The Dutch government has decided to lift the quarantine requirement that currently applies to arrivals from very high risk countries.
“From February 25, 2022, people traveling from very high-risk areas are no longer required by law to self-quarantine upon arrival,” says the government statement.
According to this statement, from February 25, travelers from very high-risk third countries will no longer be required to follow the self-isolation rule provided they have been fully vaccinated or recovered from the virus.
In addition, it was emphasized that everyone should “to have a negative test result to enter the country”, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The Netherlands’ very high risk list currently includes all non-EU countries except Bahrain, Chile, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait , Macau, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. , Taiwan, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay.
The current quarantine rules which will remain in force until February 25 apply to all travelers arriving in the Netherlands from a very high risk third country, regardless of the vaccination or recovery status of the travellers.
However, as soon as the new regulation comes into force, travelers from third countries will be able to enter the Netherlands without being subject to strict entry measures.
As for travelers from the EU, the authorities explained that they will continue to be able to enter the Netherlands under simplified rules provided that they have been vaccinated, tested or recovered from the virus.
Besides changing the rules for incoming travelers from third countries, the Netherlands has also updated the travel rules for its citizens.
Dutch authorities have revealed that it will now be easier for nationals of the Netherlands to travel abroad as the country will no longer issue travel advisories based entirely on a country’s COVID-19 situation.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs will no longer issue travel advisories based solely on a country’s coronavirus situation. Instead, it will again take into consideration all safety and health risks. This means that traveling outside of Europe will soon become easier,” noted the government.
This means that the Netherlands will update its travel system to include not only the epidemiological situation of a country, but also the vaccination and recovery status of the traveler.
So, since fewer countries will have travel advisories, Dutch citizens will be able to travel under more simplified rules without having to follow the tests or quarantine requirements.
“Fewer countries will have an orange travel advisory, and it will be possible to travel to more places,” Dirk Jan Nieuwenhuis, Director of the Department of Consular Affairs and Visa Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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