Amsterdam - how do you get into restaurants, etc

[ghstudio]

We are arriving in Amsterdam two days before a cruise.  Amsterdam (and our hotel) requires that we show either a Corona Check App or COVID pass....and apparently this is a requirement of all hotels and restaurants in the Netherlands.  We are fully vaccinated with boosters in the US and have our certificates and of course we will get PCR tests within 48 hours of leaving the US.  I can find no way to get either of the documents required in the Netherlands......so I have no idea how to a) check into the hotel and b) go to a restaurant or museum.   I don't want to assume that a US vaccination card will be accepted.  

 

How does one travel to Amsterdam and stay a few days?

 

[Ine]

When will you be in Amsterdam? Since today there are many new restrictions (restaurants, musea, schools and more are closed) but of course in spring or summer it might be different. 

At the moment QR codes only work for europeans, but also that might be changed next year.

After January 14 new restrictions or changes will be announced. Until yesterday you needed to have a free test valid for 24 hours to enter restaurants etc. https://www.testenvoortoegang.org/

Again too early to tell what it will be later 2022. 

[Turtles06]

We are scheduled to take a river cruise out of Amsterdam in April (postponed from April 2020), and have planned nearly a week there pre-cruise on our own.  Obviously, this is a matter I am following very closely, and am quite concerned about whether this trip will be a go.   (Like the OP,  we are fully vaxxed and boosted Americans, and the current regulations would be very problematic for the reasons they said.)  I hope the situation for everyone all over the world markedly improves soon.  (And not because I want to travel.) 

[Ine]

11 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

We are scheduled to take a river cruise out of Amsterdam in April (postponed from April 2020), and have planned nearly a week there pre-cruise on our own.  Obviously, this is a matter I am following very closely, and am quite concerned about whether this trip will be a go.   (Like the OP,  we are fully vaxxed and boosted Americans, and the current regulations would be very problematic for the reasons they said.)  I hope the situation for everyone all over the world markedly improves soon.  (And not because I want to travel.) 

I certainly hope so too. Not just for tourists visiting but also for the many shopowners that are having a very difficult time. And of course for the nurses and doctors in hospitals working hard for such a long time. 

[FlaMariner]

We were in Amsterdam in October and we were able to eat at a restaurant in Amsterdam (pancakes) by showing our USA paper vaccination card.

 

Who knows what hurdles the Dutch will have in store for you tomorrow.....We felt lucky to land in Schipol and get on our Holland America Line ship as fast as we could.  We dodged quarantine scares, testing documentations twice and all sorts of obstacles....But we made it!  Good luck!

[FreestyleNovice]

The Dutch use an mobile phone app called CoronaCheck to scan the European Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) QR code (personally generated after vaccination) for admission to (hopefully almost reopening..) restaurants, bars, etc. And where we can use our EU DCC overseas clearly it is not the case vice versa if I am correct. 

 

The EU DCC can be used throughout the European Union.

 

You will receive the QR code if you:

- are fully vaccinated, doses received in the EU;
- have had COVID-19 and are well/better;
- have a negative test result no more than 24 hours old after being tested via the Dutch GGD (Municipal Health Services) and it is only valid for 24 hours.

https://testenvoortoegang.org/ (Testing for Entry).

 

Jan 25th will be the next step forward in reopening our small and lovely country so any real advice is pointless at this time. Getting the EU DCC might be worth the trouble if you intent to travel in the EU (mind; not the whole Europe!) again in the near future, there's talk about limiting the validity of the vaccinations, all very fluid. 

 

For a short stay a test via TestenVoorToegang with a paper negative result would be the way to go for a mere 24 hours, at this time.

 

Most restaurants etc will comply with the QR code so don't take a chance on being lucky, you might end up hungry. 

 

Shops, grocery stores etc. do not require a QR code by the way.

 

Ine and some of the other Dutchies will probably catch up on this if things change! 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by FreestyleNovice

[FreestyleNovice]

https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/tackling-new-coronavirus-in-the-netherlands/travel-and-holidays/coronavirus-test-for-travellers

[Turtles06]

45 minutes ago, FreestyleNovice said:

Jan 25th will be the next step forward in reopening our small and lovely country so any real advice is pointless at this time. Getting the EU DCC might be worth the trouble if you intent to travel in the EU (mind; not the whole Europe!) again in the near future, there's talk about limiting the validity of the vaccinations, all very fluid. 

