Europe

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• General
 

Travel Summary

• There are reports of confirmed human cases of Swine Flu in The Netherlands. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6.  The WHO website at: www.who.int has further details. Check Swine Flu for further information.
  
  
• There is an general threat from terrorism.  Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. The Netherlands shares a common level of threat with neighbouring European countries.
  
  
• The Dutch Government introduced compulsory identification in January 2005.  Everybody over the age of 14 is required to show a valid identity document to police officers and other law enforcement authorities on their request.  See the Local Laws and Customs section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• Most visits to the Netherlands are trouble-free. 85 British nationals required consular assistance in Netherlands in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident; deaths (30 cases); hospitalisations (5 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (31 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (305 cases). You should also be alert to the dangers of street crime in the cities.  If you need to contact the emergency services in Netherlands call 112.
  
  
• We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake.  See General (Insurance) section of this advice and Travel Insurance for more details.