UK holidaymakers warned they need 3 extra documents to enter Spain

Uk tourists may need to show three additional documents at Spanish border control (Photo: Getty Images)Uk tourists may need to show three additional documents at Spanish border control (Photo: Getty Images)
Uk tourists may need to show three additional documents at Spanish border control (Photo: Getty Images)

British tourists heading to Spain this summer now need extra documents to enter the country.

The Foreign Office has recently updated its guidance on the entry requirements for Spain, confirming that travellers can now use e-gates on arrival.

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UK citizens can use the e-gates at the Spanish border if they are over the age of 18 and “instructed to do so by airport staff”, and will need to produce three documents to be permitted entry.

What documents do tourists need?

Government guidance states that the following three additional documents may be required at Spanish border control:

- a return or onward ticket

- proof you have enough money for your stay

- proof of accommodation for your visit, such as a hotel booking confirmation, proof of address if visiting your own property (e.g. second home), or an invitation from your host or proof of their address if staying with a third party, friends or family. The Spanish government has clarified that the “carta de invitation” is one of the options available to prove that you have accommodation if staying with friends or family.

Tourists will also need to prove they meet Spain’s Covid entry requirements. Travellers are required to show one of the following on entry:

- proof of vaccination

- a negative Covid test (PCR or antigen)

- proof of recovery from Covid in the last six months.

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These requirements do not apply to children under the age of 12.

If you are aged 18 or over and have not received a booster, but have received two doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine approved for use by Spain, then at least 14 days and no more than 270 days must have passed since your last dose, to qualify as fully vaccinated.

Travellers from the UK who can either show proof of one of the above requirements, or are aged 12 or under, do not need to complete Spain’s Travel Health Control form.

Additional checks at the point of entry may also be carried out, including a temperature check, visual health assessment, or testing on arrival.

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Passports must be stamped in Spain

The Foreign Office has also reminded British travellers that they will need to have their passports stamped on entry and exit from Spain now that the UK is no longer part of the EU.

As such, UK travellers are required to follow the Schengen visa-free travelling rules.

British nationals can visit Spain, and other Schengen countries, for a total of 90 days within a period of 180 days, but those planning a longer stay will need to apply for a visa.

British Passports must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country, and must also be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave.

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The Foreign Office adds: “You can use the staffed immigration booths or, if you are aged 18 and over, and are instructed to do so by airport staff, you may be able to use the e-gates, if these are in operation.

"Hand your passport to the border officer for stamping after you have passed through the e-gate.”

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