 

Thank you for both of your posts.  I'd already put Jan. 25 on my calendar as the next date to check. As for Americans getting the EU DCC, it does not seem possible for us, unless I'm missing something.  (We'll be staying in Amsterdam for nearly a week before our river cruise, so having whatever pass is needed to avoid daily testing is important to us.)  Keeping fingers crossed! (And of course not just because of our travel.)  

 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/coronavirus-response/safe-covid-19-vaccines-europeans/eu-digital-covid-certificate_en#who-can-get-the-eu-digital-covid-certificate

[FreestyleNovice]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

As for Americans getting the EU DCC, it does not seem possible for us, unless I'm missing something. 

 

Yup, they do make it look impossible. Let's hope the US and EU can make arrangements, certainly a lot of people (business and leisure) will be affected by this when things normalize a bit?

 

The rumors of the upcoming set of measures is all restaurants/bars open up to 8pm, so that's a step in the right direction. And we need the tourism too so I assume any further steps will involve a good functioning system for vaccination cards/certificates.

 

The only real option (but limited to foreign based Dutch nationals without any digital identification or social security number or among those lines) is to travel to a certain adress in The Netherlands where they can get you a certificate (which you then apply in the CoronaCheck app to generate a personal QR code or as some EU countries say "green pass") after seeing your vaccine card/documents. But as said, that's for a limited group. I do if it's a possibility and/or wonder how this works in Germany or Belgium, not all things are equal in the EU.. or the UK (non EU) for that matter, which could be a smart reason to book a flight with a layover. Challenges, challenges..

 

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by FreestyleNovice

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

22 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

As for Americans getting the EU DCC, it does not seem possible for us, unless I'm missing something.

You are indeed missing something. Some EU countries facilitate vaccinated non-EU citizens getting an EU COVID certificate. In France for instance, you simply walk into a pharmacy, show your CDC vaccination card, pay a fee (currently €36) and you’re issued the EU digital COVID certificate that you can then use throughout the EU. 

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

You are indeed missing something. Some EU countries facilitate vaccinated non-EU citizens getting an EU COVID certificate. In France for instance, you simply walk into a pharmacy, show your CDC vaccination card, pay a fee (currently €36) and you’re issued the EU digital COVID certificate that you can then use throughout the EU. 

 

Thank you, I appreciate your reply.  I do know about going to a pharmacy in France and being able to use my CDC card to obtain the pass sanitaire.  Unfortunately, at least so far, there's no equivalent process in your country, and since we are traveling to Amsterdam, unless something changes, we'd be out of luck.  I really do hope that once the Netherlands comes out of lockdown, it will make it easier for fully vaccinated (and boosted) citizens of non-EU countries to visit.

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

There is already a long list of non-EU countries, from New Zealand to Singapore and from Panama to the UK, who have made sure that their digital COVID certificates are compatible with the EU digital COVID certificate. Their vaccinated citizens can simply use their own digital COVID certificate all throughout the EU, just like I can use my Dutch certificate in Belgium, Spain, France etc. So perhaps it’s up to the USA to also set up a system with digital COVID certificates and make it compatible with the EU certificates?

[Turtles06]

3 minutes ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

So perhaps it’s up to the USA to also set up a system with digital COVID certificates and make it compatible with the EU certificates?

 

Oh I certainly agree with you that it would be a good thing for the U.S. to have a national system in place so that Americans could prove our vaccination status digitally in a manner that would be considered valid by any country wanting proof of an American's vaccination status.  I absolutely wish it would happen.  But the sad reality is that it is politically untenable in our country.   

 

I hope you understand that I wasn't being critical of your country in any way.  Just expressing my hope that, like France (for example), the Netherlands would make it possible for vaccinated Americans to obtain the necessary certificate to enter museums, restaurants, etc.   (Not an EU document thing, but an individual EU-country thing.)    We have our CDC cards, and many of us also have a digital certificate with a QR card from the individual state in which we live. 

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

7 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Just expressing my hope that, like France (for example), the Netherlands would make it possible for vaccinated Americans to obtain the necessary certificate to enter museums, restaurants, etc. 

