The Netherlands has issued updated travel restrictions. South African travellers, and those from other non-EU States may now enter, as long as they are fully vaccinated.
Travellers must present a valid certificate of full vaccination against COVID-19 with an approved vaccine to enter the country. They will then be exempt from the quarantine requirement.
The final dose of the approved vaccine must have been administered at least 14 days before departure, or 28 days if vaccinated with the single-dose Janssen (J&J) vaccine. All vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency or the World Health Organization are accepted.
Travellers from outside the EU may provide their vaccination certificate in paper format – the Netherlands Government website here says: “If you do not have an (EU) Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) and/or are a resident of a country outside the EU and the Schengen area, you can in most cases enter the Netherlands using paper proof of vaccination.”
Unvaccinated travellers may still enter the Netherlands – these travellers must be European citizens or, if not, must be travelling for “essential reasons” – ie students, key workers and those travelling on business that cannot be conducted remotely. Non-vaccinated travellers may not enter the Netherlands for tourism purposes.
A full list of exemptions can be found at https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/visiting-the-netherlands-from-abroad/exemptions-to-the-entry-ban/eu-entry-ban-exemption-categories
Unvaccinated travellers are required to self-quarantine for 10 days on arrival and a quarantine declaration form must be completed before departure.
All travellers must complete the quarantine declaration form beforehand, even if an exemption (such as being fully vaccinated) applies.
All travellers need proof of a negative NAAT test (this group of tests includes include PCR, RT-PCR, LAMP, TMA, and mPOCT) taken within the previous 48 hours, which must be presented on departure. Alternatively, a negative rapid test (antigen or PCR) can be presented, taken within 24 hours of departure.
Those who have recently recovered from COVID-19 are exempt from testing requirements and may provide on departure, proof of a positive antigen or PCR test taken at least 14 days before departure and not more than 12 months.
A 'traveller public health declaration' must be completed before departure.
A COVID certificate (EU Digital Certificate) as proof of vaccination, negative test result, or previous recovery (issued in the EU) may be required to access some facilities or larger events. Full details can be found at https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/covid-certificate
