The Netherlands has lifted the quarantine restrictions on all arrivals from high-risk countries—including the United States and the United Kingdom—as the country plans to reopen travel in 2022.
The Dutch government said: “From February 25, 2022, people traveling from very high-risk countries are no longer required by law to self-quarantine on arrival.”
The New Entry Restrictions
From February 25, 2022, travelers from all high-risk countries don’t have to quarantine upon arrival. Currently, all non-EU nations—other than the following list of nations—are in the high-risk category:
- Bahrain
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Hong Kong
- Indonesia
- Kuwait
- Macau
- New Zealand
- Peru
- Qatar
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uruguay
As a result, all travelers from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have to quarantine upon arrival in The Netherlands.
The quarantine will remain effective for all travelers from these nations until February 25. Travelers can currently shorten their quarantine to 5 days if they take a PCR test on day 5. However, travelers will have to continue their quarantine if they test positive.
However, travelers will need to provide evidence that they’ve recovered from COVID-19 or they’ve been fully vaccinated to skip quarantine from February 25. In addition, fully vaccinated travelers who are over 12 and arriving in The Netherlands via plane, ferry, car, train, or bus must show either:
- A negative PCR test result (taken no more than 48 hours before departure.)
- A negative antigen test result (taken no more than 24 hours before departure.)
Proof of vaccination is only valid if you’ve received your last vaccine dose under 270 days ago. If your last vaccine dose was more than 270 days prior to travel, you’ll need a booster shot to be classified as fully vaccinated. From February 2, travelers who received their booster shot 7 days before traveling to The Netherlands won’t have to quarantine.
Although The Netherlands is decreasing its travel restrictions, it’s still far stricter than most of Europe. Many nations—including the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, and Greece—have ended all testing requirements for vaccinated tourists.
The COVID-19 Situation In The Netherlands
The Netherlands currently has recorded cases of COVID-19, with a current 7-day average of 62,841. However, cases are slowly decreasing as Omicron subsides. Since early 2021, The Netherlands has fully vaccinated 89.3% of its population.
The Current Internal Restrictions
Before traveling to a nation in early 2022, it’s essential to know the internal restrictions. Although some countries are relaxing border restrictions, they still have challenging internal restrictions that spoil the travel experience.
The Netherlands enforces face masks on all public transport for anyone who’s over 13. Failure to comply with these measures can cause a 95 euro fine.
The Dutch government advises anyone traveling via private car to wear a face mask. What’s more, the Dutch government advises against fabric or homemade masks.
The Netherlands still enforces a 1.5-meter social distancing law on all citizens. And, until today, the country had a 10 pm curfew in bars, restaurants, cafes, theaters, and music venues. As of today, they’ve extended this curfew to 1 am. So it’s still not back to normal.
Everyone over the age of 13 must show a coronavirus entry pass to enter most indoor venues, such as zoos, museums, restaurants, amusement parks, and theaters. The coronavirus entry pass is proof of vaccination, proof of recovery, or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours of entry.
These COVID-19 rules, by current European standards, are very strict. Most of Europe has removed these restrictions. This is something travelers should consider if they’re currently planning on visiting The Netherlands.
