Travelling to the Netherlands: exemptions to the entry ban

Exemptions to the entry ban in the interests of the Dutch economy and society

If you are travelling from a country to which an entry ban applies, and your purpose of travel will have demonstrable value for the Dutch economy and Dutch society, you may come to the Netherlands provided certain conditions are met.

Conditions for business trips to the Netherlands

• The trip is urgent and cannot be postponed until the entry ban has been lifted.
• Your physical presence is required and there is no feasible digital alternative, or the digital alternative does not offer the required level of confidentiality.
• The trip is of vital importance for the Dutch economy.
• You must hold an invitation from a Dutch private or public sector party and your travel dates must be confirmed. The invitation must show that the following conditions have been met:
  • The trip relates to significant confirmed or potential direct foreign investment in the Netherlands which, within three years, will lead to:
    • the creation of at least five new jobs, or
    • investment of at least €500,000 in the Netherlands.
• The trip relates to potential direct foreign investment in the Netherlands that will contribute to:
  • strengthening Dutch innovation capacity, or
  • making the Dutch economy more sustainable, or
  • further digitalisation of the Dutch economy.
• The trip is of major importance to a specific organisation based in the Netherlands:
• The organisation must have at least 10 FTEs and/or an annual turnover of at least €2 million. Exceptions can be made for smaller organisations on the basis of their involvement in socially relevant ground-breaking contributions to research, innovation, sustainability or public health.
• A trip is of major importance if, for example, it is essential to the organisation’s day-to-day operations, the creation or retention of jobs, or the stability or growth of turnover.
• You must also have a recent, official negative COVID-19 test result and a signed and completed negative test declaration. 

Documents required for entry into the Netherlands

If you meet the conditions for admission to the Netherlands for business purposes, you must present the following documents at border control:

• a diplomatic note issued by a Dutch embassy stating that you fall under an exemption to the entry ban
• proof that you have a return ticket and a hotel booking
• a visa, if required
• you must also have a recent, official negative COVID-19 test result and a signed and completed negative test declaration. 

Please note: the above applies only to business travellers from outside the EU, the Schengen area or the United Kingdom who are entering the Netherlands either directly or who are travelling to the Netherlands via another EU member state, another Schengen member state or the UK. Business travellers from within the EU, the Schengen area or the UK can travel to the Netherlands freely. 

10-day self-quarantine

Business travellers must, in principle, self-quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the Netherlands. An exception is made only for activities that are necessary for carrying out the work for which they have travelled to the Netherlands (such as business appointments).

Crew members travelling with business travellers on private aircraft

Crew members of private aircraft are considered to be members of the business delegation. Please be aware that crew members must self-quarantine for 10 days upon arrival in the Netherlands (or for the duration of their stay if staying for 10 days or less). 

Diplomatic note for business travellers transiting through another Schengen country

The following phrase must be added to the diplomatic note if a business traveller is travelling to the Netherlands via another Schengen country:

 ‘The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in [country] would like to request the immigration authorities of other Schengen states to authorise the person mentioned above to enter the Schengen area and board the transfer flight to the Netherlands.’ 

Dutch business travellers

This new policy means foreign business travellers can travel to the Netherlands more easily. Some countries may reciprocate for Dutch business travellers. This means that, if a certain number of business travellers from a given country are allowed to enter the Netherlands, the same number of Dutch business travellers can enter that country. However, this depends on the policy of individual countries. The Dutch government has no influence over this.

Monthly number of business travellers

A total of 500 business travellers per month can enter the Netherlands. Once this quota has been reached, any further trips must be postponed until the following month.

Registration of business travellers

Business travellers are registered on the basis of their proposed date of entry to the Netherlands, on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Applying for a diplomatic note

If you meet the criteria and the monthly quota has not yet been reached, you can submit an application for a diplomatic note to a Dutch embassy or consulate in your country. You can find the contact details and addresses of Dutch embassies and consulates on Netherlandsandyou.nl.  

Applying for a visa

If you are a business traveller and a national of a country subject to a visa requirement then the usual visa procedure applies.

Please note: do not apply for a visa unless you can submit your application to an embassy or External Service Provider and you are actually able to travel to the Netherlands. Also check the International Air Transport Association (IATA) conditions for international travel. 

