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UPDATE: Has Spain backtracked on its plan to welcome all vaccinated tourists in June 2021?

Spain’s Prime Minister had offered to welcome all vaccinated tourists regardless of their country of origin from June 7th, but a state bulletin extending the ban on non-essential travel from outside the EU is calling into question this statement. Here's the latest on the situation.

Published: 31 May 2021 14:52 CEST
Updated: 4 June 2021 09:09 CEST
UPDATE: Has Spain backtracked on its plan to welcome all vaccinated tourists in June 2021?
Photo: Pau Barrena/AFP

(Scroll down for June 4th and June 5th update)

On Saturday May 29th, the Spanish government announced it will extend the ban on non-essential travel from outside the EU and the Schengen Area until June 30th 2021. 

The non-EU countries that this does not apply to are Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macao, China and the recently included United Kingdom and Japan. 

However, the June 30th 2021 date is contrary to the one recently announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez only two weeks ago. 

“From June 7th, all vaccinated people and their families will be welcome in our country, Spain, regardless of their country of origin,” Sánchez said at an international tourism fair in Madrid on May 21st.

Published in Spain’s BOE state bulletin, the official message from Spain’s Interior Ministry makes no mention of exceptions for vaccinated travellers from outside the EU.

Exceptions only apply to nationals and residents of the EU, Schengen Associated States, Andorra, Monaco, The Vatican or San Marino, holders of a long-term visa issued by a Member State or Schengen Associated State, health professionals, transport workers, diplomatic/consular staff and international organisations, military and civil protection personnel, students and people with documented force majeure reasons.

The lists of third countries where non-essential travel to Spain is allowed and not allowed are based on the Schengen Borders Code and the EU’s common “Traffic Lights” mapping for global risk areas.

When the Spanish embassy in Santiago de Chile tweeted the news, numerous people complained about how confusing the information being given was, as they had assumed that June 7th was the official opening date for vaccinated non-EU travellers.

When The Local contacted Spain’s Foreign Affairs Ministry for clarification, we were directed to the Health Ministry website which details Spain’s current travel restrictions.

Under the category “risk countries/areas”, there is a section which links to where non-essential travel from third countries is still not possible, a list that’s “valid from 12:00am (midnight) on June 7th, 2021 and will be valid until 12:00am (midnight) on June 20th”. 

The countries that are exempt from the ban on non-essential travel remain the same and there is no mention of exceptions for vaccinated travellers from non-EU/Schengen nations. 

June 4th update

It’s worth noting that as things stand there is no official state bulletin (BOE) confirming the Prime Minister’s June 7th entry date, whereas the ban extension on non-EU travellers until June 30th 2021 is published on the websites of the Health Ministry and several Spanish embassies abroad. 

This document titled “Mobility Restrictions And Travel To Spain (Until June 30th, 2021)” states “only Spanish citizens, foreign citizens with valid residence in Spain and citizens of European Union countries can enter the Spanish territory” from outside the EU and they will still have to provide a negative Covid test to enter Spain. Being fully vaccinated does not exempt them from having to get a test either.

There also a section for spouses and family members: “Regarding the relatives of Spaniards and EU citizens (…), they may enter the Spanish territory as long as they accompany and/or meet with the Spanish and /or EU citizen, and prove their marriage and/or parent-child relationship with a Public Registry certificate of marriage/birth apostilled (if the document is not Spanish), if the relationship falls within the condition of Article 2 of Royal Decree 240/2007 of February 16th.

However, on Thursday June 3rd, El País ran a article in which it reported that the June 7th entry date for vaccinated travellers from around the world will be included in a separate BOE state bulletin, which according to government sources will in theory be published on Saturday June 5th, just 48 hours before it comes into effect. 

Among the conditions that will reportedly be included are that vaccinated travellers will only be able enter Spain 14 days after receiving their final vaccine dose and that further clarification on which vaccines Spanish authorities will accept for entry will be added.

The Local Spain will keep you updated when this information is made available and confirmed, so stay tuned. 

Spain is also due to launch its ‘Covid passport’ in June to work in tandem with the EU’s Green Digital Certificate, but it remains unclear if either of these will be made available for travel to Spain from outside the bloc from June 7th, June 30th or another date.

June 5th update:

As expected, the Spanish government on Saturday June 5th published a state bulletin confirming that it will modify the entry rules for vaccinated non-EU/Schengen citizens from June 7th. FIND OUT MORE HERE

READ MORE:

Member comments

  1. WE ARE OLD (81&82) US CITIZENS WITH A HOME ON THE COSTA DEL SOL, WHICH WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO VISIT FOR OVER ONE YEAR. WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME REGARDING THE 7TH OF JUNE, WE BOOKED OUR TICKETS FOR THE 12TH FROM NEWARK TO MALAGA. THIS NEW RESULT WILL COST US MONEY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE EMOTIONAL DISSAPPOINTMENT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO LEAVE FOR SPAIN. WE ARE FULLY VACCINATED AND HAVE HAD A “SPIKE ANTIBODY TEST” WHICH SHOWED 20+ WHEN 1 WAS GOOD ENOUGH. WE WERE ALSO PLANNING TO HAVE PCR TESTS WITHIN THE 72 HOUR LIMIT. THIS IS A VERY BAD MOVE ON THE PART OF THE MINISTRY IN DESTROYING SPAIN’S REPUTATION FOR US CITIZENS.

    1. Altough I can sympathize with you ( we are American citizens, retired and permanent residents of Valencia,Spain), please bear in mind that the United States has not lifted its travel ban from countries in the EU/ Schengen area and the UK. Needless to say it is difficult to understand such decisions at times from either side

    2. Hi Jim,
      I just replied to your email. This article has since been updated with some of the latest information valid as of June 4th, suggesting that Spain may be about to roll out last-minute legislation for vaccinated non-EU travellers (details still to be confirmed). Fingers crossed! All the best, Alex (Editor)

  2. Two of us will be traveling from Switzerland to Spain (Barcelona) this coming weekend. One of us will be fully vaccinated as of Friday, one is on track for next Friday.

    Do I read this correctly that we both need to have a PCR test prior to boarding the plane?

  3. As I said in an earlier post, government officials should NOT say things about anything unless it is for certain to come to pass.

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

Published: 26 March 2024 09:55 CET
German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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