The new restrictions at Spain’s airports, ports and land borders

As from midnight on Sunday, the Spanish government has restricted access to travellers at Spain’s borders, specifically at ports and airports. Restrictions were already in place at its land borders. Entry into Spain is now only permitted at all border points, apart from to Spanish nationals and residents in Spain (with official documentation), to the following:

a) Residents of the EU or Schengen associated countries, who are heading directly to their place of residence within Spain.

b) Holders of a long-term visa issued by a Member State or Schengen associated country.

c) Cross-border workers.

d) Healthcare professionals or those who look after the elderly travelling to exercise their profession.

e) Personnel engaged in the transport of goods in the exercise of their profession and the necessary flight crew to perform commercial air transport activities.

f) Diplomatic and consular staff, personnel working for international organisations, the armed forces and members of humanitarian organisations in the exercise of their duties.

g) People travelling on duly accredited imperative family grounds.

h) People that can provide documentary accreditation of grounds of force majeure or situations of need, or whose entry is permitted on humanitarian grounds.

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This ruling is in line with the decision adopted by the members of the European Council on 17 March, which agreed to apply a temporary restriction on non-essential travel from third countries to the European Union and Schengen associated countries.

The order has been signed by Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and will remain in force for an initial term of 30 days.

The order also specifies that this measure ‘will not apply on the land border with Andorra nor at the border control with Gibraltar, without prejudice to the possibility of performing police checks in the surrounding areas’.

The order also agrees to the ‘temporary closure of the land crossings enabled for entry into and exit from Spain through the cities of Ceuta and Melilla’.

This order is in addition to the measure adopted on Monday 16 March which resolved to re-introduce internal and on-going border controls with Portugal and France.

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Below are the numbers to call for each region of Spain for information and assistance in the event of possible cases of Coronavirus – as issued by the Spanish health authorities.

Click here for further information (in Spanish) regarding Coronavirus from the Spanish Health Ministry.