The Netherlands to reinstate entry ban for Morocco

News item | 12-08-2020 | 16:52

Among other things, the number of new infections was examined within this context, as in the case of Serbia, Montenegro and Algeria. This number must be lower than the European average of 15 June per 100,000 inhabitants during the previous 14 days. The overall response to COVID-19 within the country in question is also considered. This consideration includes the number of coronavirus tests carried out, source and contact tracing as well as control measures. Health organisations such as the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, RIVM) provide the necessary information.

However, the travel restrictions that were lifted on 1 July will not be reimposed for travellers with permanent residence in the following countries: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The entry ban will be lifted for travellers arriving from China as soon as China itself starts admitting EU citizens.

For all non-essential travel to Europe by persons from other third countries (countries other than the EU+ region), the current entry restriction will remain in place so as to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As a result, people who do not have permanent residence in a country on the green list referred to above and who are not exempted from the travel restriction will not be able to enter the Netherlands.

The first category of exemptions is not subject to a quarantine obligation, while the second category of exemptions is urgently advised to quarantine at home.

Exemption categories not subject to the urgent recommendation for home quarantine:

• healthcare professionals;
• cross-border commuters if they are travelling for work;
• people working in the goods transport sector and other transport personnel, to the extent necessary. This category includes container ships, bulk carriers (e.g. ore or coal), tankers (fuels and chemicals), fisheries, people working in the energy sector (i.e. oil and gas rigs, wind farms as well as offshore companies providing services to this industry) and flight crew;
• transit passengers who are travelling via the Netherlands or another Schengen country to another third country;
• seafarers with a seaman’s record book (apart from those on commercial yachts and pleasure craft);
• diplomats, if they are travelling for work;
• members of the armed forces if they are travelling for work;
• staff of international organisations and humanitarian aid workers;
• people with compelling reasons to visit their family. This is only possible in exceptional cases, such as visiting a terminally ill family member or attending a funeral. Family member is understood here to mean a first- or second-degree family member. Partners and children are first-degree family members, and grandchildren are second-degree.

Exemption categories subject to an urgent recommendation for home quarantine:

• EU citizens (including UK nationals) and their family members, including people covered by the temporary arrangement for partners in long-distance relationships;
• nationals of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, Vatican City and Andorra as well as their family members;
• third-country nationals with a residence card or residence permit in accordance with Directive 2003/109/EC (the Long-Term Residents Directive) and their family members;
• third-country nationals who derive their right of residence from other European directives or from the national law of a Member State and their family members;
• people with a long-stay visa, including people with a temporary residence permit (machtiging voor voorlopig verblijf, MVV);
• people in need of international protection. The border procedure shall apply in full;
• people admitted for humanitarian reasons;
• students with a letter of notification from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, IND);
• highly skilled migrants with a letter of notification from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service or with a Dutch work permit.

You find out more about the travel restriction for the Netherlands at:

• the Visiting the Netherlands page on government.nl;
• the Q&A on Travel restrictions for the Netherlands (EU travel ban) page on netherlandsandyou.nl.