Netherlands eliminates or relaxes travel warnings to 8 more countries

The Dutch travel advisories for several European countries and regions will be relaxed or altogether lifted starting on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. Warnings issued for Iceland, Poland and Romania will be scrapped, with the advisory level being dropped from the cautious yellow level down to green, indicating there is no cause for concern.

The regions for which the travel advice has been reduced from code orange down to yellow are Cyprus, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. Additionally, all of Croatia will be brought down to yellow with the exception of the northern Sjeverna Hrvatska region, as will the South Aegean islands in Greece.

Following the recent change, the Netherlands has given its approval for residents to travel to 20 countries.

"The adjustment of the travel advice to 'yellow' means that holiday trips are no longer discouraged. Travelers no longer have to show a negative test on their return to the Netherlands and do not have to be quarantined," the ministry stated. "But beware, some countries that are on yellow or green impose entry restrictions."

Travelers from the Netherlands are asked to check entry regulations in their country of choice to make sure they would be able to travel. Furthermore, it remains important that travelers prepare well and that they remain informed of developments during their stay and upon return, the government stated.

The public health agency RIVM announced on Tuesday that travelers returning from Portugal and the Spanish islands should take a Covid-19 test as a precaution. A significant number of Dutch youngsters who celebrated their graduation at those destinations are asked to get tested even if they are not experiencing the symptoms of the disease. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decides on travel advice for European countries on the basis of advice from RIVM and after consultation with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.