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TRAVEL NEWS

Can I travel to Spain if I’ve only had one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine?

In short yes, you may be able to travel to Spain if you’ve only had one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, but it depends on where you’re travelling from. Read on to find out if it's possible from where you are?

Can I travel to Spain if I’ve only had one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine?
Can I travel to Spain even if I've only had one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine? Photo: JAIME REINA / AFP

Obviously, you are not fully protected if you’ve only had a single dose – unless it’s the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) Covid-19 vaccine, so you still need to take precautions while travelling, as well as when in Spain.

From the EU or an EEA country

Those travelling to Spain from the EU can use their Digital Covid Certificates to make travel within the bloc easier. This shows whether a person has been fully vaccinated, has a negative Covid-19 test or has recovered from the virus.

READ ALSO: TRAVEL: How does the new EU Covid certificate work and how do I get one?

Therefore, if you’ve not been fully vaccinated yet and have only received one dose, you can still travel to Spain by showing a negative Covid-19 test result or a recovery certificate. The Spanish authorities state that you can do this by showing your Digital Covid Certificate or one of the following:

Diagnostic certificate: You must show a negative COVID-19 test, carried out within 48 hours prior to your arrival in Spain. Accepted tests include PCR or antigen tests (NAAT).

Recovery certificate: People who have recovered from the virus may show a certificate proving this. The recovery certificate must be dated at least 11 days previously and a maximum of 180 days from the date on which you had your positive COVID-19 test result.

Note: If travelling from certain regions in some EU countries, you may not need to provide proof of either of these. Check here and click on your country to find out which regions are included.

From the UK

Those travelling to Spain from the UK are also allowed to enter, even if they’ve only had one jab. They must however show proof of:

Negative Covid-19 test: Documentation issued within 48 hours prior to arrival in Spain, certifying that you have undertaken a COVID-19 test, e.g. PCR, TMA, LAMP or NEAR, and tested negative. Antigen tests are not currently accepted, unless you are an EU citizen or family member of one, or are resident in Spain.

READ ALSO: Do Brits in Spain still have to quarantine on return to the UK?

Can I travel to Spain even if I’ve had only one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine? Photo: Leon LORD / AFP

Other travellers from outside the EU/EEA

Currently, travellers from outside the EU/EEA, with the exception of certain countries (see below), cannot travel to Spain if they’ve only had one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. In order to be able to travel, they need to wait until at least 14 days after they are fully vaccinated and be able to present a Covid-19 vaccination certificate.

Spain currently only accepts vaccine proof from those who have been inoculated with those Covid-19 vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency or those that have completed the World Health Organisation’s emergency use process. 

The only countries where even those who are fully vaccinated cannot travel from are Brazil, South Africa and India. According to the Spanish authorities, if you are travelling from Brazil or South Africa and are in transit to a non-Schengen country, with a stopover of less than 24 hours, then this is allowed (provided you don’t leave the transit zone of the airport).

Exceptions

Only July 1st, the EU added 11 more countries to its list of epidemiologically safe third countries, meaning that travellers from these destinations can now travel to Spain if they’ve only received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and do not need to show any health certificates or negative tests (provided they haven’t travelled to a country in the risk zone within 14 days).

Currently, this includes the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Montenegro, New Zealand, Qatar, Moldova, North Macedonia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, United States of American and China, as well as Hong Kong and Macau. 

Spanish authorities have said, “If you are travelling from a country or territory included in the list of countries with low incidence [see above], excluded from the risk zone, you will be able to travel without the need for a diagnostic test or a certificate of vaccination or immunity”.

All travellers:

The Spanish authorities have said that: “Regardless of your country of origin, all passengers arriving in Spain, including those in transit and children under 6 years of age, must complete a health control form before their departure”.

You can find the health control form here or on the Spain Travel Health app. When you fill in the form, a QR code will be generated, which you must show before boarding your transportation and upon arrival at the border checks in Spain. Find out more about the health control form here

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TRAVEL NEWS

Which flights will be affected by Spain’s airport strikes over Easter?

If you've got a flight booked to or from Valencia or Madrid-Barajas airport over Easter, industrial action by staff could delay your journey or even lead to it being cancelled.

Which flights will be affected by Spain's airport strikes over Easter?

