Things You Should Not Do While in Germany

Each and every country has its ethics, principles and traditions and these tend to guide you on what you should and should not do in that particular in country. Germany is home to many unique traits and has its own set of do’s and don’ts. The do’s are usually expected of you, however, if you do what you ‘should not’, more often than not, you will be frowned upon.

Some of the things you should not do, may not come so obvious to you. The reason being is that, what is normal and accepted in some countries, might not be accepted in others.To make this clearer, in this article, you can find five things you should not do, while living in Germany.

5 Things You Should Not Do

1.     Do not disregard resting hours.

Quiet hours in Germany are taken very seriously. In the country, there are rules specifically not to disturb people rest times. It usually depends on the city, however, most of the time the rest time is between 22.00hrs – 06.00hrs. In Germany, this is known as Ruhezeit.This does not mean, you should go to sleep early. However, try and seek designated areas, where noise within these hours are accepted. Alternatively, do activities that do not require a lot of noise.

2.     Do not be late.

Many know this, even if they haven’t lived in Germany before. Being late in Germany is heavily frowned upon and is considered as lack of respect and discipline. If for some reason, you are running late, make the other party aware and try to make up for it the next time.

3.     Do not litter.

Germany is one of the most engaged countries when it comes to environment sustainability. Therefore, littering is highly unaccepted and recycling is usually encouraged and mandatory. If you are caught not recycling or littering, you are likely to be subject to hefty fines.

4.     Do not interrupt people

Another big ‘do not’, is not to disturb people while they are speaking with you or with another person. This gesture is depicted as very rude in Germany, however, in some other countries, it is extremely common. Wait for your turn to talk and in return, you can expect that you will not be interrupted when speaking.

5.     Health insurance is mandatory

In many countries in Europe, health insurance is not required by the law if you wish to study, live or work. However, this differs in Germany. Health Insurance in mandatory by law and you will not be able to apply for a visa without it. This applies for everyone residing in Germany and people can opt for the public or private health insurance.