The Netherlands already has a system in place for non-EU nationals to get access to restaurants, museums etc. It’s the same system that all unvaccinated persons can use regardless of their citizenship: the Testing for Entry scheme. After getting tested (for free!) you can create a QRcode that’ll remain valid for 24 hours. I don’t think you should expect the Dutch authorities to create yet another system, just for vaccinated non-EU nationals. Especially not when more and more non-EU countries decide to make their digital COVID certificates compatible to the EU digital COVID certificate. 

[scottjeanne]

I live in Maryland.  There are many states and pharmacies that now have a QR code.  It was not on my certificate last month, but all Mychart logins have it now.  

[Turtles06]

51 minutes ago, scottjeanne said:

I live in Maryland.  There are many states and pharmacies that now have a QR code.  It was not on my certificate last month, but all Mychart logins have it now.  

 

I live in a state with a QR code too, but nothing I've read about the rules in the Netherlands seems to have any provision for accepting that in order to get the entry pass needed to enter museums, restaurants, etc.  See the following, for example:

 

I have been fully vaccinated in a country outside the EU and I have proof of vaccination

If you have been fully vaccinated in a country outside the EU, you can have your vaccination registered in the Netherlands if at least one of the following applies to you:

• you are a Dutch national;
• you live in the Netherlands;
• you were vaccinated in Aruba, Curaçao or St Maarten.

If you received one dose outside the EU and one dose in the Netherlands you can also have your vaccination registered.

 

https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/covid-certificate/proof-of-vaccination/vaccinated-outside-the-netherlands

 

But let's watch this page for an update in light of the January 25 press conference:

 

https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/covid-certificate/coronavirus-entry-pass

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

Unlike countries like Lebanon, Uruguay and El Salvador, the USA hasn’t made their QRcodes compatible with the EU digital COVID certificate. This means that the scanner apps that are used in the EU can’t read the QRcodes issued by various states in the US. To make sure that visitors from countries outside the EU whose QRcodes can’t be read or who don’t even have a QRcofe, can still visit restaurants, museums etc the Netherlands has decided to open up their Testing for Entry program for foreign visitors. You get tested for free and you receive a QRcode that’s valid for 24 hours.
Unlike for instance France, the Netherlands hasn’t decided to set up a system that allows foreigners to create a QRcode based on their vaccination records. There currently is no talk about setting up such a system. And with more and more countries making their QRcodes compatible to the EU system, it’s getting less and less likely that such a system will be set up. 

So your best course of action is to get your government to follow the example of countries like Albania, Tunesia and Moldova and make your QRcodes compatible. 

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

Unlike countries like Lebanon, Uruguay and El Salvador, the USA hasn’t made their QRcodes compatible with the EU digital COVID certificate.

 

The USA doesn't HAVE a QR code, period.  There is no national code.  As I've mentioned before, there is huge political resistance to a so-called, mis-named "vaccine passport."  That's a fact, and I won't get into American politics here, as that would violate CC's covid-discussion policy.    We have 50 states and the District of Columbia. and several territories, and a few of them have recognized the importance of making it easy for their own residents to have digital proof that they have been vaccinated. 

 

2 hours ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

So your best course of action is to get your government to follow the example of countries like Albania, Tunesia and Moldova and make your QRcodes compatible. 

 

Again, I don't want to get into a discussion of American politics, given the CC rules.  

 

2 hours ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

To make sure that visitors from countries outside the EU whose QRcodes can’t be read or who don’t even have a QRcofe, can still visit restaurants, museums etc the Netherlands has decided to open up their Testing for Entry program for foreign visitors. You get tested for free and you receive a QRcode that’s valid for 24 hours.

 

Yes, thanks, you've mentioned that before.  But for folks visiting for more than a day or so on a very expensive trip, that's really not a great option.  Schedule disruption, not to mention the chance of a false positive test.  (Or, with Omicron, a positive test for an asymptomatic vaxxed person that is not being picked up in vaxxed people who can get the Entry Pass.)

 

2 hours ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

Unlike for instance France, the Netherlands hasn’t decided to set up a system that allows foreigners to create a QRcode based on their vaccination records.

 

Since you keep telling the U.S. (population 330 million) what it should do, I'll say here  -- yay for France, and wouldn't it be great if the Netherlands (population 17 million) followed that example.   

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

15 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

But for folks visiting for more than a day or so on a very expensive trip, that's really not a great option.  Schedule disruption, not to mention the chance of a false positive test. 