Exemptions to the entry ban for elite athletes and their support staff

From 14 September, elite athletes and their support staff from a country to which an entry ban applies may travel to the Netherlands under the following conditions:

• Elite athletes and their support staff must have a note verbale or a letter of invitation from the Netherlands Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF) or the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) and if possible valid proof that they are participating in an international sporting event, tournament or match at the highest level, officially recognised by an international sports federation with which the Netherlands is affiliated.
• Any elite athletes and/or support staff who require a visa must comply with all the applicable conditions, including sufficient financial means for their travel and accommodation and guarantees for a prompt departure. A guarantor’s declaration from the sport federation in the Netherlands is sufficient. The scope for return may be taken into account when the decision on the application is made.
• The elite athlete and their support staff must have a return ticket.
• You must also have a recent, official negative COVID-19 test result and a signed and completed negative test declaration. 
• The supporting documents referred to above (i.e. the note verbale, letter of invitation, statements, return ticket and, if applicable, guarantor's declaration) must be submitted to the border authorities (the Royal Military and Border Police) on arrival in the Netherlands.
• The regular border procedures based on the Schengen Borders Code apply. This means that the Royal Military and Border Police will check whether the elite athlete and their support staff meet all the conditions. The elite athlete and their support staff must also have a valid travel document and, if necessary, a short-stay visa. This depends on their nationality.  The Royal Dutch Military and Border Police have the right to refuse the elite athlete and their support staff entry if there is a valid reason to do this.
• The elite athlete and their support staff must observe the coronavirus measures that apply in the Netherlands.

Exemptions to the entry ban for professionals in the cultural and creative sectors

From a social and economic perspective, it is important that the cultural and creative sectors are once again able to invite professionals who are at the top of their field worldwide to come to the Netherlands to collaborate on special projects of an exceptional quality, including shows, performances, exhibitions and creative development activities. That is why entry restrictions are being eased for professionals in these sectors. The purpose is to create an exemption for unique initiatives that substantially add to what is already being done in the Netherlands in the area of arts and culture.

Target group

Only those professionals who can demonstrate that their visit will be beneficial to Dutch social, cultural and economic interests will fall under this exemption category. This may include directors, conductors, choreographers and non-substitutable soloists, as well as restorers and conservators, for example.

Conditions

The following framework is to be used as a basis for assessing applications for exemption. The Performing Arts Fund (Fonds Podiumkunsten, FPK) is responsible for assessing applications.

The exemption to the entry ban applies only to professionals who can demonstrate that their visit will be beneficial to Dutch social, cultural and economic interests. In principle, this is the case when:

1. The work falls within the scope of an activity for which a cultural or creative organisation receives a multiyear grant from Dutch central government or from one of the central government culture funds for the period 2017-2020 or 2021-2024;
2. Because of their unique skills or qualities, the professional in question has been invited by the Dutch cultural or creative organisation concerned to engage in work for which they will be compensated;
3. The professional’s physical presence and participation is necessary for the overall execution of the activity in question; and
4. The income generated by this activity contributes substantially to the financial situation of the organisation concerned. This demonstrates the economic added value of the professional’s visit.

Other conditions

• The FPK must have approved the Dutch cultural organisation’s letter of invitation on the basis of the above-mentioned criteria. The professional in question must be in possession of the statement confirming that they have met the requisite criteria.
• The professional must have a return ticket (open return tickets are also acceptable).
• The professional must present a recent, official negative COVID 19 test result and a completed and signed Negative Test Declaration to the airline or ship operator and to the border authorities. This is mandatory as of 15 December 2020.

• If the traveller requires a visa, the usual conditions for applying for a visa still apply in full.
• The regular border procedures based on the Schengen Borders Code apply. The Dutch border authorities always retain the right to refuse a traveller entry if there is a valid reason to do so.
• To minimise health risks, professionals are advised to keep their visits short and to limit their contact with others. Dutch rules regarding self-quarantine also apply to visiting professionals, although an exception is made for activities that are necessary for carrying out the work for which they have travelled to the Netherlands.
• This framework applies exclusively to those professionals who meet the conditions. Family members of professionals do not fall under the framework.

