Negative Covid test now mandatory for travel to the Netherlands

Passengers aged 13 and up traveling commercially to the Netherlands from nearly any origin point in the world will be required to provide test results showing they do not have an active SARS-CoV-2 infection. The government’s newest measure to reduce coronavirus cases in the Netherlands went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday.

Only PCR tests are acceptable, and the test must have been conducted within 72 hours of arrival in the Netherlands. The rules cover all modes of transportation except arrival by car, though the Dutch government noted that other countries en route to the Netherlands may have different regulations.

Airlines, train companies, ferry services, and bus operators are required to check passengers for the proper documentation before boarding or before crossing the Dutch border. Passengers without the proof of a negative test will either be barred from boarding, or will be forced to disembark at the last stop before entering the Netherlands.

Dutch authorities will carry out random checks on arriving passengers. Anyone entering the Netherlands from a country designated as Code Orange or Code Red will still be told to enter quarantine for ten days. Currently, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given all countries the Orange or Red designation.

There are a handful of exceptions to the rule, including for those who work as cargo operators on a ship, truck drivers on the job, and travelers arriving from a country on the European Union’s safe list. As of December 17, that list included Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.