ONCE again, Spain holds more blue flags for its beaches and marinas than any other country in the world – a record it has held without interruption for 30 years.
Entry requirements to Spain for travellers updated: What's new at the border
02/06/2022
TRAVELLERS from European Union member States entering Spain no longer need to show a 'Covid certificate' or complete a passenger locator form, starting today (Thursday, June 1), although some basic requirements remain in place for non-EU nations.
The national government has announced that entering the country will not be subject to a valid vaccine certificate, proof of having had Covid-19 within the past six months, or a negative PCR or antigen test taken not more than 72 and 24 hours before arrival respectively – provided the person arriving has not come from, or crossed through, any territory outside the EEA.
As well as EU member States, the exemption applies to travellers from Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, whether or not the country in question forms part of the passport-free Schengen zone.
Passing through a non-EEA nation via a connecting flight does not count as having been outside the bloc, unless the passenger has left the international 'holding' terminal of the airport.
The European Commission recommended in April that all 27 member States drop the requirement for a 'Covid passport' for travel within the bloc, and has reportedly been in touch with Spain's health minister, Carolina Darías, to find out whether, and when, she planned to do so.
Greece was the first to remove the 'Covid passport' regulation for EU nations and Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, on May 1, and Spain has followed a month later.
Covid-related entry requirements to Spain for travellers from outside the EU (including UK)
For non-EU countries – including the UK – either a valid vaccine certificate, proof of having had Covid within the past six months, through the results of an NAAT-type test such as a PCR, or a negative PCR result less than 72 hours before entry or negative antigen no more than 24 hours before entering Spain must still be shown, but travellers from these countries do not need to complete a passenger locator form.
These forms are, however, necessary for anyone who is not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all, or has not had and recovered from Covid within the past six months, when entering Spain from a non-EU nation.
A form is also necessary where a person is vaccinated or has had Covid recently, but is coming from a country without a 'certificate' system or where this document is not recognised by the EU.
Covid certificates must be in either Spanish, English, French or German, meaning a vaccine passport issued by a third country in a different language from any of these would not be accepted without a passenger locator form.
They must be completed no more than 48 hours before arrival.
Forms are found on the Spanish government website, Spth.gob.es, and upon completion, the traveller will receive a QR code which must either be printed, or be downloaded onto a mobile phone screen, so it can be scanned upon arrival.
UK vaccine confirmation certificates are accepted throughout the EU.
Children under 12 are exempt from all these entry requirements, irrespective of where they have come from.
For adults, or children aged 12 and over, if they have had Covid within the past six months, their first positive NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test), such as a PCR, must have been a minimum of 11 days prior to travel.
The assumption is that, after these 11 days, the infection would have passed.
'Recovery certificates' are valid for 180 days from the date of the first positive test.
How long vaccine proof is valid for travel from outside the EU
Travellers from non-EU countries who are fully vaccinated – both doses of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna, or one dose of the single-jab Janssen formula – but who have not had a third injection as a booster or, in the case of the Janssen, second jab, will only be able to use their 'Covid passport' for entry to Spain if their most recent dose was more than 14 days, but not more than 270 days, prior to arrival.
Anyone who has had a third, or booster, dose, or a second dose for those who originally had the Janssen, is considered as 'fully vaccinated' for the purposes of entry into Spain with, at present, no time limit.
At the moment, booster injections do not have an expiry date, and it has not yet been confirmed at European level whether repeat doses will be rolled out to the population annually or similar.
Those who downloaded a Covid passport after their final dose but have since had a booster will need to acquire a fresh one if 270 days or more have passed since the jab before this, if they wish to travel outside the EU, or are based in a third country and wish to travel to the bloc.
No other requirements, but random health checks may be ordered
For visitors from non-member States, proof of vaccine, test, or recovery as detailed is the only condition to entry to Spain above and beyond the usual non-Covid-related requirements.
This said, arrivals from outside the EU may be called for random health checks at the border, which might just be their temperature taken but could extend to medical examinations, visual assessment, interview, or even a test.
Spain's land borders are not currently subject to testing or vaccine requirements, but countries a person may have to pass through to get to them may still have extra conditions in place, and these should be consulted before travel.
The last remaining Covid-linked conditions for entry to Spain from beyond the EEA apply to everyone, including residents, Spanish or otherwise, who have been on short trips out of the country and are coming home.
If you live in Spain but are not an EU national, don't forget your residence certificate
Under any circumstances, residents in Spain who do not hold nationality from an EU or EEA country should proactively show their 'green certificate' or TIE photo card at the same time as their passports.
This has always been the case, but UK nationals living in Spain will now need to 'retrain themselves' to produce their 'green certificate' – which is still valid as long as it does not have an expiry date and this has not passed – or their new TIE foreigners' identity card when they show their passports.
Residents in Spain with British nationality do not have to have their passports stamped, but non-resident British visitors do, even if travelling to a holiday home they own, or to visit family.
If a resident has had his or her passport stamped 'by mistake', they must subsequently show proof of their permanent dwelling status in Spain for this to be annulled.
The 'stamp' enables border authorities to ensure Brits and other non-EU nationals who do not live in a member State adhere to the maximum stay requirements – 90 days in any 180 days anywhere within the Schengen zone.
Masks still required on Spanish flights and in other, limited situations
Even though the European Commission has recommended member States cease to oblige travellers to wear masks on airlines, they are still mandatory for flights to and from Spain at present.
In Spain, masks are a legal necessity in any healthcare setting – including nursing homes, fertility clinics and pharmacies – and on public transport, which includes planes.
They are not obligatory anywhere else, but strongly recommended in indoor areas, or outdoors when in close proximity to the general public.
Workplaces in Spain set their own requirements for mask-wearing among staff, meaning they may still be mandatory in certain employment situations, but if they are not, the workforce may usually continue to wear them voluntarily if they wish.
