Austria relaxes entry restrictions for Dutch people | Inland

For Dutch people who have been vaccinated, but have not yet received a booster shot, they only need to show a negative PCR test in Austria from Monday 24 January. The test can be up to 72 hours old. For people who already have the booster shot in their pocket, traveling to Austria will be very easy: they can enter the country without an additional PCR test.

This relaxation makes traveling to the beloved winter sports destination a lot easier. Previously, very strict rules applied. From Christmas Day, Austria labeled our country as an area with a dangerous virus variant, so travelers were only allowed to cross the border if they had a negative PCR test and a booster shot or proof of recovery. If you couldn’t comply with these rules, you had to quarantine for ten days. Because the Netherlands lagged significantly behind in the booster campaign, many ski enthusiasts saw their winter sports beaches as a result.

Strict enforcement

After all, Austria indicated that it would strictly enforce the tightened entry rules, for example by carrying out extra border checks. It is also said that hotel and apartment owners would strictly check and a check would also be carried out when purchasing a ski pass.

However, the strict enforcement turned out to be not too bad in practice. Several winter sports enthusiasts previously reported to De Telegraaf that they could travel into the country without any problems and could even check in at their destination without extra checks. Moreover, checks at the ski pass desk are not very precise either.

Despite the relaxation of the entry rules, the much-controversial 2G rule in Austria remains in force in the Netherlands. Since November, people in catering establishments and other public locations in Austria must be able to demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated or cured of corona. An FFP2 mask must also be worn in many places, including in the ski lift.

Travelers must also take into account the validity of their vaccinations. From 1 February, the validity of the double vaccination in Austria will be reduced to 180 days. The booster shot remains valid for 270 days. The vaccination certificate is valid from the day of vaccination. The validity of a proof of recovery remains 180 days.

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