Can I travel from Germany to England alone as an unaccompanied minor?

A visa is a document from a country that authorizes the identified individual into that country and defines what they are allowed to do while in that country (school, work, apply for residence) and how long they are allowed to stay. It is typically attached to a passport.

If you have either a US or German passport a visa is not required for a visit, if you intend to stay indefinitely that would change.

As a practical matter, if you fly into the UK you are going to go through an immigration checkpoint, and as an unaccompanied minor, they are going to want to know where you will be staying and with who, the purpose of your visit and how long you will be staying. Note that these are questions they can and do ask adults, the main difference being that as a minor, instead of refusing entry, you will probably be taken into protective custody and held pending arrangements to return you to the physical custody of your parents.

Imagine a parent and a 8 year old traveling together, where the parent dies during the flight — while officials are determining what to do (return the child to home country, hand them off to a relative in the destination, whatever), the one thing they aren’t going to do is stamp their passport and let them wander away. You will be in the same position.

(Once again, I am unsure of what a visa is. Sorry.)

Citizens are allowed to live and work in their homeland. Foreigners need permission. The details depend on the laws of the destination country, the country of origin of the applicant, and the length and purpose of stay.

• Sometimes the application must be made before arrival. This is called a visa or an ESTA. The applicant fills a form and usually she sends the passport in to have a stamp or sticker added. (The US insists that an ESTA is different from a visa, but if it quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.)
• Sometimes the application can be made at the border on arrival. This is called a visa on arrival or some other names. There is a stamp in the passport and a time limit for the visitor to leave.
• Sometimes no stamp is necessary and no record is made, really visa-free travel. That only happens if the countries trust each other that there will be no illegal immigration or similar problems.

As a German citizen, you are a citizen of the European Union. With your parents’ permission, you can travel to any of the 28 EU member states. Once you are old enough, you can live and work there. The exception would be if you, personally, get deported and banned from an EU state, but you would have to do something outrageous to make this happen.

You cannot get a visa for any EU member unless you lie about your German citizenship, because you don’t need one.

You will need no passport in the EU once you have your German identity card (Personalausweis) at age 16.

The United Kingdom is about to leave the EU. It is unclear when that will happen and which rules apply afterwards, but in all likelihood you will either need a visa on arrival or no visa at all for a visit. Living and working there will require permission.

Some EU states (and some others) have formed the Schengen travel area. This actually makes little difference for you, because you have visa-free travel in those states anyway.

The main issue for you that nobody mentioned so far, is that nobody can accommodate you. Hotels, hostels, Airbnbs etc. won’t accommodate unaccompanied minors.

And if you are travelling to the U.K. to stay with a non-family member without permissions from your parents, your parents can file criminal charges against said person, and have you deported back to them in Germany.

You are also not allowed to stay longer than 3 (or maybe 6) months in the UK without a residency permit (which you cannot obtain as a minor)

So in short, what you’re asking is not feasible.

(This advice applies to all minors travlling, not just for people in OPs situation)

Frame challenge (, I think they say here ….)

@Autumn – how do you plan on supporting yourself when arriving in the UK?

As a minor, you will not be able to work, rent property, or open a bank account in the UK. I don’t know your situation, but as you’ve not mentioned friends or family I’m concerned you may be planning to meet somebody you’ve met on the internet. If this isn’t the case – please ignore!

But if it is – be aware that people you meet online may not be what they seem. Please, at the least, talk it over with some trusted friends, relatives or teachers, and listen to what they say.

My answer will be about how to get help in a "complicated situation". Other people have already explained that you need permission from your parents to travel; and the police will return you to your parents if they notice you haven’t one.

While we do not know you situation, there are a number of ways to get help to resolve a difficult situation. Even if you don’t know any adults that you trust, or if you don’t want to call the police.

Many Germans speak English quite well. If you do not speak German (or do not speak well), you can still try any of the numbers below and try to speak English. If it does not work, just try and call again.

If you don’t know what to do: 0800 1110111

• If you don’t know what to do, you can call the Telefonseelsorge – they will try to help with any kind of problem or tell you where to get help:
  • 0800.1110111
  • 0800.1110222
  • 116.123
• You call is anonymous. They don’t know who you are, and you do not have to give your name or any details.
• People should speak some English. You can try again if they don’t.
• You can ask about anything. They will also know where to find more help if needed.
• You can also ask a question online, via chat or app (though you need to read some German to figure out how to log in)

Alternatives

• International helplines – there may be one in the country where you come from
• Die Nummer gegen Kummer. This is a special help line for young people, the number is 116 111, lines are open from 14:00 to 20:00 (or 2pm to 8pm), except on Sundays
• A crisis chat that you can use through WhatsApp

Serious problems at home?

