Getting proof of vaccination after being vaccinated outside the Netherlands

Booster vaccinations administered abroad cannot be registered with your family doctor. By law, family doctors can only register vaccinations they have administered themselves. Moreover, family doctors are unable to access the systems needed for correct registration of vaccinations administered abroad. 

If you are an EU citizen and you were vaccinated in the European Union you are entitled to a Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) from the country where you were vaccinated.

If you were vaccinated outside the EU and do not have proof, you cannot apply for proof of vaccination in the Netherlands. In this case you can only get a COVID Certificate with a negative test result or proof of recovery.

If you have been fully vaccinated or have received a booster vaccination in an EU country, the country you were vaccinated in will give you proof of vaccination. You can use this for:

• travel; and
• the coronavirus entry pass system within the Netherlands.

If you are having difficulties using proof of vaccination issued by another EU country, you can have your vaccination registered in the Netherlands. You will then be issued with paper proof of vaccination (coronavirus entry pass) for use in the Netherlands. Currently, it is not possible to retrieve this information from the CoronaCheck app. We are taking steps to make this possible. Please note: it is not possible to generate a COVID Certificate for international travel. 

Conditions for registration in the Netherlands

You can have a vaccination done in another EU country registered in the Netherlands if:

• you are a Dutch national; or
• you live in the Netherlands; or
• you were vaccinated in Aruba, Curaçao or St Maarten.

Call for an appointment in Utrecht, Groningen or Rotterdam

Make an appointment by calling +31 30 800 2899.  If other people in your family want to have their vaccination registered at the same time, you will need to make an appointment for each individual and you must all appear in person.

You will be sent the exact address with your appointment confirmation. You will need to take the following documents to your appointment:

• identity document: the details on the identity document must match the ones on your proof of vaccination, and/or
• a document bearing your citizen service number (BSN): only if your BSN is not on your identity document. If you do not have a BSN, you must show proof that you are a Dutch national or that you live in the Netherlands. For instance, an employer’s declaration or a declaration of enrolment from your educational institution; and
• proof of vaccination issued in the country where you were vaccinated that meets the requirements for proof of vaccination.

If you have been fully vaccinated in a country outside the EU, you can have your vaccination registered in the Netherlands if at least one of the following applies to you:

• you are a Dutch national;
• you live in the Netherlands;
• you were vaccinated in Aruba, Curaçao or St Maarten.

If you received one dose outside the EU and one dose in the Netherlands you can also have your vaccination registered.

Call for an appointment in Utrecht, Amsterdam, Groningen or Rotterdam

To register your vaccination you will need to make an appointment by calling +31 30 800 2899. If other people in your family want to have their vaccination registered at the same time, you will need to make an appointment for each individual and you must all appear in person.

You will be sent the exact address with your appointment confirmation. You will need to take the following documents to your appointment:

• identity document: the details on the identity document must match the ones on your proof of vaccination, and/or
• a document bearing your citizen service number (BSN): only if your BSN is not on your identity document. If you do not have a BSN, you must show proof that you are a Dutch national or that you live in the Netherlands. For instance, an employer’s declaration or a declaration of enrolment from your educational institution; and

• proof of vaccination issued in the country where you were vaccinated that meets the requirements for proof of vaccination.

Uploading your EU COVID Certificate to CoronaCheck

You can then upload your EU COVID Certificate in CoronaCheck. This will mean you can prove throughout the EU – including The Netherlands – that you have been vaccinated.

If you are unable to upload your proof of vaccination in CoronaCheck

If you were vaccinated abroad and received proof of vaccination via the method described here, but are unable to upload your proof of vaccination in CoronaCheck, follow the steps below:

• On the printout with the international QR code you received from the GGD, is the vaccine you received described as ‘Inactivated-SARS-CoV-2-Vero-Cell’?
• If not, contact the CoronaCheck Helpdesk on 0800 1421 for further assistance. Or if you are calling from abroad: +31 70 750 37 20.
• If your vaccine is recorded as such, is it listed as BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) or CoronaVac (Sinovac) on your original proof of vaccination?
  • If so, you have unfortunately been issued with an incorrect proof of vaccination. Please make a new appointment with the GGD in Utrecht, Amsterdam, Rotterxdam or Groningen by calling + 31 30 800 28 99. You will then be issued with a new proof of vaccination that you can upload.
  • If not, you have unfortunately been issued with an incorrect proof of vaccination. You cannot be issued with proof of vaccination for use in the Netherlands due to the vaccine you received. This is because your vaccine is not on the list of vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Please complete the form to see if you can be vaccinated in The Netherlands on the website of the Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM.nl) .

Other options: proof of recovery or negative test result

If you are unable to come to Utrecht, Amsterdam, Groningen or Rotterdam but wish to travel abroad or attend an event, you can generate a COVID Certificate for travel or a  COVID Certificate to attend an event using proof of recovery or a negative test result. 

See also: 

• Visiting The Netherlands and attending an activity

Dutch vaccinations recognised in all EU countries

All EU countries must accept vaccination with EMA-approved vaccines, even if a country hasn’t used that vaccine itself.

Vaccination recognition by a non-EU country

The Netherlands has no influence on the requirements that non-EU countries set for vaccinations and proof of vaccination.

If you received your first dose in another EU country, you can  get your second dose in the Netherlands if you live in the Netherlands or are a Dutch national by filling in a form (RIVM.nl). You should indicate that you had your first dose abroad. You can upload your proof of vaccination to obtain a COVID Certificate via CoronaCheck after your second dose.

You can now obtain proof of vaccination via CoronaCheck, even if this option wasn’t yet available when you received your second dose in The Netherlands.

If you received your first dose in a non-EU country, you can contact the Municipal Health Service (GGD) vaccination information line on +31 (0)88 767 4080. Medical advisers will speak to you and inform you whether you are eligible to receive another dose in the Netherlands and, if so, will help you make an appointment straight away. You can upload your proof of vaccination to obtain a COVID Certificate via CoronaCheck after your second dose.

If you received your second dose in another EU country, you can obtain a Digital COVID Certificate in that country.

The EU country where you got your third dose will issue you with a Digital COVID Certificate (DCC).

You can contact the Municipal Health Service (GGD) vaccination information line on +31 (0)88 767 4080. Medical advisers will speak to you and inform you whether you are eligible to receive one or two doses in the Netherlands and, if so, will help you make an appointment straight away.  

You can contact the Municipal Health Service (GGD) vaccination information line on +31 (0)88 767 4080. Medical advisers will speak to you and inform you whether you are eligible to receive an approved vaccine in the Netherlands and, if so, will help you make an appointment straight away.  

In Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba paper certificates are used because most residents do not have a citizen service number (BSN). You can request a COVID Certificate from the organisation that vaccinated you. You can add your paper COVID Certificate in the CoronaCheck app or on CoronaCheck.nl.

Residents of Aruba, Curaçao or St Maarten can contact the local authorities with any questions about travelling and obtaining proof of vaccination.

You can apply for a DigiD when you live abroad. Once you have your DigiD you can log in and obtain a vaccination certificate via CoronaCheck.

You can apply for a DigiD when you live abroad. Once you have your DigiD you can log in and obtain proof of your first vaccine dose via CoronaCheck. You can show this to the health authority abroad to arrange your second dose.