Restriction to travel to spain: COVID-19 Information – U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Spain and Andorra

Can I travel to Spain? Travel Restrictions & Entry Requirements for Spain

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Spain.

Entry

Open for vaccinated visitors

COVID-19 testing

Not required

Quarantine

Not required for vaccinated visitors

Restaurants

Open

Masks

Not required in public spaces, enclosed environments and public transportation.

Travelers from Russia cannot fly directly to Spain.

This page covers COVID-19 related travel restrictions only. For other travel restrictions, please check the guidance from your local authorities.

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FAQ

Entry requirements – Spain travel advice

This page has information on travelling to Spain.

This page reflects the UK government’s understanding of current rules for people travelling on a full ‘British Citizen’ passport from the UK, for the most common types of travel.

The authorities in Spain set and enforce entry rules. If you’re unsure how Spain’s entry requirements apply to you, contact its UK embassy, high commission or consulate.

All travellers

All travellers should familiarise themselves with the entry rules for Spain before travel.

From 3 January 2023, Spain has reinstated mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for all passengers arriving from China. Travellers from China will be required to undergo visual and temperature checks on arrival and may be subjected to a diagnostic test for active infection at the point of entry. Children under the age of twelve are exempt from this requirement, as are passengers who are transiting airside for 24 hours or less. Further information can be found on the website of the Ministry of Health. These requirements do not apply to travellers to Spain from Hong Kong.

For all other passengers, Spain does not require any proof of vaccination, a negative test result, or a COVID-19 recovery certificate to enter the country, regardless of your vaccination status.

Spain’s land borders are open. For further details see If you’re transiting through Spain.

All travellers should follow the advice of the local authorities on how best to protect themselves and others, including any measures that they bring in to control the virus. See the Coronavirus section for further information.

Plan ahead in case you present symptoms or test positive for COVID-19 during your stay in Spain, see Be prepared for your plans to change and Developing symptoms of COVID-19 or testing positive for COVID-19 in Spain.

If you’re fully vaccinated

Passengers arriving in Spain from China should check their vaccination certificate meets the necessary requirements on the website of the Ministry of Health .

For all other travellers, all COVID-19 travel restrictions for entry to Spain have been lifted, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.

If you’re not fully vaccinated

Unvaccinated passengers arriving in Spain from China must show proof of having tested negative for COVID-19. See the website of the Ministry of Health for details.

For all other travellers, all COVID-19 travel restrictions for entry to Spain have been lifted, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.

Children and young people

There are no specific requirements for children and young people.

If you’re transiting through Spain

Transiting is when you pass through one country on the way to your final destination.

Transiting through Spain is permitted for all travellers from the UK in line with the entry requirements set out above.

Entry requirements for passengers on flights arriving from China do not apply to people transiting Spain providing they remain airside within the airport for 24 hours or less.

You should consult travel advice for any countries you are travelling through at the links below:

  • FCDO travel advice for France,
  • FCDO travel advice for Portugal
  • FCDO travel advice for Andorra
  • FCDO travel advice for Gibraltar

Check your passport and travel documents before you travel

Passport validity

If you are planning to travel to an EU country (except Ireland), or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City, you must follow the Schengen area passport requirements.

Your passport must be:

  • issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’)
  • valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)

You must check your passport meets these requirements before you travel. If your passport was issued before 1 October 2018, extra months may have been added to its expiry date.

Contact the embassy of the country you are visiting if you think that your passport does not meet both these requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

Visas

You can travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. This applies if you travel as a tourist, to visit family or friends, to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events, or for short-term studies or training.

If you are travelling to Spain and other Schengen countries without a visa, make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day limit. Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days.

To stay longer, to work or study, for business travel or for other reasons, you will need to meet the Spanish government’s entry requirements. You should check with the Spanish consulate in the UK prior to travel regarding what type of visa and/or work permit you may need.

If you are travelling to Spain for work, read the guidance on visas and permits.

If you are unable to return to the UK before the expiry of your visa/permit or visa-free limit, you should contact your local authority for immigration advice. You can also call 060 from a Spanish phone line.

If you are visiting Spain and need to extend your visa-free stay for exceptional reasons, such as a medical emergency, you must apply to the immigration authorities (Extranjería)

If you stay in Spain with a residence permit or long-stay visa, this does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit.

Passport stamping

Check your passport is stamped if you enter or exit the Schengen area through Spain as a visitor.

Border guards will use passport stamps to check you’re complying with the 90-day visa-free limit for short stays in the Schengen area. If relevant entry or exit stamps are not in your passport, border guards will presume that you have overstayed your visa-free limit.

You can show evidence of when and where you entered or exited the Schengen area, and ask the border guards to add this date and location in your passport. Examples of acceptable evidence include boarding passes and tickets.

