Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE) has published an order from the Ministry of the Interior that relaxes the health requirements for entry into Spain for travelers from non-EU countries.
Spain’s Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, said that “this is good news, long-awaited by the tourism sector, facilitating the arrival of tourists from outside the European Union for the high season and guaranteeing safe mobility”.
From May 21, 2022, these visitors will be able to show a certificate of vaccination, recovery or negative diagnosis at entry controls, bringing tourists from non-EU countries into line with the same conditions required of citizens of the European Union and associated Schengen countries.
Reyes Maroto said that “the new phase of the pandemic allows us to make the health requirements for entry into Spain more flexible, bringing non-EU travelers into line with those of the EU and associated Schengen countries. This excellent news, long-awaited by the tourism sector, will make it easier for tourists from outside Europe to visit us this high season and guarantee safe mobility. Spain is emerging as one of the world’s most desirable destinations, as shown by the demand indicators that month-on-month are approaching pre-pandemic levels, and this measure will accelerate the recovery of the sector by facilitating the entry of international travelers”,
According to the order published today in the BOE, travelers entering Spain by air or sea, regardless of their place of origin, must be in possession of one of these three certificates:
- A vaccination certificate that meets the requirements established by the Ministry of Health.
- A negative SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test certificate. A NAAT type test (PCR or similar) carried out within 72 hours prior to departure for Spain or an antigen test carried out within 24 hours prior to departure for Spain will be valid.
- A certificate of recovery is issued by the competent authority or by a medical service at least 11 days after confirmation of COVID infection by PCR or antigen test. These certificates shall be valid for 180 days.
Children under 12 years of age are exempt from presenting any kind of certificate. In addition, passengers arriving by sea or at airports with an EU Covid Digital Certificate or recognized as equivalent by the European Commission, will not have to complete the SPTH Health Check Form.
