Moving from Germany to Vietnam (2026): Complete Guide

Relocating from Germany to Vietnam means clearing two separate customs systems that don’t talk to each other: German export rules on the way out, and Vietnamese import rules on the way in. This guide is for anyone moving from a German city — Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt or elsewhere — to Vietnam for work, retirement or family reasons, and covers both halves in order: what Germany requires before your shipment leaves, what Vietnam requires before it’s released to you, plus a short note on moving back the other way. It does not cover general packing advice — only the official rules that determine timelines and costs.

Key takeaways

• Germany’s customs authority is the Zoll (Bundeszollverwaltung); household goods leaving Germany need a formal export declaration (Ausfuhranmeldung), filed electronically through the ATLAS system — the simplified oral declaration at the border only covers narrow low-value cases and does not apply to a household shipment (Zoll — Formen der Zollanmeldung).
• You must deregister your German address (Abmeldung) at your local Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt within two weeks of moving out (or up to one week in advance) under §17 of the Bundesmeldegesetz, once you give up your last German residence (Gesetze im Internet — BMG §17).
• Giving up your German residence and habitual abode generally ends unlimited tax liability (unbeschränkte Steuerpflicht) in Germany, though German-source income can remain taxable and significant shareholders in companies can face exit taxation under §6 AStG (Bundesministerium der Finanzen — Wegzugsbesteuerung).
• Carrying cash of €10,000 or more out of Germany to a non-EU country must be declared to the responsible customs office (Zoll — Anmelde-/Anzeigepflicht Barmittel Drittländer).
• Vietnam’s General Department of Customs clears imports through a standard customs declaration (Form No. 01, Appendix II of Circular 39/2018/TT-BTC), and personal belongings brought in for personal use, in reasonable quantities, are generally exempt from import tax (Vietnam Trade Portal — import procedure; Embassy of Vietnam, Washington DC — Entry and Exit Procedures).
• A valid long-stay visa, work permit or Temporary Residence Card issued by Vietnam’s Immigration Department is what identifies you as a resident rather than a tourist, which is the practical gateway to relocation-style customs clearance of your goods (Vietnam Immigration Department).
• Cash above USD 5,000 (or VND 15 million) must be declared on entry to or exit from Vietnam under Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN (Vietnam Trade Portal — legal document).
• Pets are cleared separately from household goods on both ends: Germany requires microchipping and rabies vaccination as baseline pet-travel documentation (BMLEH — Reisen mit Heimtieren), and Vietnam requires quarantine-dossier registration and an on-arrival inspection by its animal health authority before a dog or cat is released to you — confirm current requirements before you fly, since the underlying regulation is updated from time to time.

1. Your Vietnamese immigration status decides your customs treatment

Vietnam does not clear household goods "for movers" as a category — it clears them for a specific person with a specific legal status. A tourist on a short-stay visa is simply a traveler with a duty-free personal-luggage allowance. Someone who has a work permit, a long-stay work/investor visa, or has progressed to a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) issued by the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Public Security is recognized as relocating to live and work in Vietnam, which is what unaccompanied-shipment ("removal goods") clearance is built around (Vietnam Immigration Department). Practically: secure your visa, work permit and TRC application before your shipment arrives, since clearance is filed against your immigration paperwork — get that track moving first and let the shipping timeline follow it, not race ahead of it.

2. The Germany side: export, deregistration and tax exit

Customs authority. All German customs matters — including export declarations for personal removal goods — sit with the Zoll (Bundeszollverwaltung), Germany’s federal customs administration. Übersiedlungsgut (removal/relocation goods: furniture, household items and, where applicable, a private vehicle) is the German customs term for what you’re shipping (Zoll — Übersiedlungsgut). Zoll’s own published guidance under this heading is written for the reverse direction — moving into Germany — so the general export rules below are what actually govern your outbound shipment. Pets are cleared under separate rules (see Section 5), not as part of Übersiedlungsgut.

Export declaration. Every export shipment from Germany to a non-EU country such as Vietnam legally requires an export declaration (Ausfuhranmeldung). Zoll allows a simplified oral declaration only in narrow cases — for goods without commercial character, or commercial goods worth up to €1,000 carried in a traveler’s personal luggage — and a full household shipment doesn’t qualify for that route. In practice this means your export declaration is filed electronically through ATLAS (Germany’s automated customs system), normally handled by your moving company or customs broker on your behalf (Zoll — Formen der Zollanmeldung). Budget for a proper ATLAS filing rather than assuming a simple border declaration will do.

Deregistration (Abmeldung). Under §17 of the Bundesmeldegesetz, once you move out of your German home and take up no new residence in Germany, you must deregister at your local registration office (Bürgeramt/Einwohnermeldeamt) within two weeks after moving out — early deregistration up to one week before move-out is also allowed (Gesetze im Internet — BMG §17). Keep the resulting Abmeldebestätigung; you’ll need it for contract cancellations and to evidence your German departure date later.