Related Topics
TRAVELLERS from European Union member States entering Spain no longer need to show a 'Covid certificate' or complete a passenger locator form, starting today (Thursday, June 1), although some basic requirements remain in place for non-EU nations.
The national government has announced that entering the country will not be subject to a valid vaccine certificate, proof of having had Covid-19 within the past six months, or a negative PCR or antigen test taken not more than 72 and 24 hours before arrival respectively – provided the person arriving has not come from, or crossed through, any territory outside the EEA.
As well as EU member States, the exemption applies to travellers from Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, whether or not the country in question forms part of the passport-free Schengen zone.
Passing through a non-EEA nation via a connecting flight does not count as having been outside the bloc, unless the passenger has left the international 'holding' terminal of the airport.
The European Commission recommended in April that all 27 member States drop the requirement for a 'Covid passport' for travel within the bloc, and has reportedly been in touch with Spain's health minister, Carolina Darías, to find out whether, and when, she planned to do so.
Greece was the first to remove the 'Covid passport' regulation for EU nations and Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, on May 1, and Spain has followed a month later.
Covid-related entry requirements to Spain for travellers from outside the EU (including UK)
For non-EU countries – including the UK – either a valid vaccine certificate, proof of having had Covid within the past six months, through the results of an NAAT-type test such as a PCR, or a negative PCR result less than 72 hours before entry or negative antigen no more than 24 hours before entering Spain must still be shown, but travellers from these countries do not need to complete a passenger locator form.
These forms are, however, necessary for anyone who is not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all, or has not had and recovered from Covid within the past six months, when entering Spain from a non-EU nation.
A form is also necessary where a person is vaccinated or has had Covid recently, but is coming from a country without a 'certificate' system or where this document is not recognised by the EU.
Covid certificates must be in either Spanish, English, French or German, meaning a vaccine passport issued by a third country in a different language from any of these would not be accepted without a passenger locator form.
They must be completed no more than 48 hours before arrival.
Forms are found on the Spanish government website, Spth.gob.es, and upon completion, the traveller will receive a QR code which must either be printed, or be downloaded onto a mobile phone screen, so it can be scanned upon arrival.
UK vaccine confirmation certificates are accepted throughout the EU.
Children under 12 are exempt from all these entry requirements, irrespective of where they have come from.
For adults, or children aged 12 and over, if they have had Covid within the past six months, their first positive NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test), such as a PCR, must have been a minimum of 11 days prior to travel.
The assumption is that, after these 11 days, the infection would have passed.
'Recovery certificates' are valid for 180 days from the date of the first positive test.
How long vaccine proof is valid for travel from outside the EU
Travellers from non-EU countries who are fully vaccinated – both doses of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Moderna, or one dose of the single-jab Janssen formula – but who have not had a third injection as a booster or, in the case of the Janssen, second jab, will only be able to use their 'Covid passport' for entry to Spain if their most recent dose was more than 14 days, but not more than 270 days, prior to arrival.
Anyone who has had a third, or booster, dose, or a second dose for those who originally had the Janssen, is considered as 'fully vaccinated' for the purposes of entry into Spain with, at present, no time limit.
At the moment, booster injections do not have an expiry date, and it has not yet been confirmed at European level whether repeat doses will be rolled out to the population annually or similar.
Those who downloaded a Covid passport after their final dose but have since had a booster will need to acquire a fresh one if 270 days or more have passed since the jab before this, if they wish to travel outside the EU, or are based in a third country and wish to travel to the bloc.
No other requirements, but random health checks may be ordered
For visitors from non-member States, proof of vaccine, test, or recovery as detailed is the only condition to entry to Spain above and beyond the usual non-Covid-related requirements.
This said, arrivals from outside the EU may be called for random health checks at the border, which might just be their temperature taken but could extend to medical examinations, visual assessment, interview, or even a test.
Spain's land borders are not currently subject to testing or vaccine requirements, but countries a person may have to pass through to get to them may still have extra conditions in place, and these should be consulted before travel.
The last remaining Covid-linked conditions for entry to Spain from beyond the EEA apply to everyone, including residents, Spanish or otherwise, who have been on short trips out of the country and are coming home.
If you live in Spain but are not an EU national, don't forget your residence certificate
Under any circumstances, residents in Spain who do not hold nationality from an EU or EEA country should proactively show their 'green certificate' or TIE photo card at the same time as their passports.
This has always been the case, but UK nationals living in Spain will now need to 'retrain themselves' to produce their 'green certificate' – which is still valid as long as it does not have an expiry date and this has not passed – or their new TIE foreigners' identity card when they show their passports.
Residents in Spain with British nationality do not have to have their passports stamped, but non-resident British visitors do, even if travelling to a holiday home they own, or to visit family.
If a resident has had his or her passport stamped 'by mistake', they must subsequently show proof of their permanent dwelling status in Spain for this to be annulled.
The 'stamp' enables border authorities to ensure Brits and other non-EU nationals who do not live in a member State adhere to the maximum stay requirements – 90 days in any 180 days anywhere within the Schengen zone.
Masks still required on Spanish flights and in other, limited situations
Even though the European Commission has recommended member States cease to oblige travellers to wear masks on airlines, they are still mandatory for flights to and from Spain at present.
In Spain, masks are a legal necessity in any healthcare setting – including nursing homes, fertility clinics and pharmacies – and on public transport, which includes planes.
They are not obligatory anywhere else, but strongly recommended in indoor areas, or outdoors when in close proximity to the general public.
Workplaces in Spain set their own requirements for mask-wearing among staff, meaning they may still be mandatory in certain employment situations, but if they are not, the workforce may usually continue to wear them voluntarily if they wish.
Related Topics
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