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Spain extends restrictions on non-essential travel from most non-EU countries until November

The Spanish government has again extended temporary restrictions for non-essential travel from most third countries until October 31st 2021, meaning that the majority of unvaccinated tourists from outside of the EU can still not visit Spain.

Published: 30 September 2021 10:47 CEST
A passenger checks in for her flight at the Barajas airport in Madrid on June 20, 2020, a day before the country's state of emergency ends following a national lockdown to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. - With Spain's epidemic now well under control, the government has been cautiously easing out of its mid-March lockdown with travel restrictions soon to be lifted as well. (Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)
Spain has extended Covid restrictions for travellers from countries outside of the EU on several occasions already. Photo: Pierre Philippe Marcou/AFP

Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE) confirmed this newest extension to the temporary restriction order for non-essential trips and unvaccinated travellers from outside the bloc, first approved on July 17th.

The measure affects unvaccinated people from most non-EU countries who want to travel to Spain, as those who can prove vaccination with one of the inoculations Spain accepts can visit the country for tourism or other non-essential reasons. 

Previous BOEs gave reasons for the extension, stating that “the epidemiological situation has not changed substantially”, but this edition simply confirmed the extension of the current rules in place now until midnight October 31st 2021.

Spain also has a list of low-risk third countries whose travellers wanting to visit Spain for non-essential reasons can come regardless of without having to present proof of Covid-19 testing or vaccination. Travellers from these nations are in effect exempt from Spain’s travel restrictions for third countries.

The current list of third countries which are exempt from the restrictions includes Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Jordan, New Zealand, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore, Ukraine, Uruguay as well as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

However, the BOE states that this list was amended on September 23rd to include Chile, Kuwait and Rwanda in the above list and remove Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the Republic of Moldova, although this does not reflect on Spain’s Health Ministry website (check with your embassy).

Travellers from third countries on the list may be able to enter Spain without the need for a negative Covid test or a vaccination certificate, but they still need to fill out a health control form, which can be found here.

It’s also important to check whether you need a visa or any other documents to enter Spain first and, if so, contact your nearest Spanish embassy to find out if they’re currently issuing these documents. 

The other reasons that can be used for travel to Spain from third countries that fall under the non-essential travel restrictions are:

  • You are a resident in the EU or Schengen country.
  • You have a visa for a long duration stay in an EU or Schengen country.
  • You work in transport, such as airline staff or are in a maritime profession.
  • You work in diplomatic, consular, international organisations, military or civil protection or are a member of a humanitarian organisation.
  • You have a student visa for a country in the EU or Schengen zone.
  • You are a highly qualified worker or athlete whose work cannot be postponed or carried out remotely.
  • You are travelling for duly accredited imperative family reasons.
  • You are allowed entry due to force majeure or on humanitarian grounds.
  • And as mentioned earlier in the article, if you have a vaccination certificate that Spain’s Ministry of Health recognises, as well as their accompanying minors (unless they’re under 12 years of age).

Those travelling to Spain from the UK and the US

As stated by Spain’s Health Ministry, “For persons resident in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland coming directly from this country, in addition to the vaccination certificate, diagnostic certificates of NAAT tests (nucleic acid amplification tests, e.g.: RT-PCR, RT-LAMP, TMA, HAD, NEAR, CRISPR, SDA…..) will also be considered valid”.

READ ALSO: What travellers from Spain to England should know about the UK’s new Covid border rules in October

As for travellers from the US, On Friday September 3rd Spanish health authorities removed the United States from the list of third countries whose travellers do not have to meet Spain’s Covid travel restrictions.

READ MORE: What do Spain’s new Covid restrictions for the US mean for American travellers?

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The government is working on the assumption that the system will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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