It’s not really a disruption. In central Amsterdam alone there are literally dozens of places where you can get tested. You schedule an appointment online, walk in, get tested, receive your results online within 30 minutes, create a QRcode and you’re good to go. I’ve used the Testing for Entry countless times before I could get vaccinated and it worked like a charm each time. 
France has its reasons why they’ve set up their system like they did, and likewise the Netherlands has its reasons to use the Testing for Entry system. It’s just something visitors will have to deal with. But on the bright side, visitors from the USA who have received a booster no longer have to quarantine upon arrival for a minimum of 5 days. 

[Turtles06]

2 minutes ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

It’s not really a disruption. In central Amsterdam alone there are literally dozens of places where you can get tested. You schedule an appointment online, walk in, get tested, receive your results online within 30 minutes, create a QRcode and you’re good to go.

 

Of course it is.   For example, the Anne Frank House requires that you purchase a timed-entry ticket a month in advance, well before your trip to the Netherlands.  If you are lucky enough to get one, that means you'll have to get a test within the specified 24 hours before your entry ticket.  But on that day, you, the visitor, are likely to be doing something else (visiting the Van Gogh Museum, for example) that would have required a test the prior day, etc.  It's a snowball of daily testing for visitors.  Perhaps not a burden for a Dutch citizen going about her daily life and deciding hey, tomorrow, let's go to a museum, but very different for a visitor who has spent a great deal of money on a trip and has many things she wants to do during that visit.  

 

Also, what you did not address was the risk of a positive test, maybe even a false one.  Easy for residents to isolate at home if that happens.  Not at all easy for visitors in a foreign country to go into isolation.

 

 

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

Testing for entry locations open as early as 8:00 am, while museums like the Anne Frank house don’t open before 9:00 am. So you can start your day by getting a test and your QRcode will get you in places like museums, cafes and restaurants for the rest of the day. 
With regards to testing positive. If you believe it’s a false positive and you don’t have symptoms, you can get another test. And if I recall correctly, you need to get tested to return to the USA anyway, so there’s always a risk of testing positive while abroad. 
You can keep looking at the negatives, but you can also make the most of it and appreciate the fact that you even have the opportunity to travel during a pandemic. 

[Dutch_Travelgirl]

Well Turtles, it seems that your wish is our governments command. The following has just been announced: https://nos.nl/l/2414792#UPDATE-container-58959550

 

“QR-code voor gevaccineerde bezoekers buiten de EU - 

Translation of the news report; 

“QR code for vaccinated visitors outside the EU

At the central stations of Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Rotterdam counters will be set up where fully vaccinated visitors from outside the European Union can obtain a corona certificate. This concerns, for example, tourists, business travelers and cabin crew of aviation, who have been vaccinated in their own country but are not connected to the European corona passport. They will soon be able to create a QR code for a short stay, which is valid for a maximum of two weeks.

This allows them to use facilities in the Netherlands where a corona certificate is required, such as restaurants and events. Until now, visitors from outside the EU could only go there once and with a recent negative test result, even if they had been fully vaccinated.

The government expects that around 2000 to 2500 people will use the temporary corona admission ticket every day. It is not known exactly when the counters will open.”

 

So the Netherlands will create a way for non-EU visitors can obtain the QR code. It isn’t yet announced when these counters will open. 

[Turtles06]

16 minutes ago, Dutch_Travelgirl said:

Well Turtles, it seems that your wish is our governments command. The following has just been announced: https://nos.nl/l/2414792#UPDATE-container-58959550

 

 

Would that I had such power!  🤣

 

Seriously, thank you for posting this very good news!  Our trip may happen after all (it's been postponed since April 2020...)

 

Stay safe and well.

[mauimary]

I have been following this thread with great interest. Thank you Turtles for asking these wonderful questions and Dutch_Travelgirl for your insightful answers.   We are in a similar situation as you are.  We have had plans postponed for two years now as well.  We are extremely pleased to hear there will be a way for US fully vaccinated residents to create a QR code. 
 

We have held outdoor concert tickets in Maastricht for two years. At this point we do not know what the requirements will be.  Surely would hope vaccinations and tests are required.
 

We were planning to spend a few days in Amsterdam.  Afterwards we are planning to fly to Barcelona for a cruise.  We will need to be tested.  
 

 

[cruisestitch]

I have been reading this thread with great interest especially about how to receive a QR code. I will be arriving by ear. Is there a way to register for this code at the airport, or is the Central train station the only option?