Starting on Tuesday 29 December, all those coming from another Member State of the European Union or the Schengen Region in the Netherlands would be obliged to send a document showing that they had been screened for COVID-19 during the last 72 hours prior to their arrival and had a negative result.
The Dutch government has confirmed the decision, adding that the new provision applies to Dutch nationals as well as to other EU and Schengen nationals.
'If a passenger is unable to obtain a negative test result, he is not allowed to fly to the Netherlands and is not permitted to board an airplane or ferry,' the government states in a press release outlining the new condition.
Test findings in five languages will be recognized by the authorities: English, German, French, Spanish or Dutch. The test must be either a molecular PCR test or a SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 test, as no other forms of tests are approved.
The record must include the first and last name of the passenger, as shown in their passport, the date and time of the examination, as well as the results. The name and contact details of the laboratory where the test was performed must also be included.
Only arrivals from Iceland, as the latter is currently considered a safe country by the Dutch authorities, will be exempted from the measure.
The following groups of arrivals would also be excluded from the measure.
- Children aged twelve and younger
- People from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China, countries on the EU list of safe countries (subject to confirmation of reciprocity)
- Cross-border passengers (including students and school children)
- Diplomatic identification cardholders issued by the Dutch Foreign Ministry
- Holders of non-Dutch diplomatic passports
- Dutch holders of diplomatic passports who are traveling as part of their work
- Heads of state and international government representatives
- Persons who work in the transport sector of goods and other important transportation staff
- Seafarers who keep the log book of a seaman, traveling as part of their work
- Air passengers on flights that do not have a destination at a Dutch airport but are obligated to land at a Dutch airport due to unexpected circumstances.
- Passengers who hold a NATO Travel Order or a visa for NATO-2
At the same time, those arriving in the Netherlands on international intercity trains are also excluded from the ban and coaches are not expected to present a negative test result.
'Currently, people arriving by car in the Netherlands do not need to present a negative test result,' the government points out.
It also states that no alternative for self-quarantining is a negative test outcome. Individuals with a negative test outcome should still be self-quarantined in the Netherlands for 10 days upon entry.
Arrivals with positive, delayed or no outcomes from tests
The authorities have clarified what would happen when arrivals fail to submit a paper on the results of their tests upon arrival, or for those who have tested positive and have traveled to the Netherlands anyway.
Although the government needs travelers to send the results of a test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival, anyone whose travel is delayed without fault will be extended to 96 hours for this duration.
"This provides an additional 24 hours for the rider. "The passenger is responsible for proving that the time limit was exceeded because of a delay that was not their own fault," states the government.
If an air passenger does not have a negative test result before departure, he/she will not fly to the Netherlands and he/she may not be allowed to board the aircraft.
They won't be able to fly anywhere, including to the Netherlands, according to those who tested positive for COVID-19. This refers to Dutch nationals as well.
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