Netherlands: Officials to enhance international travel restrictions from Dec. 22 /update 54

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Officials have updated international travel requirements for persons arriving from outside of the EU/Schengen. From Dec. 22, travelers from outside of this bloc may only travel to the Netherlands if they have a negative COVID-19 test with them. This applies to travelers with a vaccination or recovery certificate. The test must be a NAAT PCR up to 48 hours old or an antigen test up to 24 hours old. From Dec. 22, travelers with a vaccination or recovery certificate will also be quarantined for 10 days if they come from a very high-risk area. The UK is included on this list. The quarantine can be ended with a negative COVID-19 test on day 5. For further details, click here. Additional exemptions to the restrictions are available by clicking here.

Authorities in the Netherlands previously announced new lockdown measures aimed at containing the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19. Under the new directives, nonessential businesses - including restaurants, bars, gyms, entertainment venues, and shops - are mandated to remain closed from Dec. 19 until Jan. 14. Schools and universities are slated to be closed from Dec. 20 until Jan. 9. Essential stores - including supermarkets, pet shops, and wholesalers, among others - may remain open 05:00-20:00, and providers of essential services may operate during regular business hours. Outdoor sports facilities may operate 05:00-17:00; individuals aged 18 and older may play sports alone or in groups of two outdoors.

Additionally, until at least Jan. 14, officials are urging individuals to remain home as much as possible, including working from home unless impossible; outside of home, people in the Netherlands are advised to stay at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) away from others. Authorities have also imposed strict limits on gatherings, generally permitting only two people aged 13 and older to visit homes and congregate outdoors. Four visitors to homes are allowed Dec. 24-26 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1. Such visits are limited to one household per day. Public events are prohibited, except for funerals, weekly markets selling groceries, and professional sports competitions, which are to be held without spectators.

Domestic Measures
Other previously implemented domestic measures and advice remain in place, including rules regarding wearing a facemask in enclosed public spaces, self-testing before visiting others, self-isolating if exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, and adhering to social distancing measures.

Wearing a facemask is generally required in public indoor spaces, including while on public transport and at public transport facilities. Most places where a coronavirus entry pass is required are closed effective Dec. 19.

For more information on Dutch measures imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19, click here.

International Travel Restrictions
Dutch authorities classify countries as low risk, high risk, or very high risk based on the local COVID-19 situation and accordingly apply differential travel restrictions. International travel restrictions also differ for individuals traveling between the Netherlands and other EU/Schengen Area countries and those traveling between the Netherlands and countries outside the EU/Schengen Area. Regardless of travel origin, all individuals aged 12 and older who are traveling to the Netherlands must present a completed health declaration form before boarding their flight to the country; to access the form, click here.

Travelers arriving from low-risk locations in the EU/Schengen Area may enter the Netherlands without restrictions. In general, travelers arriving from locations outside the EU/Schengen Area or from within a high-risk area in the EU/Schengen Area are required to present a negative result from a pre-departure COVID-19 test to enter the Netherlands; these individuals may present either a negative result from a molecular test (e.g., PCR, RT-PCR, LAMP, TMA, or mPOCT) taken no more than 48 hours before departure for the Netherlands or a negative result from an antigen test taken no more than 24 hours before departure. Some exemptions to this pre-travel testing requirement apply, including for individuals traveling to the Netherlands from another EU state who possess proof of vaccination against or recovery from COVID-19. Non-EU travelers with proof of vaccination are also exempt from the pre-travel testing requirement.

Tighter restrictions are in place for travelers arriving from very high-risk areas where there is a virus variant of concern. Notably, passenger flights from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa are banned through at least Dec. 22; limited exemptions to the flight ban are in place, including for Dutch nationals and registered foreign nationals, as well as for EU/Schengen Area residents transiting the Netherlands to their country of residence. Nigeria is also considered a very high-risk country. To enter the Netherlands, individuals arriving from these countries are generally required to present a negative result from a molecular test taken no more than 24 hours before departure or both a negative result from a molecular test taken no more than 48 hours before departure and a negative result from an antigen test taken no more than 24 hours before departure. These pre-travel testing requirements apply to all permitted travelers, including individuals who have been fully vaccinated against or have recovered from COVID-19. Travelers arriving from very high-risk locations must self-quarantine for 10 days upon arrival; individuals may exit quarantine upon receipt of a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken on the fifth day of isolation.

For more information on traveling to the Netherlands from abroad, click here.

Authorities could reimpose, extend, further ease, or otherwise amend any restrictions with little-to-no notice depending on disease activity over the coming weeks.

Advice

Follow all official instructions. Abide by national health and safety measures. Reconfirm all travel arrangements. Consider delaying traveling if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny and delays. Liaise with trusted contacts for further updates and guidance. Maintain contact with your diplomatic representation. Ensure contingency plans account for further disruptive measures or extensions of current restrictions.

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