In Europe, Spain was one of the hardest-hit countries of the Covid-19 pandemic. It's also currently among the top 10 countries with the biggest number of Covid-19 cases with a total of 3.524 million. Yet, despite all that, it looks like Spain may join the EU in reopening this 2021. With the arrival of vaccines, the country is showing signs and laying out plans on reopening the economy, allowing businesses to operate again, and welcoming tourists back. But what exactly are Spain's current restrictions on travel right now? These are the current updates you need to know!
Latest Updates for Summer 2021
As of June 7, 2021, Spain has extended its new requisites for incoming travelers to those coming from outside the EU.
EL PAÍS reports that countries that Spain considers as 'low-risk' zones can now enter Spain without showing proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test. Nevertheless, those who aren't part of the 'low-risk' zones can still enter the country provided they show proof of vaccination or the EU's Digital Green Certificate.
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At ports and airports there will be two control points. Whoever comes from countries or zones not included on the list of risk zones will have access to a quick control with the QR code obtained from SpTH. And once the EU Digital Covid certificate goes into effect, whoever has this document will also have access to this quick control,” said the statement. For now, only travelers from India, Brazil, and South Africa have the travel restrictions in place due to the various Covid-19 variants that originated there.
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According to
SchengenVisa Info, when the
EU introduced the Digital Green Certificate back in early March 2021, Spain joined the rest of its member-states in deciding to permit free movement within the continent again. This new vaccine passport system allows those who have been vaccinated, test negative, or have recovered from the illness entry to various countries in Europe. “
It will allow for more people to arrive in a safer manner and facilitate the mobility of people in the European Union, guarantee public health protection and permit social and economic activity to resume free of charge,” relayed Alfredo Gonzales, the General Secretary of Digital Health in Spain.
However, Gonzales also noted that the Digital Green Certificat does not serve as and should not be used as an alternative to a regular valid passport. By June 2021, the slated date when the Digital Green Certificates will be made available, Spain will require travelers to show both the standard passport and the certificate. Only then will they be allowed entry into the country.
Despite all of that, however,
The Local has recently reported that Spain will extend its travel restrictions to non-EU countries until May 31, 2021. This means that travelers who have
Schengen Visas coming from outside the EU will not be granted entry into the country for non-essential journeys until the end of May. This also notably includes tourists from the US, the UK, and the like. Although Spain already lifted its travel ban from the UK back at the end of March 2021, only residents of Spain coming from the country were and still are allowed entry to the country. Others will need to provide important reasons for traveling to Spain temporarily.
Travelers from fellow EU member-states, however, will be allowed entry to Spain provided they show proof of vaccination or negative Covid-19 test results. These are required documents while the continent waits until the Digital Green Certificates will be available by June 2021. These same rules will also apply to countries with low infection rates. They include Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and China, among many others. Do note that this list was made back in June 2020 and subject to change every now and then. One of its most recent removals was Japan, where a
record number of cases have begun to increase.
For now, Spain remains closed to a lot of countries around the world. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic starts to fade, there's reason to believe that the country will soon reopen and revive its tourism before the end of 2021.
When Spain finally reopens fully, you'll want to get a
luxury rental for your accommodation here! They're the best of the best the country can offer!
