Because they’re not registered with their local municipality, hundreds of thousands of international workers in the Netherlands won’t be invited by the GGD to receive their coronavirus vaccine. 

250.000 unregistered migrant workers in the Netherlands

According to information from the Ministry of Health, approximately 250.000 migrant workers in the Netherlands are not included in the Municipal Personal Records Database (BRP). While all internationals living and working in the Netherlands are expected to register with their municipality within four months of moving to the country, a significant number fail to do so, remaining unregistered.

Failure to register makes it difficult for the Dutch government or local authorities to find and contact these workers, which means hundreds of thousands of internationals won’t receive their invitation to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 

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In spite of advice from the Health Council of the Netherlands to vaccinate migrant workers using the Janssen vaccine, the Ministry is considering whether or not it is worth vaccinating all unregistered migrant workers. 

Doctors and virologists argue it is important everyone is offered the vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity and prevent the spread of the virus, and Bert Niesters, a virologist at UMC Groningen, says all workers pay for health insurance, regardless of whether or not they are registered, and so they deserve to at least be offered the vaccine.