The Netherlands has had one of the strictest restrictions in place for travel to the country and its citizens and residents; what can be done once inside. The country, however, is rapidly reopening for travel.
The country will open for travelers from the US, Albania, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Serbia & Taiwan on June 24, 2021. No vaccination or PCR-RT, or other tests required.
You can access the Netherlands list for allowed countries here.
Here’s the current list:
Safe countries with a low COVID-19 risk
A safe country is a country where the risk of contracting COVID-19 is low. If you live in a safe country, you may travel to the Netherlands. The EU travel ban does not apply to you. It does not matter what your nationality or the purpose of your trip is. Countries that are not on the list of safe countries are considered high-risk areas.
No negative test result or self-quarantine required
If you are coming from a country where the risk of contracting COVID-19 is low (a safe country) you do not need to show a negative test result when you travel to the Netherlands. You are also not required to self-quarantine when you arrive in the Netherlands.
Safe countries with a low COVID-19 risk
Safe countries outside the EU/Schengen area
- Albania (from 24 June onwards)
- Australia
- China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau). Only if China lifts entry restrictions on European travellers.
- Israel
- Japan
- Lebanon (from 24 June onwards)
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia (from 24 June onwards)
- Rwanda
- San Marino
- Serbia (from 24 June onwards)
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Taiwan (from 24 June onwards)
- Thailand
- United States (from 24 June onwards)
- Vatican City
Safe countries/regions within the EU/Schengen area
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Croatia, apart from the Sjeverna Hrvatska region including Zagreb
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Finland
- France: the island Corsica only
- Germany
- Greece: the South Aegean Region
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy, including Sicily
- Greece: the North Aegean Region and the Ionian Islands Region only
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Norway
- Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira)
- Poland
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Spain: the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands only
- Switzerland
Safe countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands
-
Aruba
-
Bonaire
-
Curaçao
-
Saba
-
St Eustatius
-
St Maarten
The situation in the Netherlands is still challenging:
Netherlands reopening plan:
Steps of the reopening plan
The government intends to open up society over a period of 3 months. So that nearly everything will be allowed again in the summer, although sometimes subject to certain conditions. As a precautionary measure, everyone should keep following the basic rules in order to prevent the virus from spreading. There are 5 steps.
Step 1
The first step was taken on 28 April 2021. On that date, shops and outdoor seating areas at restaurants and cafés were allowed to reopen. And the curfew was lifted.
Step 2
The second step was taken on 19 May. On that date, gyms and music schools were allowed to reopen. And visits to amusement parks, open air museums and open air theatres were permitted once more.
Step 3
The third step was taken on 5 June. From that date, restaurants, cafés and cultural institutions were allowed to reopen, the maximum number of visitors at home was raised from 2 to 4, and groups as large as 4 people were allowed.
Step 4
The fourth step of the reopening plan will include raising the maximum number of visitors at home from 4 to 8 and allowing groups as large as 8 people. The conditions for allowing restaurants and cafés to open will be relaxed further. Events will once more be permitted, subject to certain conditions. Opportunities to take part in sport will be expanded further. And restrictions on cultural institutions will be further relaxed. This step will be taken no earlier than 30 June. The government will decide on 22 June whether step 4 can be taken.
Step 5
The lifting of measures such as the advice to work from home, the maximum size for groups, the requirement to wear a face mask in certain locations, pre-admission testing and the other basic rules has been established as step 5. As yet, no date has been determined for this step.
Conclusion
Suppose you first spend some time in the Netherlands and plan to visit other countries within Schengen/EU. In that case, there may be test or vaccination restrictions and internal border controls in place because the country’s Covid-19 infection rates are high.
It is good nevertheless to see countries opening up for incoming foreign travel without any requirements.
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Friendly advise: you may want to skip the Netherlands as their PCR test are above 100 Euros!!
It also pretty boring there…
You think that’s expensive.. Regular private rate in canada at your average pharmacy is $200, some are charging $250 or more. (200 cad is about 135.74 euro dollars)
We do have a free test with out healthcare system, but the government are telling people they aren’t allowed to use that one for travel purposes.
You can get PCR tests for about 70 euro now, 24h turnaround guaranteed, pricing has been going down fast!
Lebanon???
They are surging like crazy – even my barber from Abu Dhabi got it (and all his family) when he went home 3 weeks ago for a Holy Communion.
What a load of nonsense!!
Yea really not a fan of this new insane idea many countries have that they can just ignore the previous decades long, well negotiated agreements with other countries to let their nationals travel visa free , and make up these utter bullshit new lists.. With a horrible excuse of “because corona”. Whatever one person or small committee decided this should not have such power, they are not diplomats and did not put in the months/years of efforts that our countries did to come to this arrangement.
The cases in Canada for example are insanely low now and obviously we took some of the most extreme measures against it and some of the highest vaccination rates.. Yet not on the list, despite normally being able to go there visa free.
Yet america is on there, #1 top country for cases and obviously handled it the worst of any, not really ever caring about it much at all. Obviously only on the lists due to there military power / fear of reprisal.
Not that canada itself is being any nicer to the netherlands, or any other country in the world doing this crap, but at least we are just doing a stupid blanket “no one can come” rather than picking and choosing seemingly randomly or whatever the person who decides is in the mood for, like they are picking teams for there high school basketball scrimmage. Ludicrous.
Some quick examples:
Canada active cases atm: 11,457 . Population: 37.59million. Percent infected: 0.0304%
Thailand active cases: 33,000, Population: 69.63 million. Percent infected:0.0474%
Lebanon cases: 6,000, Population: 6.856million . Percent infected: 0.0875%
USA cases: A shitload. %: no one really tests or cares about it anymore so you can’t give any meaningful statistics.
Source: https://www.worldometers.info / google for pop (most population figures are from 2019, so actual % rates likely lower)
Fact is no country should be doing stupid lists like this. If they had any brains at all, simply open or close the border to all , and the list is the same list it’s always been, the visa free list.. With the obvious optional requirement of vaccines or tests. (not both) Don’t let one person / small committee that clearly bad at math decide based on stupid statistics or any other nonsense.