Your concern is the Passport Control/Immigration line, which, depending on what time you arrive and how many other non-EU passengers arrive at the same time, can take 15 minutes or 50. Then there's luggage. Are you checking a suitcase or anything else? That could take another 45 minutes or so.

In 2026, going through German customs is usually a very fast process (under 5 minutes), but it is often confused with "Immigration/Passport Control," which takes much longer. After you land at a German airport (like Frankfurt or Munich) and collect your bags, you walk through the "Customs" area. If you have nothing to declare, you walk through the Green Channel, which rarely involves more than a 10-second walk unless you are randomly stopped for a spot check. However, Passport Control (Immigration) is the bottleneck. In 2026, with the mandatory EES (Entry-Exit System) and ETIAS for non-EU citizens, first-time entries involve biometric capture (fingerprints and photos). This can take 30 to 90 minutes during peak morning arrival waves from North America or Asia. If you are an EU citizen or have a registered biometric passport from a "trusted" country, you can use the EasyPASS gates, which cut the immigration time down to about 2 minutes. Once past immigration and baggage claim, the actual "customs" part is almost instantaneous.

For most 2026 travelers landing at hubs like Frankfurt (FRA) or Munich (MUC), the actual "Customs" process (the "Nothing to Declare" green lane) takes less than 30 seconds. You simply walk through a designated corridor after picking up your checked luggage. However, the Immigration (Passport Control) process that happens before you get your bags is what takes time. For non-EU citizens, this can range from 20 minutes to over 2 hours depending on the arrival wave of long-haul flights. In 2026, Germany has fully integrated the EES (Entry/Exit System), which requires first-time visitors to provide fingerprints and a facial scan, adding a few minutes per person. A high-value "pro-tip" for 2026 is that if you are from a country like the US, UK, or Canada, you can often use the EasyPASS (e-gates) at Frankfurt and Munich if you are over 18 and have a biometric passport. This allows you to skip the manual line and clear immigration in about 2-3 minutes, making your arrival in Germany one of the fastest in Europe, provided you don't have prohibited goods like non-EU meat or dairy products in your luggage.