually, only an FDFA, FOPH or WHO advisory against the trip opens Module A (art. 18.1) — that is not the case today.
• International medical cover, 24/7 number saved, and a read of the areas named under Safety & risks before booking the itinerary.
• We check these sources every morning and e-mail you the day one changes (Alerts button).

Sourcestravel.state.gov · updated 12.05 · read 16.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 15.10DFAE · updated 11.06 · read 15.10207-country comparison

An area advised against does not rule out the country.

• Official answers: United States: no · France: no · United Kingdom: no · Switzerland: no.
• Keep your country of residence's advisory on booking day and on departure day: that is what your policy's clauses cite.

SourcesFrance Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 15.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 15.10State Department · updated 12.05 · read 16.10

The rules depend on the passport, not on the destination alone.

• French passport (France Diplomatie): French nationals may enter Germany with a valid French passport, a new national ID card (credit-card format), or an old blue laminated national ID card that expired less than five years ago. Travellers departing or transiting through German airports must carry travel documents (ID card or passport, possibly a visa) that allow entry into their final destination country; consult the destination country’s travel advice. German authorities systematically confiscate any lost or stolen passports and ID cards that are later recovered and used for travel.
• British passport (Foreign Office): Your passport must have a date of issue less than 10 years before your arrival date; if renewed before 1 October 2018, it may be invalid even if unexpired. Your passport must expire at least 3 months after your planned departure from the Schengen area. You can visit the Schengen area, including Germany, for up to 90 days within any 180-day period without a visa.
• American passport: the requirements are on the State Department country page (travel.state.gov).
• Swiss passport: the FDFA refers you to the destination's embassy in Switzerland.
• Pick your passport at the top of Before you go › Entry: the official text that concerns you comes first, with its “In brief” summary.

SourcesFrance Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 15.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 15.10State Department · updated 12.05 · read 16.10

For a Schengen visa, yes: at least €30,000 of travel medical insurance (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, art. 15).

• Many other countries ask for it on entry or for a visa, case by case: check Before you go › Entry, with your passport.
• Subscribe: the named certificate arrives by e-mail on payment, with your name, dates and limits (EUR 1.5M medical expenses, unlimited evacuation and repatriation) — the ones consulates check.
• Attach it to the visa file; if in doubt about the format, write to us.

SourcesRegulation (EC) 810/2009, art. 15General conditions, policy 20 00 479

VIP Pack — €990 for twelve months, unlimited trips.

• EUR 1.5M emergency medical expenses, unlimited medical evacuation and repatriation, search and rescue EUR 50,000, cancellation or change EUR 5,000.
• One 24/7 number, +41 22 ••• •• ••: Maximum sends its direct payment guarantee to the hospital (art. 2.12).
• Network of 45,000 providers (art. 6.9); evacuation is decided, organised and paid by Maximum's medical team if the local facility is not enough (art. 6.2.2).
• Named certificate by e-mail on payment, no medical questionnaire.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479OpenStreetMap · read 13.10

Six steps, in this order.

• 1. Call +41 22 ••• •• •• before paying anything, or have the front desk call: it is the condition for full cover (otherwise: reduced or refused benefits).
• 2. Ask for a hospital in the Maximum network (art. 6.9).
• 3. See a doctor the same day and leave with the certificate: without an on-the-spot finding, nothing is covered (art. 33).
• 4. Admitted for more than 24 h? The front desk calls Maximum: direct payment guarantee, no deposit (art. 2.12).
• 5. Book no ambulance or flight yourself (art. 6.2.2).
• 6. Once home, file within 30 days (art. 35.7).
• Local emergency services: single number 112 · police 110.

SourcesSpecial conditions 01.26General conditions, policy 20 00 479

Local emergency services: single number 112 · police 110

• Maximum, 24/7, before any payment: +41 22 ••• •• ••.
• France — Ambassade de la République française en Allemagne (2.2 km) · +49 30 590039000
• Switzerland — Ambassade de Suisse (2.7 km) · +49 30 390 40 00
• United Kingdom — Ambassade du Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande du Nord (2.2 km)
• United States — Ambassade des États-Unis d'Amérique (2.4 km) · +49 30 830 50
• Save these numbers before leaving; in immediate danger, call local emergency services first, then Maximum.

