COVID-19 Update | Specific Travel Information

Corona News Update 8 November 2020
– Written by Bart Swinkels –

Hey everyone! As I’ve heard some concerns about travelling home for Christmas, I thought it would perhaps be good to clarify the situation as currently is. It is very important to note that the exact list of countries is updated regularly, for more on that please see below. These are the general rules, not specified for students or expats.

Do note I can only provide you with the Dutch side of information, the side of coming in to the Netherlands. It might be the case that your country has restrictions on incoming travels from the Netherlands. Please check those yourself.

Issues with travels can be divided into two distinct categories: European and non-European. I will discuss both as specifically as possible.

European travel

The label European does in this case include
– all EU countries
– the United Kingdom
– Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco and Andorra
– Dutch Caribbean Islands

Coming to the Netherlands from these countries, there are no restrictions on travel itself, and there most likely won’t be any in the foreseeable future.

However, if you travel from a European country to the Netherlands, it might be the case you have to self-quarantine for ten days. The list of countries or specific areas within countries that applies to can be found here. Guidelines on self-quarantining are laid out here too.

Note that this list is updated regularly. The countries or specific areas listed here are updated in line with the current risk of catching Covid as determined by Dutch officials.

For now, most countries have a negative travel recommendation. That does not say anything about how the situation will be around or after Christmas!

 

Non-European travel

From non-European countries, there are restrictions on coming to the Netherlands. This category has many exceptions however, I cannot list all. I recommend strongly to check the Government website on non-European travel to see what applies to your specific situation

Non-European travel, main exceptions

There are some important exceptions that are relevant for most of you. The travel restrictions do not apply if…

– You are a student and have a letter of notification from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) for study, or you have a Dutch residence permit from IND Being able to show either should be sufficient (this will be confirmed later on). You will however have to self-quarantine for ten days.*

– You are a European national (European as defined above), travel itself is not restricted. You will however have to self-quarantine for ten days.*

– You live in a European country (European as defined above), travel itself is not restricted. You will however have to self-quarantine for ten days.*

– You live in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singappore, South Korea, thailand, Uruguay and China. This exception is not based on nationality but on the actual place one lives. Note that this list is no guarantee of the situation next week, but only that what currently applies*.

– You are in a long-term, long distance relationship with someone from the Netherlands, if you can proof a sustainable long-term relationship. Very specific rules apply, to be found below.**

Non-European travel, PCR-tests

This does not apply to travelling to the Netherlands

It might be the case that for your destination country, you need a negative PCR test to be able to enter. You will have to get a commercial test for this, GGD tests are not valid. You will have to get tested some days before your flight/arrival in destination countries.

There are a few options for this, most priced between €125 and €150. This is a brief overview of the options available:

– KLM Health Services. Locations on Schiphol and in The Hague. €129.
– ErasmusUMC Rotterdam. In Erasmus Hospital in Rotterdam. €125. (website in Dutch)
– Vaccinatiesopreis. 12 locations, in/nearby most major student cities. €139. (website in Dutch)

I hope this clarifies the current issues and regulations on travelling to the Netherlands.

—

Some asterisks on non-European travel

As you can see, there are some asterisks. For the specifics of these rules, please do check the government website and the comments as provided below.

* Self quarantining rules do as of October 27th not apply to those travelling from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singappore, South Korea, thailand, Uruguay and China, regardless of nationality. This list can be updated at any moment. For the current list, please check the third drop-down options on this page.

** For the exact rules of long-term, long distance relationships, please see here