Non-essential trips in and out of Belgium are not allowed from January 27 to March 1, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) announced.

The entry to the country is allowed for family reasons (death, marriages, family reunion, child custody, etc.), for humanitarian reasons (medical purposes, assistance for vulnerable people, etc.), and for studies (for researchers, students, interns, etc.). The travel of cross-border residents for everyday activities that are also allowed in Belgium, professional or business trips, and trips for urgent reasons, such as legal reasons or relocations, are also allowed, MAE explained. Tourism or leisure trips are not allowed. 

At the same time, all those who enter Belgium need to show a statement specifying the reasons for travel. The statement, which can be downloaded here, needs to be attached to the Passenger Location Form, available here, and accompanied by justifying documents.

In addition to the requirement to show a negative Covid-19 test (PCR), non-residents need to get tested for Covid-19 both upon entry (a PCR or an antigen test) and on the seventh day of quarantine (the quarantine has been changed to ten days). As such, the length of the quarantine can be reduced to a minimum of seven days if the result of the Covid-19 test, taken at the earliest in the seventh day since the start of the quarantine, is negative.

The Covid-19 test that needs to be shown when entering Belgium has to be carried out at most 72 hours before entering the country, in an accredited laboratory, certified by a doctor of biologist pharmacist, and issued in French, Dutch, German or English, in printed or electronic form (it needs to be available immediately).

Meanwhile, Bulgaria announced new entry requirements between January 29 and April 30.

All those who travel to Bulgaria, regardless of the country they arrive from, can only enter if they show a negative Covid-19 test (PCR) performed at most 72 hours before arrival, MAE announced. The document showing the negative result needs to include the name of the tested person, in accordance with their travel ID papers, the data of the laboratory that carried out the test (name, address, and other contact data), and the testing method, written in Latin characters.

Those transiting Bulgaria, bus drivers working on international passenger routes, truck drivers undertaking international, goods transport, members of naval crews, members of aircrews on flights to and from public airports in Bulgaria and the associated technical staff, and cross-border workers are exempt from the requirement to show a negative Covid-19 test.

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simona@romania-insider.com