Can I bring fake notes or coins to Germany?
- Official classification
- Fake notes or coins
Prohibited
You cannot bring fake notes or coins into Germany.
What you need to know
- No stated quantity
- Channels: Carried with the traveler
Important
This allowance applies per person, not per family or group.
Official sources
Questions about Fake notes or coins in Germany
- Can I bring fake notes or coins to Germany?
- fake notes or coins may not be brought into Germany at all. The allowance is per traveller and cannot be pooled between people.
- Do I have to declare fake notes or coins at Germany customs?
- There is nothing to declare — fake notes or coins cannot be brought in at all. Declaring it does not make it admissible; it hands it over.
- What happens if I do not declare fake notes or coins in Germany?
- Under Abgabenordnung, § 372 Absatz 1, if it is treated as smuggling: it is prosecuted as a criminal offence.
- Can I post or ship fake notes or coins to Germany instead of carrying it?
- Not under this allowance. It covers goods a traveller carries; a parcel is an import and is assessed under the postal rules instead. Baggage sent before or after you is outside this allowance.
- Can I take fake notes or coins out of Germany?
- Germany publishes no separate rule for taking fake notes or coins out; the destination's rules are what will apply.
- Does the Germany limit for fake notes or coins apply per person or per family?
- Per person. Each traveller carries their own allowance and it cannot be pooled with anyone else's.
- Where does this rule come from?
- Generalzolldirektion (German Customs Administration) states it in Verordnung (EU) Nr. 952/2013 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 9. Oktober 2013 zur Festlegung des Zollkodex der Union (Neufassung). CarryRules last confirmed that sentence at the source on 2026-09-19. The sentence it rests on reads: “Eine Zollschuld entsteht jedoch nicht durch das vorschriftswidrige Verbringen von Falschgeld in das Zollgebiet der Union.”
- How does Germany compare with other countries on fake notes or coins?
- Of the 20 countries covered here, 19 prohibit fake notes or coins, 1 limit it and 0 let it through. Germany is among the strictest.
Source: Generalzolldirektion (German Customs Administration) — Verordnung (EU) Nr. 952/2013 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 9. Oktober 2013 zur Festlegung des Zollkodex der Union (Neufassung) · verified 2026-09-19
Source: Generalzolldirektion (German Customs Administration) — Verordnung (EU) Nr. 952/2013 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 9. Oktober 2013 zur Festlegung des Zollkodex der Union (Neufassung) · verified 2026-09-19
Source: Generalzolldirektion (German Customs Administration) — Amtliches AO-Handbuch 2025, § 372 Abgabenordnung · verified 2026-09-20
Source: Generalzolldirektion (German Customs Administration) — germany postOrCourier · verified 2026-09-20
Source: Generalzolldirektion (German Customs Administration) — Verordnung (EU) Nr. 952/2013 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 9. Oktober 2013 zur Festlegung des Zollkodex der Union (Neufassung) · verified 2026-09-19
Source: Generalzolldirektion (German Customs Administration) — Verordnung (EU) Nr. 952/2013 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 9. Oktober 2013 zur Festlegung des Zollkodex der Union (Neufassung) · verified 2026-09-19