Spain in English

Spain open to all fully vaccinated non-EU travellers, and antigen tests accepted for EU

Arrivals library image. (Aena.es)

Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (16 June)

From this Monday 7 June, all travellers from outside the European Union and Schengen Zone can visit Spain, providing they have a certificate to show they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and that the second dose was received at least 14 days before travelling (or the first and only dose if vaccinated with Janssen).

Meanwhile, non-vaccinated Europeans — who were already allowed to enter Spain with a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours — from Monday are also able to take a cheaper antigen test instead. Since Monday 24 May, Spain officially lifted restrictions for UK travellers to allow non-essential travel without quarantine or the need to provide any test, although a health declaration form is required. However, Spain still remains on the UK government’s updated ‘amber’ list of countries after the latest review of travel destinations.

The new measures were finally published in Spain’s Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) on Saturday 5 June. The Spanish Tourism Ministry has also detailed (in English) the new measures in a 3 page document here.

As previously reported, Spain will also begin allowing cruise ships into its ports again from today [Monday].

On Saturday, Spain’s Health Minister Carolina Darias tweeted that ‘Spain is a safe destination and we are in a position to soon regain our world tourism leadership’, something that is endorsed by ‘the excellent vaccination data’ that ‘places us closer to normality every day’.

Under the changes that have come into force today, all travellers from the Schengen free-travel area will be able to enter Spain using the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate, which will come into use from 1July. The document will state whether the bearer has been vaccinated, if they have taken a PCR or antigen test, and whether or not they have already had Covid-19 and recovered.

 

People who want to visit Spain will have to fill out, as before, the travel health control form through the Spain Travel Health (SpTH) app or website, which can be accessed here: www.spth.gob.es. Full details and FAQ can be found by clicking here.

The Spanish government has stated: ‘Two control points will be established in ports and airports. Those who come from countries or areas not included in the list of risk countries will have access to a quick control with the QR code obtained through SpTH. In addition, once the EU Covid Digital Certificate comes into force, those who are holders of this document will also have access to this quick control.

‘Those who come from areas that are included in the list of countries at risk will have to undergo a random control, which will take into account their place of origin and the level of incidence. In the validation of the vaccination certificate, Spain will only accept the vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as those recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).

‘These procedures will be mandatory for everyone whose final destination is Spain, as well as for those who are in transit. The latter will not be subject to control; the purpose in this case is to increase the international traceability of the virus. All persons under 6 years of age will be exempt from these procedures.’

The vaccines that are accepted by the WHO and the EMA are Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Sinopharm and Sinovac-Coronavac. According to the BOE, minors will also be allowed to enter Spain when accompanying people who have been fully vaccinated.

According to AFPMálaga airport is expecting around 20 different flights on Monday morning alone, from places around Europe such as Berlin, Lille, Frankfurt and London.

Spain’s Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto said on Friday that she did not understand the UK government’s refusal to allow certain areas of Spain where Covid-19 cases are low, like the Canary Islands, on to its green list.

Against the backdrop of uncertainty, major travel operator TUI has cancelled all its flights to Spain until 13 June. The UK will not revisit its decision for another three weeks, precious time for those in the hospitality sector hoping to recover some of the losses of 2020, when visitor arrivals dropped by 80% compared to the year before – the lowest figure since 1969.

The Spanish government has set an objective of drawing 45 million travellers by the end of this year. But by the end of April, the country had only seen 1.8 million visitors, according to official statistics.

Click here for all our reports related to Travel

ALSO READ: Spain to allow cruise ship arrivals from 7 June

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