Note: This information is no longer current. Since September 17, 2022, there are no longer any corona rules for travelers to the Netherlands. You can travel to the Netherlands without a long-distance relationship statement, proof of vaccination, proof of recovery or negative test result. If you are subject to a visa requirement, you must of course first apply for a Schengen visa.
According to children's ombudswoman Margrite Kalverboer, parents who live outside the European Union should be able to come to the Netherlands to visit their children.
She therefore wants Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus to make an exception to the current entry ban for these parents. Kalverboer said this in the NOS Radio 1 Journaal. Now, non-essential travel from outside the EU to the Netherlands is not allowed due to the pandemic.
She finds it strange that an exception is made for long-distance relationships. For some time now, partners from outside the EU have been allowed to come to the Netherlands if they have been in a romantic relationship for at least 3 months. There is no such arrangement for children and their parents.
Some children have not seen their father or mother in real life since the start of the corona crisis in March, while she believes they are entitled to this under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is unknown how many children have a parent outside the EU.
Minister Grapperhaus does not yet want to make an exception for this group. He wants to judge on a case-by-case basis whether a child can still see his father or mother.
Source: NOS.nl
