On Friday 4 March 2022, the Consultative Committee of Governments in Belgium has announced a major relaxation of coronavirus countermeasures in the Kingdom under Code Yellow. You will only need to wear a face mask on public transport (train, tram, bus, metro) and in hospitals or other collective care facility. This ‘almost back to normal’ policy starts on Monday 7 March 2022.
The use of the Covid Safe Ticket (CST) is cancelled. This include the use for restaurants, bars, hotels, gyms…
Travel rules from 11 March
- The general obligation to complete a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) is no longer valid. The PLF is only mandatory for those who travel to Belgium with a carrier from a third country that is not on the white list of the European Union. If you flew to a EU based airport from a third country and you connect to Belgium, you must also fill in a PLF.
- For those who travel to Belgium and have one of the three COVID-19 certificates (vaccination, test or recovery), there is no test or quarantine obligation.
- Anyone living in Belgium, who does not have one of the three COVID-19 certificates (vaccination, test or recovery) and travels from a country with an unfavorable situation, must be tested on day 1 after arrival (rapid antigen test or PCR test). Countries with an unfavorable situation include dark red countries on the European Centre of Disease Control (ECDC) map and third countries that are not on the European Union’s white list.
- Anyone who does not live in Belgium must have a valid COVID-19 certificate (vaccination, test or recovery) upon entry. Short stays of less than 48 hours without the use of a carrier are excluded.
- For individuals coming from countries or regions with a new variant of concern, the current testing and quarantine rules remain unchanged.
- An entry ban will continue to apply to non-essential travel by non-EU citizens residing in a third country that is not on the European Union’s white list, unless they have a vaccination or recovery certificate.
- An entry ban continues to apply from countries or regions with a new variant of concern (zone with a very high-risk variant of concern).
White List
Which countries are currently on the so-called white list of third countries? The list was last updated on 17 January 2022.
- Bahrain.
- Chile.
- People’s Republic of China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity.
- Colombia.
- Indonesia.
- Kuwait.
- New Zealand.
- Qatar.
- Peru.
- Rwanda.
- Saudi Arabia.
- South Korea.
- United Arab Emirates.
- Uruguay.
Travel restrictions should also be gradually lifted for the two special administrative regions of China: Hong Kong and Macao.
Under the category of “entities and territorial authorities that are not recognised as states by at least one member state”, travel restrictions for Taiwan should also be gradually lifted.
Residents of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City should be considered as EU residents for the purpose of the recommendation.
European Union + Schengen Area
Travel between member states of the European Union and countries of the Schengen Area is now much easier.
Member states of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
The Schenen Area: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark (excluding Greenland and the Faroe Islands), metropolitan France, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
Check in advance
As the situation can change rapidly, check in advance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your country and of your destination what you’re expected to do? PCR or antigen test? Quarantaine? If you travel from another country, for instance if you travel as a Belgian from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, check the Dutch requirements.
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