People Arriving From Countries Outside The EU/Schengen Area Required To Present Negative COVID-19 Test Result 

08-01-2021

People Arriving From Countries Outside The EU/Schengen Area Required To Present Negative COVID-19 Test Result 

As of 00.00 on 29 December people travelling to the Netherlands from a high-risk area outside the EU/Schengen area by air or sea must be able to present a negative COVID-19 test result and a declaration bearing their signature. This requirement was introduced on 15 December for nationals of countries outside the EU/Schengen area. As of 29 December it applies to all passengers, including Dutch nationals and nationals of other EU and Schengen countries. If a passenger is unable to present a negative test result and declaration, they may not travel to the Netherlands and will not be permitted to board the aircraft or ferry.

The requirement does not apply to people coming from a country outside the EU/Schengen area that is on the list of countries deemed ‘safe’ by the EU. This means people coming from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China are currently not required to present a negative test result or declaration.

The EU entry ban and the self-quarantine advice continue to apply. Only travellers who are exempt from the entry ban, either because the country they are coming from is on the EU list of safe countries or because they fall into one of the exemption categories, are permitted to enter the Netherlands. The requirement to present a negative test result and declaration is an additional requirement. People coming from high-risk countries are still urgently advised to self-quarantine immediately on arrival.

Test result and declaration

Passengers must be able to present the following documents:

They must show these documents to the airline or ferry operator before departure. On arrival in the Netherlands they must show them to safety region officials or the Royal Military and Border Police (Koninklijke Marechaussee).

Information that must be provided on the test result

The negative test result must be in English, German, French, Spanish or Dutch. The document must include the following information:

  • Type of test: the test must be a molecular PCR test and must be for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. No other type of test, including a rapid test, is valid;
  • Test result: the test result must be negative (or not detected);
  • Passenger’s first and last name as stated in their passport;
  • Date and time the test was conducted: the test must have been conducted no more than 72 hours prior to the passenger’s arrival in the Netherlands.
  • Name and contact information of the institute or laboratory that conducted the test.

People coming from countries inside the EU/Schengen area are only required to present a negative test result. People coming from countries outside the EU/Schengen area are required to present both a negative test result and a negative test declaration bearing their signature.

Signed declaration must be printed

Passengers must complete and sign a negative test declaration and carry a printed copy with them for the duration of their journey. It is not sufficient for them to present a digital version of the declaration on a smartphone or tablet. A negative test result may however be presented digitally.

Importance of negative test result and declaration

Passengers from high-risk areas pose a risk to the Netherlands because they could potentially import and spread coronavirus. To limit that risk, they must be able to present a negative test result.

Test must have been conducted less than 72 hours before arrival

The time between the moment the test was conducted and the passenger’s arrival in the Netherlands must be no more than 72 hours. The result must be known before the passenger departs for the Netherlands.

Passengers who need a negative COVID-19 test result

From 00.00 on 29 December 2020, passengers are required to present a negative COVID-19 test result and declaration if they:

  • are arriving from a country outside the EU/Schengen area that is not on the EU list of safe countries;
  • are travelling by air or sea;
  • do not fall into one of the exemption categories listed below; and
  • are aged 13 or over.

The requirement to present a negative test declaration applies to people coming from high-risk countries outside the EU/Schengen area. People coming from countries that have been deemed ‘safe’ by the EU do not need to present a negative test declaration. The countries currently on EU list of safe countries are Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China.

Negative COVID-19 test result also needed for transit through Dutch airports

Passengers who arrive at an airport in the Netherlands by air and continue their journey by air without leaving the airport are also required to present a negative test result.

Exceptions to the requirement to present a negative test result

The following people do not need a negative test result:

  • Children under 13;
  • People arriving from countries on the EU list of safe countries;
  • Cross-border commuters (including students and school children);
  • Holders of a diplomatic identity card issued by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
  • Holders of non-Dutch diplomatic passports;
  • Holders of Dutch diplomatic passports, if they are travelling as part of their job, in order to perform their job or after performing their job;
  • Heads of state and members of foreign governments;
  • Individuals who work in the goods transport sector, and other transportation personnel in so far as necessary. This includes lorry drivers and individuals who work on container ships, bulk carriers (e.g. of ore and coal), tankers (fuel and chemicals) and fishing vessels. It also includes individuals who work in the energy sector, including oil and gas platforms and offshore wind farms, offshore companies that provide services to this sector, and air, cruise-ship and ferry crew members if they are travelling in order to perform their job;
  • Seafarers who possess a seaman’s record book if they are travelling as part of their job, in order to perform work or after performing work. This exemption does not apply to seafarers on commercial yachts and pleasure craft;
  • Passengers on flights which do not have a Dutch airport as their destination, but are diverted to a Dutch airport due to unforeseen circumstances.
  • Passengers with a NATO Travel Order or a NATO-2 visum.

Negative test result and arrival in the Netherlands

Test conducted more than 72 hours prior to arrival in the Netherlands due to delay

If travel is delayed through no fault of the passenger, a negative result of a test conducted up to 96 hours before arrival (instead of 72 hours) will be accepted. This gives the passenger an extra 24 hours. The passenger is responsible for proving the time limit was exceeded due to a delay that was no fault of their own.

Passengers without a negative test result

If a ferry or aircraft passenger cannot present a negative test result and declaration before departure, they may not travel to the Netherlands and will not be permitted to board the aircraft or ferry. If on arrival in the Netherlands, a passenger is found not have a negative test result and declaration, the Royal Military and Border Police (Koninklijke Marechaussee) can in some circumstances deny them entry to the Netherlands.

Self-quarantine

A negative test result is not a substitute for self-quarantining. People with a negative test result should still self-quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the Netherlands.

No travel to the Netherlands if test result is positive

If a person has tested positive for COVID-19 they are not allowed to travel anywhere, including to the Netherlands. They must remain in the country they are in until they no longer have symptoms, and they must follow the advice of the local health services. This also applies to Dutch nationals. 

They can travel to the Netherlands only if they no longer have symptoms and they have tested negative for COVID-19.

Negative test result is not a health declaration

Passengers arriving in the Netherlands by air must also have filled in a health declaration. Please note: this is not the same as a negative test declaration, which must be filled in and signed separately.

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