TMA tests now accepted for entry to Spain, and children under six exempt

TRAVELLERS or returning residents to Spain can now show a TMA (Transcription-Mediated Amplification test) showing they are Covid-free instead of a PCR test, and children under six are exempt, the Spanish health authority has announced.

From December 10th, 2020, the TMA test has been incorporated as an accepted diagnostic test in addition to the PCR. Also, from this date, children under 6 years old are exempt from the diagnostic tests for active infection with SARS-CoV-2, in order to enter Spain.

The Transcription-Mediated Amplification test detects the presence of the coronavirus in an individual. Samples are taken in a similar way as a PCR test, via a nasal swab. Like a PCR test, the process looks for and measures genetic material from the coronavirus. The difference in practice is that the results come back in around two hours, instead of four for a PCR test, and a TMA test is usually cheaper – just under €100 compared to over €100.

In all cases, though, the test must be taken less than 72 hours before arrival in the country – not 72 hours before boarding the plane – and results must be negative in order to be able to travel. A certificate must be provided, showing the traveller's name, passport or DNI number, test date, contact details of the centre that carried out the test, the diagnostic technique employed and a negative test result. The personal identification number (passport/DNI number) that you use to get the QR code required for travel must be the same as the identification number that appears on the negative PCR/TMA certificate.

Although Spanish nationals, wherever they live, and residents in Spain of other nationalities cannot be denied entry, they are likely to be fined if they do not have proof of a negative test result.

Also, until now, test results were required to be in either Spanish or English, but they can now also be provided in German or French.

The move comes after a handful of Spaniards living in Manchester, UK – a country where up to a quarter of a million Spanish nationals reside permanently – complained via the media that they were having to pay up to £250 for a test just to be able to spend Christmas with their families, and that results of tests carried out by the British National Health Service (NHS) in cases where they were thought to have had contact with a 'positive', only gave their name and UK address and no identifying data such as a passport number or Spanish national ID.

It is not yet clear whether a TMA result will prove to be a cheaper or more convenient alternative, since this will depend upon availability in the traveller's country of departure.

But the exemption for kids under six will certainly save time and money for many families with small children.

The above photograph shows a young woman arriving back at Madrid's Adolfo Suárez-Barajas airport for the holidays and showing her negative PCR test certificate.