Procedure

• A cultural or creative organisation draws up a letter of invitation for the professional in question. This letter indicates that the above-mentioned conditions have been met. It also indicates that a specific form of collaboration has been agreed upon.
• The organisation must submit this letter of invitation to the FPK, together with a document setting out why the professional’s visit is necessary. Submitting the letter of invitation can been done digitally, provided that the signed original remains available for verification.
• The FPK assesses the application for exemption, if necessary in consultation with another one of the central government culture funds.
• The FPK then issues a signed statement, using the same format as that of a note verbale.
• The host organisation sends their letter of invitation and the FPK’s statement to the professional in question. This can be done digitally, provided that the signed original remains available for verification.
• Upon arrival in the Netherlands, the professional presents the statement from the FPK to the border authorities – the Royal Military and Border Police (Koninklijke Marechaussee).
• The professional must present a recent, official negative COVID 19 test result and a completed and signed Negative Test Declaration to the airline or ship operator and to the border authorities. This is mandatory as of 15 December 2020.
• If the professional in question is required to have a visa, they must submit the statement to the Dutch representation when applying for a visa.
• In exceptional cases, the exemption may apply to work involving activities of a cultural or creative organisation or business that does not receive a multiyear grant from Dutch central government or a National Culture Fund for the period 2017-2020 or 2021-2024. The exemption is limited to cases in which the need for the work is urgent and immediate in order to preserve the continuity of the primary processes of the organisation concerned. These applications will be assessed by the Minister of Education, Culture and Science and must be submitted to the Performing Arts Fund (FPK).

Journalism benefits from rapid reporting at the location where events are unfolding. It is important to ease the entry restrictions in order to preserve freedom of the press and facilitate reciprocity. This will enable foreign journalists from other countries to report on newsworthy events that take place in the Netherlands.

Target group

The target group is news journalists who have an International Press Card (IPC) issued by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and who are engaged in topical news reporting that requires their immediate, physical presence.

Conditions

The following framework is to be used as a basis for assessing whether a journalist can enter the Netherlands.

International Press Card

• Only news journalists who can demonstrate that their wish to enter the Netherlands is directly related to the performance of their work as a journalist fall under this exemption category.
• This is demonstrated by possession of an International Press Card issued by the International Federation of Journalists.
• The card is issued through a national organisation of journalists in the country of origin. The IPC is issued only to working journalists who are members of IFJ-affiliated journalists’ organisations.
• Before an IPC is issued to a news journalist, the journalists’ organisation carries out a thorough check to verify that the journalist concerned is a working professional. Only practising journalists are permitted to apply for the card.
• The IPC bears the name and photograph of the journalist and a unique card number. Each national journalists’ organisation maintains a database containing the names and card numbers of its members.
• The telephone numbers of all affiliated countries and journalists’ organisations can be found on the IFJ website.
• The Dutch Association of Journalists (Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten, NVJ) has drawn up a standard letter explaining what an IPC is and requesting that the holder be admitted to the Netherlands. The letter is not person-specific and therefore does not contain the name of the journalist in question. Journalists must download the letter from the International Federation of Journalists website and present it along with their IPC at the border.

Procedure

• When a journalist travels to the Netherlands to engage in topical news reporting that requires their immediate, physical presence, they must possess an IPC in order to enter the country.
• The journalist must also be in possession of a return or open-ended ticket.
• If the journalist requires a visa, the regular visa application conditions apply.
• The journalist must be able to present all the aforementioned documents – an IPC, the standard letter issued by the NVJ, a return or open-ended ticket and, if necessary, the requisite visa documents – in order to prove they qualify for exemption.
• The news journalist must present a recent, official negative COVID 19 test result and a completed and signed Negative Test Declaration to the airline or ship operator and to the border authorities. This is mandatory as of 15 December 2020.
• These documents must be presented to the border authorities upon arrival in the Netherlands.
• The regular border procedures based on the Schengen Borders Code apply. The Dutch border authorities are at all times authorised to refuse a news journalist entry if there is a valid reason to do so.
• Journalists must comply with the measures to combat the spread of coronavirus in the Netherlands, but they are exempted from the self-quarantine measure for activities that are necessary to carry out the reporting for which they travelled to the Netherlands.
• This framework applies exclusively to news journalists who meet the conditions. Family members of news journalists do not fall under the framework.

