The Dutch government has eased restrictions previously placed on Southern African countries due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant making it easier for tourists from South Africa to travel to The Netherlands.
It is now possible for fully vaccinated travellers from South Africa to enter The Netherlands with no quarantine restrictions.
The Netherlands travel restrictions on South Africa eased
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines confirms as of 29 January 2022, South Africa is classified as a “high risk country or area.”
This is a welcome improvement to the previous classification of “high risk country or area where there is not a virus variant of concern,” which had imposed tougher travel restrictions.
The new entry regulations are listed below:
- Vaccinated travellers are now able to enter The Netherlands with proof of vaccination, subject to visa requirements. Passengers must hold a negative PCR test taken no more than 48 hours before departure, or a negative Antigen test taken no more than 24 hours before departure.
- The EU entry ban still applies for unvaccinated travellers who may only enter the Netherlands if you fall under one of the exemption categories, subject to visa requirements. Passengers must hold a negative PCR test taken no more than 48 hours before departure, or a negative Antigen test taken no more than 24 hours before departure. Unvaccinated travellers must also self-quarantine for 10 days on arrival. If a negative test result can be provided on day five, the quarantine may end.
- All passengers must complete a “Health Declaration” form which can be found here.
- Unvaccinated travellers must also complete the ‘Quarantine declaration’ form which can be found here.
There are no specific requirements for passengers transiting via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The entry and exit regulations of the country of final destination must be adhered to. These can be checked here.
The Dutch government’s decision follows similar ones by France in December and the United Arab Emirates earlier this month, among other countries.
More than 70 countries imposed additional travel restrictions on South Africa last year when the Omicron COVID-19 variant was detected, sparking an outcry from government leaders.