SourcesEmergencyNumberAPI · Wikidata · read 08.10OpenStreetMap · read 13.10

At today's level 2/4, card by card:

• Amex Platinum — No area exclusion at this level — but three written limits: deductible and prior approval, 90-day cap, advance under conditions.
• Visa — No express area exclusion — but a €156,000 cap, 90 days, and the war/instability exclusion in the background.
• Mastercard — No exclusion in play at this level — but a €155,000 cap and 90 covered days.
• Three lines to read in your notice: the duration (often 90 days per trip), the settlement (reimbursement afterwards or direct payment of the hospital) and the area exclusion at level 4/4.

SourcesAmex Platinum France T&Cs, 01.2025 — general exclusion n° 11BNP Paribas Visa Infinite notice (policy PT7), 04.2025 — comFortuneo World Elite Mastercard notice, 01.2026 — art. 5.5 '

A health plan reimburses at home; here, the hospital asks for a payment guarantee before admission.

• Health plan — A health plan treats you at home. Here the hospital asks for a guarantee before admission — not a later reimbursement.
• Travel policy — No area exclusion at this level — compare cap, deductible and covered duration.
• A travel policy often has a territorial clause at level 4/4 and a 90-day limit per trip.
• Have your IPID number or the PDF of the terms and ask an expert to call you back: the answer is in the document, not in the brochure.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479

The page reads hospitals, pharmacies and doctors from OpenStreetMap, around the point you choose.

• Type your city, hotel or beach: the map re-centres, 24/7 emergency rooms come first.
• Each row gives the phone when the source publishes it, the nearest street, directions and the Google Maps listing.
• The PDF briefing repeats the same places, numbered on a printable map.
• No customer reviews: OpenStreetMap has none, and we invent none.

SourcesOpenStreetMap (ODbL) · read 13.10

The sourced detail is under Medical network › Health: vaccines, diseases present, altitude, outbreaks.

• CDC (Travelers' Health), depending on the trip: Routine vaccines, COVID-19, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Monkeypox, Polio.
• See a doctor or a travel clinic 8 weeks before departure (Foreign Office).
• Carry your medicines in their packaging, with a prescription using international non-proprietary names (France Diplomatie).

SourcesCDC Travelers' Health · read 10.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 15.10OMS · read 15.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 15.10

4.5 physicians per 1,000 people (2022) versus 4.5 in Switzerland.

• 7.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people versus 4.4 in Switzerland (World Bank).
• Medical density comparable to Switzerland: the local network handles most cases; repatriation remains a question of convalescence and cost. Health spending of 6,849 USD per person (Switzerland: 11,784): expensive care, settled directly by the insurer with the payment guarantee.
• When the local facility is not enough, Maximum's medical team decides the evacuation to a suitable centre, and pays for it (art. 6.2.2).

SourcesWorld Bank · read 10.10General conditions, policy 20 00 479

0.9 homicides per 100,000 people (2023) versus 0.6 in Switzerland and 1.3 in France.

• 3.8 road deaths per 100,000 people versus 2.2 in Switzerland (World Bank, WHO).
• The homicide rate is above Switzerland's, without being out of range. On the road, a level close to Switzerland's; road crashes are the leading cause of death of healthy travellers (CDC) — seat belt, no night driving, a driver or a taxi from a rank.

SourcesWorld Bank (UNODC, WHO) · read 10.10UCDP

The nearest representations, by passport (OpenStreetMap):

• France — Ambassade de la République française en Allemagne (2.2 km) · +49 30 590039000
• Switzerland — Ambassade de Suisse (2.7 km) · +49 30 390 40 00
• United Kingdom — Ambassade du Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande du Nord (2.2 km)
• United States — Ambassade des États-Unis d'Amérique (2.4 km) · +49 30 830 50
• Register before leaving: France: Ariane · Switzerland: Travel Admin · United Kingdom: Foreign Office alerts · United States: STEP.
• Two minutes, and in a crisis your country's authorities can reach you and count you in an evacuation.
• Pick your passport at the top of Contacts: your embassy comes first.