Tax residency exit. Giving up your German residence (Wohnsitz, §8 AO) and habitual abode (§9 AO) ends unlimited tax liability in Germany, but not all exposure: German-source income — rental property, a German pension, dividends from German companies — can remain limited-taxable afterward. Separately, if you hold a qualifying stake in a corporation and were an unlimited taxpayer for a number of the last several years, departing can trigger exit taxation under §6 Außensteuergesetz (AStG), which treats the stake as notionally sold at fair value on your departure date (Bundesministerium der Finanzen — Wegzugsbesteuerung). This affects a minority of movers — mainly business owners and significant shareholders — but if it might apply to you, get advice from a Steuerberater before you deregister, not after; the exact thresholds and holding-period rules are technical and worth confirming for your specific situation.

Cash on the way out. If you’re carrying €10,000 or more in cash (or equivalent bearer instruments) when you leave Germany for a non-EU country, you must declare it to the customs office responsible at your point of exit (Zoll — Anmelde-/Anzeigepflicht Barmittel Drittländer).

3. Ports and transit — realistic, not official, numbers

Germany’s relevant seaports for a Vietnam-bound shipment are the two big North Sea container hubs, Hamburg and Bremerhaven, both running regular Far East/Southeast Asia services. On the Vietnamese side, the receiving ports are typically the Ho Chi Minh City area (Cat Lai, or Cai Mep/Phu My further out) or Hai Phong in the north, depending on where you’re relocating to.

The following are freight-industry estimates, not official figures — actual transit depends on carrier, routing and season: the fastest scheduled sea freight from Hamburg into the Ho Chi Minh City port cluster runs about 31 days port-to-port (one transshipment) into Phu My, with departures roughly 2–4 times a week; routings with more transshipments commonly take longer (Fluent Cargo — Hamburg–Phu My route data). Air freight is far faster — days rather than weeks — but priced by weight/volume, so it’s usually reserved for a smaller "first essentials" shipment. Build your move timeline backward from your visa/TRC approval and the sailing schedule, not from a fixed moving date.

4. The Vietnam side: import declaration and process

Imports into Vietnam, including personal effects, are administered by the General Department of Vietnam Customs under the Ministry of Finance, using the standard customs declaration format set out under Circular 39/2018/TT-BTC (Form No. 01, Appendix II), processed through Vietnam’s electronic customs system (Vietnam Trade Portal — import procedure). For an unaccompanied personal shipment, you (or your agent) file a declaration and inventory listing the goods, present your passport, visa/TRC and transport documents, and customs applies its standard clearance and inspection process, with post-clearance audit possible afterward.

Genuine personal belongings and household goods brought in for your own use, in reasonable quantities and not on Vietnam’s restricted/prohibited list, are generally treated as non-commercial imports exempt from import tax under Vietnam’s customs provisions for personal-use items (Embassy of Vietnam, Washington DC — Entry and Exit Procedures); keep purchase receipts or proof of ownership for higher-value items, since officers can ask for them. Confirm current quantity limits with your customs broker or the General Department of Customs, since these are set administratively and can change. On arrival, request an arrival/unaccompanied-baggage declaration form from customs before leaving the port or airport if your shipment is following separately — it isn’t issued automatically, and without it you may struggle to clear the shipment tax-free later.

Cash on the way in. Foreign currency cash of USD 5,000 or more (or VND 15 million or more) must be declared to the border-gate customs office on entry; the same threshold applies again if you later leave Vietnam carrying cash (Vietnam Trade Portal — Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN).

5. Pets: two separate official processes

Leaving Germany. German/EU pet-travel rules require a microchip and valid rabies vaccination as the baseline for any dog, cat or ferret travelling internationally; for onward travel outside the EU, the destination country’s entry requirements — Vietnam’s, here — govern what additional certification you need, so plan the paperwork around Vietnam’s rules rather than Germany’s exit rules (BMLEH — Reisen mit Heimtieren).

Entering Vietnam. Dogs and cats are subject to Vietnam’s terrestrial-animal quarantine rules, administered by the country’s animal health authority (Cục Thú y / Department of Animal Health), because rabies is a controlled disease there. In practice: register an animal-quarantine dossier with the animal health authority before travel — submissions can typically go through Vietnam’s National Single Window portal — and have the pet inspected on arrival. A healthy, properly vaccinated, correctly documented pet is usually cleared quickly rather than held for an extended quarantine period, but the underlying quarantine regulation is updated from time to time, so confirm the current requirements and paperwork with your airline or a licensed pet-relocation agent well before you travel. Have vaccination and health certificates translated into English or Vietnamese to avoid delays.

