Brockman

  It was done by the people working at the storefront testing center in Berlin (they were dressed like medical personnel, although, not sure if they were - in any case I did not do it by myself), and it was free (since quick antigen tests are available for free to residents of Berlin).

I arrived in the US on July 2nd and I confirm that the antigen schnelltest which I obtained at a Berlin storefront testing center was accepted for air travel by the gate agents at BER and not checked again upon arriving in the US (where it seems like COVID is completely over as the majority of people are not wearing masks indoors any more.

Thanks so much @MollyWolly - this is very useful advice!

Hello! I am a US citizen residing in Germany, and I am traveling to the US (NY) with my family in a few weeks (wife is DE citizen and kids are US/DE). I would like to know if anyone has traveled from Germany to the US very recently, and if so, could they confirm that it was fine to travel with an antigen test result (ie you don't need a PCR). Thank you in advance! Maybe @MollyWolly? Thanks!

The places I have been too provided an email with a link to download a PDF certificate. However, the businesses I have been too accept the email too (just show it to them on your phone). Good luck!

After a 2-year long distance relationship between Berlin and New York, I came here in Jan 2015 to try it out, then came the kids, the job, the marriage, the apartment purchase, the job promotion, the apartment purchase upgrade, the next job promotion, the kids going to a great school... And so here we are, 6.5 years later and all is still going very well, despite the global situation. We are extremely grateful.   I miss my family in the US, but things are going so well here and we are very happy. I am also very lucky that we see my family twice per year (except for in recent times) - and I'm glad that should be starting again soon. I don't particularly love Berlin, but I've made some very good friends here and we have a great network of people, so it's definitely home. I don't think I am ever going back to live in the US. I can imagine a stint of a few years, but we'd most definitely come back here long term.

https://covidzentrum.de/der-corona-pcr-express-labortest/

Can you see this building? It is still standing in between many new buildings.   https://goo.gl/maps/joRT4iQn6BfVHtaaA

Just move on and forget it. If you do have this commitment it in writing, think about, how much trouble would it be for you to pursue the lost costs (250 EUR? Plus hotel?), and assuming you do not have legal insurance, consider that if you were to involve a lawyer (that is, if the lawyer is willing to take up the case for such a small amount of money) there will be legal fees and you'll likely get nearly nothing - you'd really be doing it out of spite. Next time, kindly ask for the company who offers to interview you to pay for your travel themselves!

Now that the AZ vaccine is available to anyone over 18 in Berlin, I rang several Hausartzt practices and managed to get an appointment for my wife and I for tomorrow. I suggest anyone interested have a look, and start making calls: https://www.kvberlin.de/fileadmin/user_upload/fuer_patienten/corona/uebersicht_AstraZeneca-Impfpraxen.pdf

Last week I rang my house doctor here in Berlin and he said he put my wife and I (early-40s, no major medical conditions) on his waiting list, and said he would call us if someone cancels or doesn't show up - he said at that time there were 8 other people like us on his waiting list. He told me we should keep an eye for his call on Wednesdays and Fridays, as those are the days he vaccinates, and then be ready to come straight away, as if he does not reach us, he'll call the next people on the list. He also said he expects us to be vaccinated by end of June, regardless of the waiting list. Fingers crossed.

Yes. Before boarding in NY, my mom was asked for proof of first degree relationship to a resident of Germany (I'm her son, and a copy of my birth certificate, my passport, and my Anmeldebescheinigung were sufficient), demonstration of urgent need (which we provided in a letter in English and German - DM if you want the details because it's personal), and proof that she filled in the Digitale Einreiseanmeldung. She had a negative COVID test result from the day before departure (PCR - but I think other tests are accepted as well), but she was only required to show that upon arrival in Germany. That was it! She even got upgraded to premium economy on the 25% full plane.    

Are you a resident or citizen of Germany? If so, you're allowed to come back to Germany whenever you want (according to this website: https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/world.php - which I understand is what airline gate agents use as reference). You'll need to provide a negative antigen test (taken within 48 hours of departure - these are the 'schnelltests' that they offer for free in Berlin) and you'll also need to fill in an online form (and of course, be prepared to quarantine). Safe travels!

My mother (from the US) is currently visiting us in Berlin for a month. The last time we saw her and the rest of my family in the US was our visit there in Nov 2019, and she was coming 2-3 times per year pre-pandemic. She is of course fully vaccinated, and was required to show proof of first degree relationship to a resident of Germany before boarding the plane in NY (oddly, the negative COVID test was only required upon arrival in Germany, but not to leave NY), but the trip was relatively smooth and stress free (except for a delay and last minute gate change in FRA). As per the official rule, we provided her with a letter demonstrating the urgent need for her visit but the authorities did not ask to see it (even when she volunteered it). She was required to quarantine for 10 days at our flat in Berlin (reduced to 5 after presenting a negative COVID test to Gesundheitsamt taken earliest 2 days after arrival). My family and I are traveling to NY in July, and either we'll be vaccinated before in DE (doubtful), or right when we arrive in the US. But under no circumstances am I cancelling this trip. Things are on their way to going back to normal in the US, variants or no variants, and the US is on track to vaccinate 90% of its population by July. By the time we get there vaccines will be available to anyone who wants one. So why not? The pandemic won't be over any time soon, and we obviously can't rely on the DE authorities to make the situation any better as the default solution is lockdown lockdown lockdown, while hopelessly complicating and bureaucratizing the vaccination effort in the name of 'safety and trust' - and tossing away vaccines rather than deviating from the priority groups. If you're wondering why it's going so slowly, my neighbor (a doctor) told me about his experience of going to a Berlin vaccine center recently. He said there were more people working there than getting a vaccine, and that it took him an hour from when he entered, to when he exited. He said the place had the look and feel of a Bürgeramt, there was complicated signage everywhere, and he had to show papers at 3 different checkpoints each with 4-5 people standing around doing nothing - obviously more interested in checking you had the 'right documents' than vaccinating you. He even got admonished for not bringing his Impfpass, which he said he hadn't seen since he was a little boy. He was even required to watch a 15 min video warning him about the side effects of the vaccine. So, basically, the 'Bürgeramt' approach of needlessly complicating simple things to addressing a public health crisis. What could go wrong? In the US, they got it down to vaccinating 1 person every 1-2 minutes. Anyway, if I can find a safe way to travel, and for my family to visit, while obeying the rules, then I'm going to do it. I'm not going to wait around and hope the authorities improve the situation, given their dreadful track record of dealing with this crisis thus far.