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Spain now requires Covid certificates for arrivals from China

All passengers arriving from China must now show a valid Covid-19 certificate or negative test to enter Spain, and third-country nationals without one could be denied entry.

Published: 5 January 2023 10:47 CET
Spain now requires Covid certificates for arrivals from China
Photo: Jung Yeon-je/AFP

Spain has beefed up its border rules to combat the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak in China this week.

After initially saying it wouldn’t require a negative test, then quickly backtracking on that pledge and introducing visual and temperature checks on December 31st, then a negative test, it has now been confirmed that Covid-19 certificates will be required for all arrivals from the Chinese mainland and that Spanish border guards will have the right to deny entry to third-party nationals without one.

READ ALSO: UPDATE: How Spain is reacting to China’s Covid-19 spike

Since China dropped its strict zero-Covid policy three weeks ago after almost three years in place, the number of infections in the Asian superpower has spiked, with experts in the UK estimating 9,000 deaths per day as of December 30th.

The Chinese government has since allowed Chinese nationals to travel overseas, and countries around the world are concerned about the prospect of a new variant spreading and reigniting a pandemic many epidemiologists considered to be over.

According to the official state bulletin (BOE) released by the government on Wednesday, the measures are being introduced due to “a significant deterioration in the epidemiological situation regarding COVID-19 in the People’s Republic of China that coincides with the elimination of travel restrictions in this country [China], as of January 8th, 2023, and the celebration of its new year, on January 22nd.”

The period around Chinese New Year is a traditionally travel-intensive time.

“This scenario constitutes a serious epidemiological risk that makes it advisable to be extremely vigilant and to adopt preventive measures to avoid, in particular, the potential spread of possible new variants,” the BOE adds.

Given these recent developments, the Spanish Ministry of Health has decided to adopt urgent measures to keep on top of the situation.

Covid certificate checks

In a resolution established on December 30th, 2022, sanitary controls were established at the border for passengers arriving from China, consisting of “documentary, visual and temperature controls and the performance of a diagnostic test for active infections at the point of entry.”

Now, in addition, Covid certificates will be checked for “any third-country national arriving at any airport located in the Kingdom of Spain on direct flights from airports located in China,” according to the BOE.

Certificates will first be checked at the point of origin, that is, in China, and then again at the Spanish border by health workers. Certificates must include the complete EU vaccination series, or a recognised equivalent, or the negative result of a recently taken test.

Third-country nationals without either will be refused entry into Spain, with a few exceptions.

Exceptions

According to the BOE, “people belonging to one of the following categories will be exempted from the refusal of entry measure.”

  • Residents of the European Union; Schengen associated states; Andorra, Monaco, the Vatican, or San Marino who are en route to that country, with documentary proof.
  • Holders of a long-stay visa issued by a EU member state or a Schengen associated state travelling to that country.
  • Crews of national and international transport teams.
  • Travellers with documentary proof of force majeure or distress, or whose entry is permitted on other humanitarian grounds.
  • Minors under 12 years of age.

Vaccines

In terms of which vaccination certificates will be accepted, Spain is following the guidelines established in its broader pre-exisiting vaccination strategy, so: AstraZeneca/Oxford, SanofiGSK, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, Pfizer/BioNTech, CureVac and Moderna/Lonza.

Tests

In the case of a diagnostic test certificates, the tests must be (NAAT), including PCR, whose sample has been obtained within 72 hours prior to departure, or antigen tests approved by the EU and obtained within 24 hours prior to departure.

Recovery certificates 

In terms of recovery certificates, Spain’s pre-existing guidelines are also being followed. A recognised certificate issued at least 11 days after the first positive NAAT or antigen detection test, carried out by health professionals or qualified personnel, will be accepted. The certificate will then be valid for 180 days after the date of the first positive diagnostic test result, according to the guidelines.

These restrictions will be in place until February 15th, but as we’ve all learnt throughout the last few years of pandemic restricted travel, things can quickly change.

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TOURISM

‘It’s become unliveable’: Spain’s Málaga plans protests against mass tourism

After recent protests in the Canaries and seemingly growing anti-tourism sentiment across Spain, locals in the Costa del Sol city of Málaga are also planning demonstrations in June against the 'touristification' of their city.

Published: 2 May 2024 11:20 CEST
'It's become unliveable': Spain's Málaga plans protests against mass tourism

Locals in Málaga are set to take to the streets in protest against mass-tourism in June, demanding an end to the ‘touristification’ of their city.

This comes after large protests in the Canary Islands in recent weeks and growing anti-tourist sentiment around the country.

Tension among locals in places such as Barcelona, Valencia, the Balearic and Canary Islands, as well as Málaga, stems from frustration with the mass tourism model and its impact on their cities.

READ ALSO: Why Spain is a cheap mass tourism destination

Often, it is also about the post-pandemic influx of remote workers and digital nomads from abroad, many of whom come to Spain to enjoy a (relatively speaking) cheaper cost of living with high foreign wages and purchasing power than many local Spaniards struggle to compete with.

READ ALSO: Mass protests in Spain’s Canary Islands decry overtourism

In this sense, much of the building anti-mass tourism sentiment brewing in Spain is bundled up in a more general (and at times somewhat confused or misplaced) anti-foreigner feeling that views outsiders, whether it be traditional tourists or digital nomads, as exploiting Spain and the expense of Spaniards.

In cities such as Málaga, locals are being priced out of their own neighbourhoods as more and more properties are turned into short-term tourist rentals owned by landlords (many of them Spaniards or commercial multi-property owners) wanting to cash in.

A growing number of Malagueños have had enough and will take to the streets on June 29th under the slogan ‘for decent housing and against the processes of touristification and precariousness of life’.

The event’s aim is to protest the tourist model in the city: ‘Málaga has become an unliveable city for those of us who live there. It is over! For a Málaga to live in and not to survive’ are among the catchphrases expected to be used at the demonstration.

Organised by the Málaga Tenants Union, the protest will challenge the ‘exploitation of housing, work and life’ in the Andalusian city.

Locals would say this has been a long time coming. In many ways, Málaga has become a victim of its own success, particularly after it was voted as the best city for foreign residents in the InterNations Expat City Ranking 2023. In the post-pandemic period, scores of foreigners have moved to the city.

READ ALSO:  Why Spain’s Málaga is becoming a victim of its own success

So much so that eight out of 10 new residents moving to Málaga are currently foreigners, according to recent data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE). Stats show that in 2022 Málaga welcomed a total of 56,242 inhabitants, of which 44,656 were foreigners and 11,586 were Spanish nationals.

In recent months the city has become inundated with anti-tourist stickers.

“This used to be my home” (antes esta era mi casa) , “go f*cking home” (a tu puta casa), “stinking of tourist” (apestando a turista), “this used to be the city centre” (antes esto era el centro) and “Your dead loved ones, mayor” (Alcalde tus muertos) are some of the hostile messages recently adorning walls and doors in Málaga.

READ ALSO: ‘Get the f*ck out of here’: Spain’s Málaga plastered with anti-tourism stickers

The growing foreign population, combined with the pre-existing mass tourist model, has inflated the local property market. Rental prices have increased by 16.5 percent compared since the end of 2022 and have now reached an average of €15.5/m2, stats from property portal Idealista show, while the cost to buy a home in Málaga has increased by 11 percent to an average of €3,049/m2, reaching a new historic high.

According to a study by HelloSafe, Málaga is the second most expensive province in the country when compared to the average salary, just behind Barcelona. It estimates that 81 percent of the average salary in Málaga is used on living and rent.

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