Cash
Any individual leaving Germany for a non-EU country and carrying cash in a total amount of 10,000 euros or more, must declare the total amount of money to the competent customs station in writing.
Any means of payment deemed equivalent to cash in the amount of 10,000 or more euros must be reported orally to the inquiring official when requested to do so.
Cash subject to declaration
"Cash" comprises:
and
gold in the form of
- coins with a gold content of at least 90%
- gold bullion in the form of bars, nuggets or nuggets with a gold content of at least 99.5%
Foreign currencies shall be valued in euros at the exchange rate applicable on the day of exit.
The value of collectors’ or bullion coins (such as Maple Leaf, Eagle, Wiener Philharmoniker) shall be calculated based on its actual value and not the coin’s face value.
Example: Calculating the value of a Wiener Philharmoniker silver coin
The nominal value of the coin is 1.50 euros. Its actual value is the price that would have to be paid when buying this coin (at a bank or coin dealers’, for example) on the day of exit.
Precious metals and precious stones are also goods that have to be declared.
Declaration of cash
You have to use the "Cash declaration" form to make a declaration:
- Form 040000 (German Version) with additional sheet 040050 or
- Form 040001 (English Version) with additional sheet 040051
You can fill in the form electronically or by hand. Please make sure that the copy is signed when you submit it to the customs office. You may request an official copy.
Formular 040000
Formular 040001
The declaration of cash is free of charge.
Please pay attention to the respective notices when crossing the border and/or ask for the customs office counter where you can submit your declaration.
If you are traveling by air, the cash declaration form must be submitted to the customs office upon departure before entering the aviation security checkpoint.
You are under an obligation to make a declaration without being explicitly requested to do so, even though a customs official has not stopped you and asked whether you are carrying cash.
Customs control units carry out checks for compliance with the obligation to declare at the borders and in inland areas of Germany.
Equivalent means of payment which must be declared
Equivalent means of payment comprise:
- passbooks
- precious stones (rough or cut), e.g. diamonds, rubies, sapphires or emeralds
gold in the form of
- coins with a gold content of less than 90%
- gold bullion in the form of bars, nuggets or nuggets with a gold content of less than 99.5%
- other precious metals, e.g. platinum or silver
Jewellery and other goods made from precious metals or stones are not deemed equivalent to cash and consequently need not be declared. However, they must be declared on a customs declaration.
Oral declaration of equivalent means of payment
Any person taking means of payment deemed equivalent to cash in a total amount of 10,000 euros or more out of Germany to a non-EU country, must orally declare that amount when enquired by a customs official.
If you are subject to a customs inspection, you are obliged to inform the customs officer about the provenance, the economic beneficiary and the intended use of any cash or equivalent means of payment you are carrying, even if the total amount does not exceed the 10,000 euros threshold.
Consequences of non-compliance with the obligation to declare in writing or orally
The failure to declare, in writing or orally, the cash or equivalent means of payment you are carrying, or making an incorrect or incomplete declaration, is an administrative offence which is punishable with a fine of up to one million euros.
The German customs administration offers information on the legal provisions you need to observe when bringing cash or equivalent means of payment across a border into or out of Germany.
If you travel to or from another country you should enquire about the relevant regulations at that country‘s representation in Germany or consult the travel information by country published on the German Foreign Office‘s website.
