Travel from France to the Netherlands - Covid

[Lemonsonparade]

Does anyone know what the requirements are for travelling from France to the Netherlands by train. One of our party is unvaccinated and we're due to go in two weeks.

Has anyone travelled this route please? Are there any checks on entering the Netherlands?

There are no checks. As you are coming in from the EU, you can travel freely and there are no restrictions for unvaccinated persons. If you'd be coming in from the UK, it'd be a different matter.

Thank you. So if I travel from UK to France, my party could then travel to the Netherlands without being checked?

France has requirements for covid. Netherlands do not! So entering France is where you need to be organised!

Hi, Netherlands do have requirements for non EU residents.

If you are a non-EU resident then you could technically be denied access if unvaccinated. And as you will be arriving in France, then you will have to comply bu their rules first.

Thanks. I'm a bit confused now as I thought from your earlier message you said it was okay to travel freely once in France. Have I misunderstood?

I can't see there being any border checks between France and NL, and even if there are, I can't see them asking for your covid pass.

Border checks between Schengen countries are illegal unless there are very good reasons for them (Germany routinely breaks this rule at one of their train border crossings with Poland). I think Sweden and Denmark have a dispensation on the Oresund rail line. I don't think there are any reasons for one between France and NL.

But if you are going to France from the UK, that is where there could be a problem. as they will ask. If you are already in France, then no problem.

I didn't know you had to show proof of vaccination in NL. In fact I didn't even know you had to show it in France anymore, but that would surprise me less. I thought NL had done away with its requirements months ago.

I can't see there being any border checks between France and NL

me neither, having any checks on French-NL border would be geographically challenging.

It travelled through France ti Netherlands in may.
Had to show proof of vaccination for myself, and negative test results for non vaccinated teen upon entry to france.
No requirements to enter Netherlands
No checks upon re entry to france, these are spot checks, so still did the 24hr test for my son but was not stopped for check

Well how interesting. So for France you don't need to be vaccinated, but for NL you do, unless special criteria apply. Completely the opposite of what I would have thought!

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/entry-requirements

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/netherlands/entry-requirements

OP it says there might be random checks on the borders, so up to your unvaccinated party member if you take the risk.

Yes I was just thinking that (unless you got a boat from Dunkirk to say Vlissingen) :)

The OP was saying she'd travel between the two by train so I wasn't thinking properly. So she needs to look at Belgium or Germany, too, depending on her route.

I missed the bit where you said by train, sorry. I am confused as well. Will you be coming from the UK and then travel through France from the Netherlands? It depends on the route. If Eurostar, then you will be subject to border control in the UK and Netherlands. If Thalys from France, then you shouldn't be. But there is still a Dutch ban on unvaccinated non-EU travellers, unless you quallify for an exemption. The fact you are non-EU residents, but coming from an EU country could complicate things.

Thanks everyone. Bumping for any other experience of this.

Regardless of what any of the rules may be no-one is going to ask you for anything at the moment.

I live in France and often go to Belgium and the Netherlands, there are no border checks of any kind, no one has inquired about my vaccination for months and that was only in a hospital.

Thank you. How did you travel please?

In my experience, the Dutch don't give a stuff about Covid precautions.

The fact you are non-EU residents, but coming from an EU country could complicate things.

I thought that once you entered the Schengen area, there were no border controls? Is this a new thing?

No Covid requirements for France anymore.

Where are there still active
Covid requirements? We were in Spain last week, nothing.

I've travelled on trains and in the car. Not eurostar, just local trains but really there's nothing.

As other posters have said the Dutch are quite strongly anti any restrictions and for now at least no-one cares in France or Belgium.

You need proof of vaccination or a test for many of the EU countries (Spain for example). Just google the covid entry requirements for your first country. If you are driving to the next country you don't need to worry about theirs

True, and you're right there are no border checks. But I think if there were spot checks, which is unlikely, they could be in trouble if they're unvaccinated non-EU residents as then technically they wouldn't be allowed in if they entered the NL from outside the EU.

So someone from France could enter the NL having not been vaccinated and that would be fine because they're from the EU? Or from the Schengen area? But from the UK, they'd have to be vaccinated. Regardless of whether the entered the NL from inside or outside the Schengen area. So that would apply to Irish citizens too as they're outside the Schengen area?
It's very complicated. No wonder they don't bother checking! 😁