E-gates

You should use the desks staffed by border officers. If you are aged 18 and over, and airport staff instruct you to do this, you may be able to use e-gates, if these are operating.

If you use an e-gate, make sure you get your passport stamped by a border officer.

Additional documents required by tourists

UK nationals entering the Schengen zone as tourists may need to provide additional documents at the border. As well as a valid return or onward ticket, it is possible that travellers to Spain may also be asked to:

  • show you have enough money for your stay. More information is available from the Spanish Ministry of Interior (in Spanish).

  • show proof of accommodation for your stay, for example, a hotel booking confirmation, proof of address if visiting your own property (e.g. second home), or an invitation from your host or proof of their address if staying with a third party, friends or family. The Spanish government has clarified that the “carta de invitation” is one of the options available to prove that you have accommodation if staying with friends or family. More information is available from the Spanish Ministry of Interior.

Residents of Spain

If you are resident in Spain your passport should not be stamped. Read our Living in Spain guide for passport stamping information.

You should proactively show your proof of residence – such as the ‘TIE’ (la tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) – as well as your valid passport at Spanish border control. For further information, see our Living in Spain guide.

Travel between Spain and Gibraltar

Spanish border checks can cause delays when crossing between Spain and Gibraltar. If you are travelling to Spain via Gibraltar, check the latest entry requirements and FCDO travel advice for Gibraltar.

There is no charge to enter or leave Gibraltar. You should not hand over money if you’re approached by anyone claiming that there is a charge.

UK Emergency Travel Documents

UK ETDs are accepted for entry, airside transit and exit from Spain.

registration, entry rules — Buying Ticket Blog

It seems that the ideal place for a vacation has been found: where, if not in Spain with its siesta, to train work-life balance and really relax? We talk about entry rules, documents and requirements – everything you need to know if you are planning a trip to the country of flamenco and jamon.

Entry rules for Russians

General requirements for entry into Spain for citizens of other countries are as follows:

• enter through one of the designated points;

• verify identity with a valid passport or other document;

• if necessary, have a visa to enter the country;

• confirm the conditions of the planned stay and the availability of funds. Be prepared to prove your plans with documents upon request. For example, show a return ticket or tourist itinerary, an invitation from the host, or a hotel reservation. You can confirm financial viability by an account statement, in cash or in other ways such as a sponsorship letter;

• not have travel bans.

Russians need a visa to Spain, but, fortunately, Spain is relatively easy to issue Schengen to Russian tourists, and for transit less than 24 hours or entry on a diplomatic passport, it is not needed at all.

It is also possible to enter on a Schengen visa of another state, but with the condition that the time spent in Spain should not exceed the period of stay inside the country where the visa was received.

You will not be allowed into the country if:

• you do not qualify for entry;

• you are under a travel ban;

• You have exceeded the Schengen stay limit within 180 days.

The ban can be challenged by filing an appeal.

Coronavirus restrictions

Until October 2022, the rules for entering Spain included anti-COVID measures. Tourists were required to present, among other things:

• medical certificate of vaccination against COVID-19;

• certificate of past illness;

• PCR test.

Spain was the last EU country to maintain pandemic restrictions for non-EU citizens. Now all EU countries are open to tourists and do not require medical documents to be presented for entry.

Types of visas

Visa to Spain can be short-term and long-term. For short trips, a category C visa is suitable, for long trips – a national category D.

Short-stay visa category C is issued if you are planning a visit up to 90 days. The purpose of the trip may be tourism, business trip, visiting relatives. A type C visa can be single, double or multiple entry – respectively, you can enter Spain one, two or more times during the validity of the visa. What will be the validity period is decided at the consulate: whether they will give a visa only for the dates of the trip or for several years at once.

Long stay visa category D is required if you plan to stay in the country for more than 90 days. Please note that this is no longer a Schengen visa to Spain, but national : it is valid only in Spain and gives the right to stay in the country for up to one year, and then renew the document. At the same time, it is also allowed to travel to other Schengen countries, but for up to 90 days within the validity period of the national visa.

In addition to Schengen and national, the visa is divided into types depending on the purpose of the trip.

Tourist visa to Spain is suitable if you are going to get acquainted with the culture, see the sights, try the local cuisine.

Transit visa is issued to tourists who travel through Spain to third countries. Visa-free transit is possible if the transfer is less than 24 hours and the passenger is heading to a country outside the Schengen area.

Business visa is needed for entrepreneurs who intend to do business in Spain, open a company or branch, and negotiate.

Work visa is required if a specialist comes to Spain for work or internship.

Visitor visa is issued at the invitation of friends or relatives: citizens of Spain or living in the country with a residence permit.

Study visa is required if you plan to study in Spain, whether at a university or a language school.