10-day self-quarantine

Journalists who are exempted from the entry ban should self-quarantine for 10 days upon arrival in the Netherlands. An exception is made only for activities that are necessary for carrying out the work for which they have travelled to the Netherlands.

Due to restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus it is not possible to travel to the Netherlands from a number of countries. Researchers from a country subject to an entry ban may travel to the Netherlands under certain conditions as of 16 October if their work has demonstrable value for the Dutch economy and Dutch society. The exemption applies, for example, to public health researchers.

Conditions for research trips to the Netherlands

You may travel to the Netherlands for research if:

• Your research meets the criteria necessary to qualify as ‘essential’ to the economy and society. If you meet these conditions, you fall under the ‘highly qualified professionals’ exemption category. This exemption applies to citizens of non-EU countries who by virtue of their specialist skills or knowledge are needed to assist with the economic recovery of the EU after the pandemic. The exemption also applies to persons who have a residence permit under the Council Directive concerning the EU Blue Card system (Directive 2009/50), the Intra-Corporate Transfer (ICT) Directive (Directive 2014/66) or Directive 2016/801 (as it pertains to researchers), or who have a national permit for highly qualified third-country nationals, but have not yet been able to travel to the EU because of the entry restrictions. An important criterion is that your physical presence in the Netherlands is urgent and essential.
• As a researcher you meet all of the applicable conditions.
• Your stay in the Netherlands will be shorter than 90 days.
• If you intend to stay longer than 90 days, please refer to the IND to apply for a residence permit as a researcher.
• Family members of researchers do not fall under the exemption.
• No more than 250 researchers are allowed entry per month.

Documents required for entry into the Netherlands

If you meet the conditions for admission to the Netherlands for research purposes, you must present the following documents at the border:

• A letter from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) recommending your admission to the Netherlands under the exemption for researchers. A printout of a digital copy of the letter may be presented, provided that the signed original remains available for verification.
• Proof that you have a return ticket.
• A visa, if required.

The regular border procedures based on the Schengen Borders Code apply.
 

Applying for an exemption to the entry ban

The procedure for applying for an exemption to the entry ban as of 16 October 2020 is described below. 

Submitting requests to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)

• The host research organisation must submit a request to the RVO for an exemption to the entry ban, on the researcher’s behalf, using the digital request form. The request asks for basic information and must include a statement by or on behalf of the researcher and the letter of invitation from the recognised host organisation.
• Requests must be submitted by a university, research institute or research company located in the Netherlands which is recognised by the IND as a host organisation (referred to as a ‘recognised sponsor’ by the IND) within the framework of EU Directive 2016/801 (PDF download) and which, in this specific case, will benefit from the researcher’s admission to the Netherlands.
• If the request meets the requirements and the maximum number of admissions for the month has not been reached, the RVO will recommend that the researcher be admitted to the Netherlands for the purpose of conducting research. The RVO will provide a letter that the researcher can present to border authorities upon arrival. The researcher may present a digital copy of this signed letter, provided that the signed original remains available for verification.
• It takes up to two weeks to assess requests. Requests must therefore be received by the RVO at least two weeks prior to the journey. Requests that are not received in time and incomplete applications will not be processed.

Requirements for letters of invitation

• The letter of invitation must be signed by a recognised host organisation within the framework of EU Directive 2016/801 (PDF download) which, in this specific case, will benefit from the researcher’s admission to the Netherlands. The letter must state that a specific form of collaboration has been agreed upon and that the researcher’s presence in the Netherlands is necessary in the interests of the Dutch economy and society. More information about the requirements and criteria can be found on the RVO website.
• The signed letter of invitation may be submitted digitally, provided that the signed original remains available for verification.

If you have any questions about the procedure, you can contact the RVO.

10-day self-quarantine

Researchers who are exempted from the entry ban should self-quarantine for 10 days upon arrival in the Netherlands. An exception is made only for activities that are necessary for carrying out the work for which they have travelled to the Netherlands.

Applying for a visa

If you are a researcher and a citizen of a country subject to a visa requirement then the usual short stay visa procedure applies.

Please note: do not apply for a visa unless you can submit your application to an embassy or External Service Provider and you are actually able to travel to the Netherlands. Also check the International Air Transport Association (IATA) conditions for international travel.