• If you have serious problems at home, you can also contact the Jugendamt. This is the same as Child Protective Services in the US.
  • To contact them, you can google "Jugendamt" and the name of your city
  • If you go to the police, they will also call the Jugendamt
  • They will eventually contact your parents. But: If they think you are in danger, they will not send you home or leave you alone with your parents.
  • They can try to help with the situation at home.
  • If necessary, they can take away your parents’ power over you (for example by letting you live in a protected group, or by making some other relative responsible for you).
  • Important: Those people will ask for your name, and they must do something if they see a problem.

In danger? Call the police

• If you are in any danger, call the police: 110
• The Bundespolizei is only responsible for train stations, airports and such. If you call them, they’ll put you through to the "normal" police.

I did not answer the original question

I didn’t answer the original question. Other people have already done that, and I agree that the original plan will most likely fail.

I felt it was important to give some concrete leads on where to find help, other than a generic "just talk to someone"; and to make clear that you can call somewhere anonymously if you need to – even if this is somewhat out of scope for Travel SE.

The bad:

• You can travel as tourist using your American passport to the UK for up to 6 months.
  • You cannot move and start living in the UK using your American passport. You would need a visa for that (without a parent/guardian and money you will highly likely not be able to get it).
  • If you manage to arrive to the UK border and you mention you want to move here forever, you will be sent back to Germany (letting your parents know where you are).
• You can immigrate (moving to a different country permanently) to the UK using your German ID card or passport.
  • Being 14 I will be very surprised if no one stops you and you succeed. They will probably tell your parents when they stop you.

And actually the interesting question is from me to you:
What are you planning to do if you arrive to the UK?

To pay for accommodation (place to live) you need a parent or a guardian (an adult who is legally responsible for you), to join school you need a parent/guardian, to sign up for a doctor you need a parent/guardian, bank account – parent guardian, you cannot really do anything without a parent/guardian until you’re 18. It might not seem so but most of the things you’ve done so far in your life is because a parent or a guardian agreed to it.

The good:

Now, on the bright side, this all gives you one good option. Right now, you need to find someone, an adult, you can speak with or who you trust. School teacher? Doctor? Dentist? Your best friends parents? You can speak to anyone from the government (policeman/policelady, fireman, ambulance people). You can just walk into a police station, your doctors building or any other building where these people are and they will listen to you. Tell them about your parents and what happened. Unfortunately, without any adult you cannot do much until you’re 18, so you need to find someone who you can talk to and they should listen and help.

If you are scared, you can also call them for free and explain your parents situation and they will help – 0800 6 888 000

If you don’t do that, your only option is go back to your parents. Pick which of the two you want.

The German Bundespolizei suggests that to leave Germany as a minor you should have a letter by both/all of your legal guardians, stating

• your identity,
• their identity and contact details,
• your travel plans,
• the identity of any adults other than your guardians you’re traveling with.

This is completely independent of your passport or immigration status.

Regarding your “complicated” situation, you may feel that adults are not going to help, but if you want out of your current situation you will need them.

Google Kinder- und Jugendnotdienst and the name of the city you’re in. There should be a phone number to call. If you’re in a small village, try the name of next large town. You won’t have to tell your name to talk with them.

If you don’t know what a visa is then you haven’t begun to understand the complexity of what you seem to be attempting.

You can visit the UK on a US passport without a visa, but you can’t live there. If you show up at the UK border you can expect to be asked about your plans. If you don’t have a credible plan for your stay, including how you’ll return to Germany, you’ll be denied entry and returned to Germany, or possibly, depending on your status, sent to the US.

That’s probably irrelevant since it’s likely that without parental consent you’ll be stopped before you can board an aeroplane.

1. If you have a US passport, you don’t need a Visa to travel to the UK .
2. Most airlines allow you to travel alone when you are 12 or older. Different airlines have different rules, you should check with your airline
3. Some airlines may require a letter of consent from your parents or guardian (Erziegungsberechtigter)
4. You may get some questioning at check in or at passport control exiting Germany or entering the UK. It’s hard to predict what may attract the attention of an officer. If you get questioned, chances are they will want to contact your parents.

Not answering the question: It looks like you are in a difficult situation and you probably need help. Going alone to a different country without the permission or maybe even knowledge of your parents is unlikely to make it better and can get you into a potentially dangerous situation. Before you do anything like this try to reach out to an adult you trust (teacher, relative, guardian, clergy, youth group leader, coach) for a second opinion and some advise.

Answering the question: You need permission from your legal guardians to travel. There are no mandatory controls for this but there is a good chance that someone will take notice and stop you.