Travel guide: what requirements does Spain ask of foreign tourists

Amid second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, as countries advance vaccination of their populations one of the activities that tries to find a kind of “normality” is tourism.

With protocols and requirements varying from country to country, Europe is entering its summer season and Spain is one of the destinations that still awaits a large influx of foreign visitors.

Yes indeed, The options for traveling to Spain will depend on the reason for the trip (whether for an essential reason or for pleasure), the country of origin (whether the visitor is from the European Union or not) and the visitor’s vaccination status.

Likewise, the differences in international mobility will depend above all on the place of origin of the tourist: trips within the European Union (EU) will have the help of the Covid digital certificate, the use of which has been approved since the 1st. July and Spain is already broadcasting.

But the travelers’ questions are more or less the same. And here are the answers to the most common questions about traveling to Spain.

– Are there any restrictions for traveling within the EU?

– Within the EU, the movement of people is authorized and the conditions of access are the same throughout the territory. To do this, Brussels has developed a system known as Covid digital certificate Digital green pass (or more commonly as a vaccination passport), which allows carriers to easily demonstrate that they meet the conditions to enter another Member State: to be fully vaccinated (the last dose must have been administered at least 14 days before travel), or have recovered from COVID-19, or be in possession of a negative diagnostic test (either PCR or antigen) carried out 48 hours before arrival. This certificate is issued by the national authorities in the national language and in English, and can be used in all Member States.

However, depending on the epidemiological situation, travelers from areas marked in green in the traffic light system of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control will not be required to present proof of vaccination, testing or recovery.

– Are there non-EU countries whose residents can travel without restrictions?

– There is a list of countries and special regions whose residents are not affected by the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU due to its good pandemic control. These are Albania, Australia, South Korea, United States, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, China and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao (subject to the principle of reciprocity). Visitors to these parts of the world will not be asked for a PCR test, vaccination or recovery. The UK was also on that list, but that has changed in recent hours due to the rise in infections in recent weeks in that country.

– What are the requirements for UK residents?

– From today Friday, Spain will require a negative diagnostic test (PCR or antigen) or a full vaccination test from travelers coming from the UK, due to concerns over the delta variant of the coronavirus.

– Are leisure trips to Spain allowed from other non-EU countries?

– Visitors from other non-EU countries who come to Spain for leisure purposes must show proof of vaccination with one of the vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the World Health Organization. health (WHO), the second dose being administered at least 14 days before travel. Unvaccinated travelers will not be able to enter Spain for tourism, even if they have a negative diagnostic test or have recovered from COVID-19. Those who have received a vaccine that has not been approved by the EMA or WHO will also not be allowed to enter.

– What about children who have not yet been vaccinated?

– Children under 12 traveling with an adult immunized with a vaccine approved by the EMA or WHO can enter Spain freely.

– There are exceptions ?

Yes, the Spanish government can set aside countries where new variants of the coronavirus pose a health risk. This is already the case with India, whose residents cannot enter Spain for tourism even if they are fully vaccinated.

– Are additional documents required?

– Regardless of the country of origin, travelers arriving by air or sea, including those in transit and children under 12, must complete a health form available on the website of the Spanish Ministry of Health or via the Spain Travel Health mobile application.

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