Accordance with UN sanctions

The only import restrictions of general application are those imposed in
accordance with UN sanctions. Otherwise, there is a special licensing procedure
for certain specific types of goods, mostly military equipment and drugs.

Some import quotas are imposed by the EU (e.g. For textiles), and these are also
applied by Germany, which issues licences freely until the quota is filled.
Products whose sale is prohibited in Germany can sometimes be imported, but
they will not be cleared through customs and will therefore have to be re-
exported. Since the EU member states constitute a single European market,
deliveries to and from Germany and other EU countries do not qualify as
imports or exports. Within the EU there are no longer any border controls of
any description or any customs duties or other restrictions on intra-union
traffic apart from certain minor formalities for travellers.

The terms “export”
and “import” therefore technically now only refer to trade between Germany
and non-EU countries.