Dutch government further relaxes travel advice as EU opens borders

As the EU COVID-19 Certificate officially comes into effect on Thursday, the Dutch government has relaxed travel advice for another five European destinations, including Athens and Denmark. 

Dutch government further relaxes travel advice for Europe

As of Thursday, July 1, the travel advice for the following five European destinations has been relaxed from orange (high risk, only necessary travel) to yellow (limited measures against coronavirus):

• Denmark
• Latvia
• Sweden
• Athens
• Brussels

These changes mean that the whole of Greece and Belgium are now coded yellow. Anyone travelling to the above regions will not be required to present a recent negative test or quarantine statement upon return to the Netherlands. The travel advice for Spain and the Greater Lisbon region in Portugal will remain orange for the time being.

From Thursday, the government is also slightly adjusting the standards by which travel advice is decided. Up until now, countries have been classified as orange if there were over 150 coronavirus cases per 100.000 inhabitants over the past 14 days. In line with the standards set by the EU, this value will be increased to 200 from Thursday.

Travel abroad from July 1 using the CoronaCheck app

From July 1, people across Europe will be able to travel throughout the EU using the new COVID-19 certificate. This means that people in the Netherlands can travel internationally using the government’s CoronaCheck app. 

While the continent is reopening and many are looking forward to holidaying abroad this summer, the Dutch government reminds the public to keep an eye on their travel advice as well as the restrictions in place in their country of destination, as these can change at any time. The EU has also agreed that member states can set their own entry requirements for travel, so make sure you do your research before travelling.