SourcesOpenStreetMap · read 13.10DFAE · updated 11.06 · read 15.10

No region is advised against by the official readings checked (Global Affairs Canada, Foreign Office and France Diplomatie): the national advice applies everywhere.

• Your point (Berlin): country-wide vigilance.
• Maximum does not exclude these areas: the VIP Pack covers care and repatriation there (sanctions, embargoes and a country already at war at departure remain enforceable).

SourcesGlobal Affairs Canada · updated 09.10 · read 16.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 15.10France Diplomatie · updated 15.09 · read 15.10

Local laws apply to every traveller; here is what the official texts say.

• Carry adequate identification such as your passport or residence permit at all times; keep a photocopy of your passport in a safe place in case it is lost or stolen.
• Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs are severe; convicted offenders can expect jail sentences or heavy fines.
• Avoid diffusing or sharing propaganda, producing, importing or exporting memorabilia, or publicly wearing or displaying Nazi or fascist symbols; convicted offenders can expect jail sentences or fines.
• You must be at least 18 years old to drive in Germany; a valid Canadian driver’s licence can be used for up to 6 months, after which it must be exchanged for a German licence within 6 weeks.
• If carrying €10,000 or more, or the equivalent in other currencies or monetary instruments, you must declare it to customs when entering or leaving the European Union.

SourcesGlobal Affairs Canada · updated 09.10 · read 16.10Foreign Office · updated 11.08 · read 15.10

Every foreign ministry runs a 24/7 emergency line for its nationals.

• France — Crisis and Support Centre — French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs: +33 1 53 59 11 00. 24/7 emergency line, standard rate. First contact abroad: the French embassy or consulate.
• Switzerland — FDFA Helpline: +41 58 465 33 33 · +41 800 24 7 365. 24/7, 365 days a year — helpline@eda.admin.ch. Beware of scam calls spoofing these numbers.
• United Kingdom — Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: +44 20 7008 5000. 24 hours, for British nationals.
• United States — Overseas Citizens Services — U.S. Department of State: +1 202 501 4444 · +1 888 407 4747. From abroad; the second number from the U.S. and Canada.
• On site, Ambassade de la République française en Allemagne: +49 30 590039000.

Sourcesdiplomatie.gouv.fr · updated 15.09 · read 15.10eda.admin.ch · updated 11.06 · read 15.10

Emergency phrases, to show if pronunciation fails:

• Help! → Hilfe!
• Call an ambulance! → Rufen Sie einen Krankenwagen!
• I need a doctor. → Ich brauche einen Arzt.
• Where is the nearest hospital? → Wo ist das nächste Krankenhaus?
• Call the police! → Rufen Sie die Polizei!

SourcesMaximum Insurance

Keep the entry stamp, the invoices, the prescriptions and the medical report.

• File within 30 days (art. 35.7) from your client area, with the documents; the official forms are pre-filled.
• Costs advanced on site are reimbursed against receipts.
• Fever, persistent diarrhoea or a rash in the following weeks? See a doctor and say where you have been.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479

Cancellation or change up to EUR 20,000, special risk EUR 5,000 per person, crisis management and security, optional Kidnap & Ransom.

• Special risk (Module A): political event, attack, epidemic, natural disaster — opens when the FDFA, the FOPH or WHO advise against the trip (art. 18.1).
• Epidemic: assistance must be requested within 7 days of the WHO or FDFA qualification (art. 36.2).
• Crisis management and security: trip registration, monitoring, extraction, evacuation in case of riot, war, terrorism or disaster; Kidnap & Ransom subject to eligibility (art. 18.4).
• €2,290 a year, unlimited trips.

SourcesGeneral conditions, policy 20 00 479