Spain weekly update on entry requirements from third countries [13–19 December 2021]

The Ministry of Health of Spain has updated entry requirements affecting people coming from third countries.

As always, requirements for entry in Spain from third countries are subject to Order INT/657/2020 from the Ministry of Interior. This is the formal application of the EU Council Recommendation 2020/912, which introduces exceptions to non-essential travel restrictions in the European Union.

The third countries that are exempt from travel restrictions are Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Kuwait, New Zealand, Peru, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, and China (including the territorial authority of Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau).

People coming from these countries will not be denied entry into Spain but they must have a valid vaccination certificate, COVID-19 recovery certificate, or COVID-19 diagnostic test with negative results.

Note that this list is only valid from midnight of December 13th, 2021, to midnight of December 19th, 2021. After this date, the Spanish government will have to re-evaluate the list with the inclusion criteria in mind. Then, the list will be updated again. You can check out the previous list for [6-12 December 2021].

Other foreigners who are allowed entry into Spain are those with valid vaccination certificates, provided that these can be verified by health authorities. If they can, people owning these vaccination certificates and dependant minors under 12 years of age will be exempt from travel and entry restrictions.

Naturally, citizens of the European Union and the Schengen Associated States will reserve the right of free movement. Therefore, they’re allowed into Spain. But given that most of these countries are considered at risk, they still have to fill in the Health Control Form before departure and obtain a QR code to present at the Spanish borders, plus the EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC), which works like a certificate of vaccination status, recovery status, or health status (through a negative PCR or NAAT test performed 72 hours before arrival or 48 hours for rapid antigen tests).

• European countries considered at risk are:
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Sweden
  • The Netherlands

Nationals and residents of San Marino, Vatican City, Monaco, or Andorra are not officially part of the European Union or the Schengen Area but they’re still exempt from entry restrictions as long as they’re going to the country they’re residents of.

Due to the Brexit, the United Kingdom is not part of the EU either, so the requirements for British people to enter Spain are similar to those of third countries (vaccination or recovery certificates, and/or negative test before arrival).

As usual, there are exemptions for healthcare professionals and researchers, transport staff (including pilots, sailors, etc.), diplomats, military and civil protection personnel, workers of international or humanitarian organizations, foreign students coming to Spain during the academic year or two weeks earlier, people with imperative family and humanitarian reasons, etc.