Amsterdam: The Dutch government is changing its policy on travelling within the European Union (EU) which come into effect from Tuesday (July 27).
The amended policy on travel creates more certainty and clarity for people who want to travel within the EU. Download the BZ Travel App and add destination country to favourites in order to receive the latest travel advice.
All of the other 26 nations will be coded green or yellow, including those that are currently oranges such as Spain, Cyprus, Portugal and Andorra. It means visitors will no longer run the risk of needing to go into quarantine if a country they are staying in suddenly changes colour.
However, as of 8 August, 2021 travellers aged 12 and older need to show a COVID certificate if they are returning to the Netherlands from an EU country that has been designated as yellow. People who have been fully vaccinated or who have recovered from a coronavirus infection can show this using the CoronaCheck app. Other travellers must get tested abroad no more than 48 hours (PCR test) or 24 hours (antigen test) before returning to the Netherlands. They may only enter the Netherlands with a negative test result. People who are not travelling in their own vehicle will have to show a COVID certificate before boarding. This can be a negative test result, proof of vaccination or proof of recovery. There are no measures for travellers returning from green countries.
People who arrive in the Netherlands, even if they have been fully vaccinated, are advised to get tested. People travelling from yellow countries who have not yet been fully vaccinated and have not had coronavirus are urgently advised to do a self-test or get tested for free at the municipal health service (GGD) on day 2 and day 5 after their arrival in the Netherlands. People travelling to the Netherlands from other EU member states are not required to quarantine on arrival unless there is a variant of concern in the country they have been in.
Individuals who are unable to produce a covid certificate or QR code when they cross the border risks a €95 fine. Mobile teams will be carrying out spot checks at road crossings. Dutch tourists also face restrictions in other countries because of the Netherlands’ high infection rate. From Tuesday (July 27) unvaccinated travellers to Germany will have to spend 10 days in quarantine unless they leave again within 24 hours, while those going to Bulgaria will have to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative PCR test.
The government is extending the ban on all multi-day events until 31 August 2021. The ban applies to multi-day events that include overnight stays, for which visitors would have required a coronavirus entry pass.
On 13 August the government will make a decision on one-day events due to take place between 14 August and 1 September, based on advice from the Outbreak Management Team (OMT).
