Spain weekly update on entry requirements from third countries [21–27 February 2022]

The Health Ministry of Spain has published this week’s update on entry requirements to people coming from third countries.

In the first place, it modified the list of third countries exempt from travel restrictions due to their low level of sanitary risk. Concretely, it re-added some of the countries that have been recently removed from this list: Colombia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are back on the list of exceptions.

The other countries that remain on the list are Indonesia, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and China (including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau and the territorial authority of Taiwan).

Due to the lack of new variants or extraordinary infection rates, there are no new additions to the list of third countries that pose a very high sanitary risk for Spain.

As for entry requirements, the Health Ministry of Spain reminds people from third countries that they can travel to Spain if they have a valid vaccination certificate. A valid vaccination certificate is one that can be verified by the Spanish authorities.

Children between 12 and 18 years old do not necessarily have to be fully vaccinated but in this case, they must take a COVID-19 diagnostic test 72 hours before arrival in Spain. The test should be a SARS-CoV-2 molecular nucleic acid amplification test (RT-PCR or similar) with negative results to be valid for the health control authorities at the Spanish borders.

As usual, all individuals of any age traveling to Spain from any country must bring a QR code obtained from the Spain Travel Health-SpTH app if they’re entering the country by plane, even if it’s only as a layover of another trip to somewhere else. Alternatively, they can fill out the Health Control Form at the Spain Travel Health’s website and obtain the QR code this way.

If they travel via ferry, they must complete the Health Control Form and generate the QR code at Spain Travel Health Maritime’s website. They are exempt from presenting the form and the associated QR code if they travel by land.

People coming from other countries in the European Union must also fill out that form, but they are not subject to other travel requirements if they present the EU COVID Digital Certificate, which is a vaccination, recovery, or negative test certificate valid across all countries in the European Union.

From February 1st, 2022, EU citizens have only been advised to reissue the EU COVID Digital Certificate to reflect the administration of a third shot. After this, they will be considered to be fully vaccinated and enter more freely into Spanish territory.