28th March 2024
Arrivals library image. (Aena.es)
Barcelona News Catalonia News Madrid News Main News Travel & Tourism

Travellers with ‘Digital Green Certificate’ will not require PCR test or quarantine

Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (23 Apr)

Spain has said that it will not require European Union citizens to provide proof of a negative PCR test or to quarantine upon arrival, if they can show what the EU is officially calling ‘Digital Green Certificates’.

The certificates are expected to show whether citizens have either been vaccinated against Coronavirus, have had a negative diagnostic test, or have proof of having recovered from the disease and have antibodies.

Spain’s General Secretary for Digital Health, Information and Innovation of the National Health System, Alfredo González, said at a press briefing on Thursday that the ‘certificate document’ will come in the form of a free QR code and be available by the end of June, in order to allow for ‘more people’ to travel to Spain ‘in a safer manner’.

With quarantine and a recent PCR test no longer required, Spanish authorities are hoping to facilitate travel for citizens from other EU countries as well as help the local tourism industry recover from the pandemic downturn. In 2020, foreign tourism to Spain plunged 80% to 19 million visitors – its lowest figure since 1969.

Airport officials
Airport officials carrying out health checks and collecting passenger information at Barcelona airport on 28 June 2020. (TP)

González said that the ‘Digital Green Certificate’ will facilitate free movement in the EU, ‘but will not limit the mobility’ of those who do not hold a certificate, and ‘will respect, at any event, data protection, safety and privacy’.

‘This is not a passport or a travel document, nor is it a pre-requisite for travelling,’ said González, but it is ‘a mechanism that facilitates mobility’. He also emphasised the possibility of extending the digital model to compatible Certificates issued by third (non-EU) countries.

The European Commission presented the model of the Digital Green Vaccination Certificate on 17 March and, since then, the Member States have been working hard on the legal and technical aspects of the model.

The regulation is currently in its passage through the EU institutions, and is expected to be approved in the month of June so that the Certificate can be operational by the end of that month.

The Digital Green Certificate is expected to ease free movement within the EU and Schengen Area.

ALSO READ: EU plans ‘digital green certificates’ for ‘safe’ travel

Click here for all reports on Coronavirus in Spain and for specific reports related to Covid-19 Vaccinations.

Sign up for the FREE Weekly Newsletter from Spain in English.

Please support Spain in English with a donation.

Click here to get your business activity or services listed on our DIRECTORY.

Click here for further details on how to ADVERTISE with us.

Recent Posts

Spain’s Guardia Civil detain man for allegedly promoting IS terror online

News Desk

Spanish government takes 3% stake in Telefónica after Saudi deal concerns

News Desk

Vinícius breaks down while talking about racist insults he’s suffered in Spain

News Desk

Dani Alves released after paying €1m bail, awaiting appeal of rape conviction

News Desk

Spain’s High Court halts temporary suspension order of Telegram’s services

News Desk

At least three dead after migrant dinghy runs into trouble off south of Spain

News Desk

2 comments

Alan Geere 21st April 2021 at 9:01 am

Does this mean that you still require a pcr test if travelling too Spain from the UK in May?

Reply
John scarlett 11th May 2021 at 12:58 pm

Alan I believe you still need to have either lateral flow test or LAMP test or a full PCR test to enter Spain I am a resident of Spain and going back in May as I have not been able to travel back these last 6 months I am now fully inoculated for covid 19 but that does not mean I can travel without restrictions as yet that will not be until sometime in June.Hope this helps,most airports can do these tests with a travel certificate.

Reply

Leave a Comment