Frequently asked questions
Preparation
Self-quarantine means that you stay at home and do not receive visitors. You should do this if there is a risk that you may have been infected with coronavirus. By staying at home you prevent the virus from spreading further. Read here what you need to arrange for your self-quarantaine.
The rules apply to persons over the age of 12.
You can get tested (information in Dutch) for free at affiliated test locations in July and August 2021. This also applies to foreign travellers travelling from the Netherlands to another country. Or if you are travelling to a country outside Europe.
During your trip
Get tested at an official testing centre (such as a laboratory, doctor or health service) at your destination. Make sure the test meets the Dutch requirements.
Stay in your accommodation and avoid contact with others. You should also contact your local municipal health service (GGD) in the Netherlands and follow the measures and advice of the health authorities at your destination. The other members of your household and/or your travelling companions may also need to go into quarantine. If you no longer have any symptoms and you test negative for coronavirus you may return to the Netherlands.
Travelling abroad remains a risk. When you become infected abroad, you can infect others at home. This can also be another variant of the coronavirus. That is why it is mandatory to self-quarantine if you are returning to the Netherlands from a destination with a very high corona risk. After becoming infected with coronavirus it can take 10 days for symptoms to show. So it’s important to stay at home for 10 days. There are also people who have coronavirus without showing any symptoms at all. They could infect others if they don’t stay at home.
When you travel to a destination with a very high corona risk, you fill in the quarantine declaration before you travel back to the Netherlands. Even if you are covered by the exceptions, you fill in the quarantine declaration.
Back home
After becoming infected with coronavirus it can take 10 days for symptoms to show. So it’s important to stay at home for 10 days. The first day of your self-quarantine is the after your arrival in the Netherlands. After 10 days it’s very unlikely that you will still get symptoms. You can end your self-quarantine sooner if you get tested on day 5 after arriving in the Netherlands and the test result is negative. If the test result is positive, stay at home and follow the advice of the municipal health service (GGD).
Yes. A test is a snapshot of a particular moment in time. It can take 10 days for symptoms to show. When you were tested abroad, it may have been too early to tell if you were infected. That’s why you still need to self-quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the Netherlands. You can end your self-quarantine sooner if you get tested on day 5 and the test result is negative. If the test result is positive, stay at home and follow the advice of the municipal health service (GGD).
Yes. A test is a snapshot of a particular moment in time. It can take 10 days for symptoms to show. When you were tested abroad, it may have been too early to tell if you were infected. That’s why you still need to self-quarantine for 10 days on arrival in the Netherlands. You can end your self-quarantine sooner if you get tested on day 5 and the test result is negative. If the test result is positive, stay at home and follow the advice of the municipal health service (GGD).
Yes. The first day of your self-quarantine is the day after your arrival in the Netherlands. You can end your self-quarantine sooner if you get tested on or after day 5 after arriving in the Netherlands and the test result is negative. If the test result is positive, stay at home and follow the advice of the municipal health service (GGD).
Yes, because if you don’t self-quarantine while infected with coronavirus you can infect others. You might infect family or friends if you visit them, or people at the supermarket or on the street. Even if you don’t feel sick yourself, other people can become seriously ill or even die if they get coronavirus. The high number of infections is also putting too much pressure on the healthcare system.
No, only people who travelled abroad to a destination with a very high corona risk themselves need to self-quarantine.
You take a test on the day of arrival. This can be a self-test or a test at the GGD. The first day of self-quarantine is the day after your arrival in the Netherlands. You also take a test (again) at the GGD on the 5th day after arrival. It may be too early to trace the virus in your nose and throat. In most cases symptoms appear within 7 days.
Yes, some travel destinations and countries are subject to exemptions to the self-quarantine rules.
Yes, there are some exceptions to the mandatory negative test result.