Unvaccinated travellers from outside the EU are now allowed to visit Spain, provided they can show a negative Covid test result or a recovery certificate on arrival. The changes came into effect on Saturday 21 May.
It means that Spain has re-opened to unvaccinated non-EU/Schengen tourists for the first time in more than two years.
Previously it was not possible for third-country nationals to visit Spain for non-essential reasons such as a holiday, seeing family or spending time in a second home, unless they were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (plus booster after 9 months) or they had recovered from the illness in the past six months.
Spain’s Tourism Minister, Reyes Maroto, had hinted in a radio interview last Thursday that the country would allow entry to unvaccinated non-EU travellers earlier than thought, and it was confirmed and published in the Boletín Official del Estado (BOE) on Saturday with immediate effect.
The same rules that apply to EU nationals and residents now also apply to travellers from outside the EU.
Spain’s testing requirements for non-EU/Schengen tourists apply to those aged 12 and older, children under that age are exempt from having to prove testing, vaccination or recovery.
It can either be a PCR test, which must be carried out in the 72 hours prior to departure to Spain, or an antigen test, 24 hours prior to departure.
Covid tests accepted are those authorised by the European Commission and must have been performed by healthcare professionals. Self-tests are not valid.
The following details are also explained on the Spain Travel Health (SpTH) page:
In order to enter Spain, all passengers, regardless of the country of origin (except children under the age of 12 and passengers in international transit), must show one of these documents:
- An EU DIGITAL COVID CERTIFICATE OR EU EQUIVALENT of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative certificate of an active infection diagnostic test or a recovery certificate after having this disease.
- SpTH QR. If you do not have the EU Digital COVID Certificate or equivalent, you must complete the SpTH Health Control Form, manually entering the details of your vaccination, recovery or diagnostic test certificate.
The vaccination certificate with complete schedule for children under 18 has no expiry date.
Una buena noticia, muy esperada por el sector turístico y que facilita la llegada de turistas de fuera de la UE de cara a la temporada alta garantizando una movilidad segura.
— Reyes Maroto (@MarotoReyes) May 21, 2022
🇪🇸 se está erigiendo como uno de los destinos más deseados del mundo, como nos muestran los indicadores. https://t.co/bgs1LKsRME
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