Airport staff in Valencia and Madrid are going on strike over key Easter dates, meaning that as many as a thousand flights could be delayed or cancelled during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

Semana Santa celebrations have already been disrupted by rain this year, causing the cancellation of processions across the country, but travel during the busy Easter period is also set to be affected by strike action at two of Spain’s major airports.

At Valencia Manises airport, one of the busiest airports in Spain which welcomed almost 10 million passengers in 2023, flights could be affected over the entire Easter weekend (Thursday March 28th-Monday April 1st inclusive) because workers will walk out between 11am-13am on each day.

At Madrid-Barajas airport, the UGT union has called a strike for Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th March between 7am-12pm.

READ ALSO: Spain’s Valencia set for airport strike over Easter holidays

The walkout at Valencia begins today, March 28th. According to the live departures board provided by Aena, Spain’s national airport operator, which you can follow here, as of 9.30am flights are leaving the airport with minor delays of up to 40 minutes, though this is before the strike officially begins at 11am.

Aena live departures for Madrid-Barajas show that some flights have left with delays of up to 45 minutes this morning, though it is worth noting that staff are not officially on strike there today (walkouts in Madrid are Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th March between 7am-12pm) which could suggest a knock-on effect from yesterday’s strike action.

The industrial action comes during not only during Easter celebrations but operación salida, an intensely busy travel period during which millions of Spaniards travel home or go on holiday for Semana Santa.

READ ALSO: Strike action at Spanish airports set to disrupt Easter travel

Staff at Madrid-Barajas are striking for better pay and a new collective bargaining agreement, arguing their salaries have declined in real terms due to inflation, and employees at Valencia Manises are protesting against long working hours and a lack of staff, plus a dispute with regards to overtime pay.

Spanish media reports suggest that up to 1000 flights could be cancelled as a result of the walkouts. On Wednesday 27th, there was also ‘chaos’ at Palma de Mallorca airport, according to Spanish media, with long queues at security controls meaning it took many passengers an hour to get to their departure gate.

Which flights will be affected by Spain’s airport strikes over Easter?

Knowing exactly which flights could be affected, however, isn’t entirely clear. There seems to be certain airlines and routes more likely to be affected than others.

Madrid-Barajas

It is still unclear exactly which flights could be affected at Madrid-Barajas, so it is advisable to check with your airline. You can check the airport schedule on the Aena website here.

On Wednesday 27th March, the day the strike began in Madrid, both short and long-haul flights were delayed or cancelled.

Departure records from Flight Stats show that long-haul flights to the United States were cancelled throughout the day, and short-haul flights around Europe and to other Spanish cities were running with delays of up to 2 hours. Many also arrived on schedule, however.

Valencia Manises

As the strike action begins in Valencia on Thursday morning, reports suggest that several dozen flights could be cancelled, delayed or rescheduled. If you are uncertain about your flight, check with your airline.

On Thursday 28th, flights that could be affected by the stoppage include:

  • Ryanair flights connecting Valencia with Rome, Milan Bologna, Breslavia and Sofia 
  • United and Lufthansa flights connecting Valencia with Frankfurt and Munich
  • Easyjet and British Airways flights between Valencia and London
  • Turkish Airlines flights between Valencia and Istanbul
  • Air Europa flights between Valencia and Palma de Mallorca
  • Swiss flights connecting Valencia to Zurich
  • Volotea flights between Valencia and A Coruña
  • Eurowings’ Valencia-Stuttgart flights

On Friday 29th, flights that could be cancelled are:

  • Ryanair to Milan, Treviso, Trieste, Dublin, Marrakech and Palma de Mallorca
  • SAP and Tap Portugal flights between Valencia and Lisbon
  • United to Frankfurt
  • Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Munich
  • Austrian to Vienna
  • Air Nostrum to Ibiza
  • Delta to París Charles de Gaulle
  • Air France to París Charles de Gaulle
  • Air Europa to Palma de Mallorca
  • Easyjet to London
  • British Airways to London
  • Brussels Airlines to Brussels
  • Iberia to Tenerife North
  • Tap Portugal to Lisbon
  • Turkish Airlines to Istanbul
  • Swiss to Zúrich
  • Volotea to A Coruña, San Sebastián
  • Vueling to Tenerife North
  • Eurowings to Stuttgart

There is no further information yet about which flights could be affected on Saturday 30th, Sunday 31st and Monday April 1st.

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