Required documents

There are several ways to get a visa to Spain: if you are traveling through an agency, a tour operator will help you get a visa, and if you decide to go to Spain on your own, you need to contact the consulate or visa center. Remember that all tourists who have reached the age of 12 and have not been fingerprinted in the last 59months, there will be fingerprinting, and therefore it is mandatory to be present at the consulate or visa center in person.

You must apply for a visa no earlier than six months before travel, but no later than 15 days.

To apply for a visa to Spain, you will need the following documents:

• completed application form in English or Spanish;

• internal Russian passport;

• Passport – original and copy of all pages. Please note that the passport must be no older than 10 years and valid for at least three months after leaving Spain, and it must also contain at least two blank pages;

• health insurance with a coverage amount of 30 thousand euros;

• two photographs 3. 5 x 4.5 cm;

• receipt of payment of the fee for the required type of visa;

• consent to the processing of personal data;

• tickets or airline reservations. At this step, you will need air tickets Moscow – Barcelona or Moscow – Madrid – it is not necessary to buy them, but you will have to reserve and show them to the consul;

• reservation of accommodation – hotel, hostel, rented apartment, confirmation from the host side of readiness to accommodate you;

• proof of financial solvency – account statement, cash, proof of employment, letter from the host willing to bear the costs. One traveler must account for at least 90 euros for each day of the trip;

• certificate from the place of work / study, certificate of registration of individual entrepreneur, pension certificate – depending on the status;

• for a visitor visa – a notarized invitation;

• for business – information on tax registration;

• study or work – confirmation of the level of education and knowledge of the language.

Photo requirements

A photo for a visa is a delicate matter, because due to unsuitable photos, your package of documents can be returned back. You will have to apply again, and you will lose money and time.

Basic requirements:

• color photograph on a light background;

• photo not older than 6 months;

• size 3.5 x 4.5 cm;

• full face in the center of the frame;

• head size in photo 3.2–3.6 cm;

• looking at the camera;

• face, hair, ears are clearly visible.

Visa for a child

Children travel to Spain both with adults and after 14 years of age on their own. In what documents are needed to make a visa for a minor:

• birth certificate – up to 14 years old instead of a civil passport;

• foreign passport — you can paste the child into your passport, but in this case, when filling out the visa application form, you will need to fill out and sign a separate form for the child with a photo;

• visa application;

• passport and passport of the parent or legal representative;

• two photographs;

• certificate from the place of study;

• financial guarantee – parental account statement, sponsorship letter, proof of host party coverage;

• booking tickets and accommodation;

• route – where the child is going to go, who to see. It is good to provide contacts of people who will be near the child on the trip.

If the child travels with only one parent, the other parent’s consent is required. If minor children leave without adults, consent to leave from parents or legal representatives is required. Notarize the consent, in the same place indicate who will accompany the child on the trip. If the accompanying person already has a visa, attach a copy of it – proof that this person will accompany the child on the trip.

Reasons for refusal

As we have already said, in Spain Russians are treated with loyalty: refusals are rare, a large percentage of travelers receive visas for up to three months. But there are still rejections. Pay attention to the main reasons and double-check the documents and information in advance to get the coveted visa for sure.

• There is an error in the documents

Even an incorrect spelling of the name in Latin is already a good reason to refuse to process documents. Carefully double-check what you write in the questionnaire and what documents you submit.

• You have provided incorrect information

Your visa will be refused if the consulate finds out that you do not have enough money for the trip, there is no hotel reservation, your purpose of travel is not true, you do not study or work in the place where you brought the certificate from.

• Something is missing in the documents

You brought your passport, but forgot some seemingly insignificant document — such a mistake can cost you a long-awaited trip. Check the documents before heading to the visa center: it is better to check the list several times than to lose the paid consular fee.

• You have a negative travel history

If you violated the law in another country, especially within the Schengen area, this will become known to the Spanish side through the Schengen Information System service, a portal to which all countries of the zone have access.

• You already got a visa but didn’t use it

“Why give visas to someone who doesn’t use them anyway?” – they will think at the consulate if they find you have an unused visa on time. But the rich experience of visa trips, on the contrary, will put the consul to you.

Results

Let’s summarize what is important to remember about Spain’s visa policy:

• the country is quite favorable to Russians, getting a visa is relatively easy;

• since October 2022, there are no anti-COVID measures and no entry requirements;

• it is possible to enter the Schengen area of ​​another country, but for a period not longer than the period of stay in that country;

• You must apply for a visa no earlier than six months and no later than 15 days before travel;

• when submitting documents, it is necessary to prove the viability and purpose of the trip, so be prepared to show cash or a bank statement, tickets to Spain, accommodation reservation;

• The exact list of visa documents depends on the purpose of the trip – check the list so you don’t forget to report important documents;

• The visa photo must meet all the requirements, otherwise the documents will be unrolled and the visa will not be issued;

• Refusal of extradition can often be avoided by checking documents carefully before submission and not trying to deceive the consulate.

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