Travel ban extended to 1 April for now

The representatives of the various Belgian governments had another consultative committee meeting about coronavirus last Friday. The resulting Ministerial Decree has now been published. For people with a main residence in Belgium looking to travel to another country there is only one important change.

The restrictions stated in the Ministerial Decree of 7 February 2021 have been extended until 1 April 2021. This means that with a single stroke of the pen, all the applicable restrictions have been extended from 1 March to 1 April 2021. This includes the non-essential travel ban for tourists, although professional travel remains possible (see below).

The press communicated that such a statutory extension does not automatically mean that the restrictions will effectively remain in force until 1 April. Some restrictions can still be eased sooner.

Today (on 8 February 2021), the following restrictions are in force:

Tourist travel of a non-essential nature is strictly prohibited from 27 January until 1 April 2021. This means travelling to any foreign destination for a sun or snow vacation is not possible for the time being.

However, business travel remains possible, even to red zones. They are included in the list of essential reasons i.e. travel for professional reasons. This is described in detail in Annex 2 of the Ministerial Decree of 26 January 2021

Naturally business travel is only possible if the intended destination allows travellers from Belgium and on condition of full compliance with the security measures in force at your destination. Consult the website of the Foreign Ministry for all recommendations in this regard

Individuals with their main residence in Belgium who are required to travel abroad for professional reasons must now fulfil the following obligations:

1) Complete the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) prior to their return to Belgium (compulsory since 1 August 2020)

2) Filling in the BTA certificate number on the above-mentioned PLF prior to the trip (compulsory since 4 January 2021)

3) Filling in the sworn declaration prior to the trip (compulsory since 27 January 2021)

Attention: For 1) this implies travellers must be able to present proof of submission or a copy until 48 hours after their return to Belgium. For 2) and 3) this means travellers must be able to present proof of submission or a copy throughout their trip.

Feel free to contact us for more details or advice