6. Vehicles, money, and what people forget

Vehicles. Don’t plan to ship your German car as part of the move. Vietnam classifies imported vehicles among goods requiring specific import permits and conditions (Vietnam Trade Portal — import procedure), and personal import of used cars by ordinary relocating residents is heavily restricted in practice — realistically only workable for select categories such as diplomats. Sell or lease-return your car in Germany instead.

Money. Plan around both declaration thresholds above — €10,000 leaving Germany, USD 5,000/VND 15 million entering or leaving Vietnam — and route larger sums by bank transfer rather than cash where possible, avoiding both declaration hassle and border exchange risk.

What people forget. The Abmeldebestätigung is needed for German contract cancellations and can support the address history Vietnamese authorities may ask for. The Vietnamese arrival declaration form is not automatic — ask for it before leaving the port/airport if your shipment is arriving separately. And because Vietnamese clearance of relocation goods is tied to your immigration paperwork, a delay in your work permit or TRC delays your shipment clearance too, even once the goods have physically arrived.

Reverse direction: Vietnam back to Germany

Moving back the other way largely mirrors this guide: you would deregister any Vietnamese residence/visa status, obtain Vietnamese export clearance for your goods, and then, on arrival in the EU, Germany’s Zoll allows duty-free import of removal goods (Übersiedlungsgut) for people who have maintained their normal residence outside the EU customs territory for at least twelve months, declared on Form 0350 and cleared within twelve months of taking up German residence again (Zoll — Transferring residence). You would also re-register your address with the Bürgeramt (Anmeldung) and re-establish German tax residency.

How Flyto handles your Germany to Vietnam move

Flyto runs its own offices, warehouses, crews and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, so the German collection, packing and export side of your move — including the Zoll export filing — is handled in-house rather than handed off blind. For the ocean leg and the Vietnam side, we work through a carefully vetted network of freight partners and subcontractors, plus trusted local partners on the ground in Vietnam who manage customs clearance, quarantine coordination for pets, and final delivery — so you get direct European accountability combined with genuine local expertise where it matters most.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Vietnamese visa before I can ship my household goods?
You don’t need it to pack and export from Germany, but Vietnamese import clearance of your goods is tied to your immigration status, so get your visa/work permit/TRC process moving well before your shipment is due to arrive (Vietnam Immigration Department).

Does deregistering in Germany automatically end my German tax liability?
No — deregistration (Abmeldung) is a residency-registration step, not a tax filing. Unlimited tax liability ends when you genuinely give up your German residence and habitual abode, and certain German-source income can remain taxable afterward (Bundesministerium der Finanzen).

Can I bring my dog or cat without a lengthy quarantine?
Usually yes. A healthy pet with a microchip, valid vaccinations, a completed quarantine-dossier registration and correctly translated documentation is typically inspected and cleared quickly on arrival rather than held for an extended quarantine period — but confirm the current process with your airline or a pet-relocation agent, since Vietnam’s quarantine rules are updated from time to time.

How much cash can I carry across each border?
Declare €10,000+ leaving Germany, and USD 5,000 (or VND 15 million) or more entering or leaving Vietnam (Zoll; Vietnam Trade Portal).

Can I ship my car to Vietnam?
In practice, no — Vietnam restricts personal import of used vehicles to specific categories such as diplomatic staff, and ordinary relocating residents cannot realistically clear one. Sell or return your car in Germany instead.

How long does the sea shipment actually take?
The fastest scheduled sailing from Hamburg into the Ho Chi Minh City area (Phu My) runs about 31 days port-to-port by industry estimate; routings with extra transshipments take longer. That’s before adding German export/ATLAS processing time and Vietnamese customs clearance on arrival — build extra buffer around the shipping estimate itself (Fluent Cargo).

Sources

• Zoll — Transferring residence
• Zoll — Übersiedlungsgut (Voraussetzungen)
• Zoll — Formen der Zollanmeldung
• Zoll — Anmelde-/Anzeigepflicht Barmittel bei Ausreise in Drittländer
• Gesetze im Internet — Bundesmeldegesetz §17 (Anmeldung, Abmeldung)
• Bundesministerium der Finanzen — Wegzugsbesteuerung / §6 AStG
• BMLEH — Reisen mit Heimtieren: Hunde, Katzen und Frettchen
• Vietnam Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security)
• Vietnam Trade Portal (MOIT) — Import customs procedure
• Vietnam Trade Portal — Legal document (Circular 15/2011/TT-NHNN, cash declaration)
• Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Washington DC — Entry and Exit Procedures
• Fluent Cargo — Hamburg to Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My) freight route data (industry estimate)