Plain た form verb+ごとがあります。is the structure for saying that you have done something (more literally translated it's like "have the experience of doing).

日本料理を食べたことがあります。I have eaten Japanese food.

中国語を勉強したことがありません。I have not studied Chinese.

カナダに住んだことがある。I have lived in Canada (Plain form).

ロシアに住んだことがない。I have not lived in Russia (Plain form).

Here's Tae Kim on the topic: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/genericnouns#Using_to_say_whether_something_has_happened

You will hear the omission of ga and ha in common speech, but it isn't correct grammar. You dont go to English 101 and expect slang to get good grades, either.

Isnt が always used with あります? Apart from question form?

If not ga, you would need ha, but I can't remember exactly why right now :/

this structure is always -たごとがある。to make ある past tense would be like saying you used to have had the experience of having gone to germany and france, but you no longer do, which is impossible (at least, not without time machines to go back and change the past). hth

because the original sentence does not have this type of "incoplete list of things や”

If the original sentence were "I've been to places like Germany and France", then your translation would be right.

When you use や to list some things, it's an incomplete list. When you use と, its a complete list.

more examples:

ヨーロッパに行きました。ドイツやフランスに行ったことがあります。

I've been to europe。I've been to countries like France and Germany. (this implies, that you also visited more countries, but do not bother to list them all)

ヨーロッパに行きました。ドイツとフランスに行ったことがあります。

I've been to europe. I've been to France and Germany. A complete list of two things, does not imply, that there are more countries that you visited.