Spain entry requirements: visa, passport and ETIAS
Visa, passport, the 90-day rule and arrival at Barcelona airport
Whether you need a visa, a passport or just an identity card to visit Barcelona depends on your nationality. This page sets out what is asked of travellers arriving in Spain, and what happens at passport control when you land at Barcelona-El Prat.
Rules change. Always check the official source before you travel: the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union's own travel pages are the only authoritative references.
Who needs a visa for Spain?
Spain is part of the Schengen Area. Citizens of the European Union, the EEA and Switzerland travel with a valid national identity card or passport and need no visa.
Visitors from outside the EU fall into two groups. Nationals of visa-exempt countries - among them the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Brazil and many others - may stay for short visits without a visa. Nationals of other countries must apply for a Schengen visa at a Spanish consulate before travelling.
The 90-day rule, and what it means for British visitors
Visa-exempt non-EU travellers may spend up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area, not per country. The count is rolling: every day spent in any Schengen country in the previous 180 days counts against the allowance.
Since the United Kingdom left the European Union, British citizens are subject to this rule. In practice, for a holiday in Barcelona:
- your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the date you intend to leave the Schengen Area;
- it must have been issued less than ten years before the date you enter;
- a national identity card is no longer accepted;
- border officers may ask for proof of your return travel and of where you are staying.
ETIAS and the new European border systems
The European Union is introducing two systems that will apply to non-EU visitors: the Entry/Exit System (EES), which registers biometric data at the border, and ETIAS, a travel authorisation to be obtained online before departure by travellers from visa-exempt countries.
The start dates have been postponed several times and we do not state one here on purpose. Check the European Union's official pages shortly before you travel. Neither system replaces a visa, and neither applies to EU, EEA or Swiss citizens.
Arriving at Barcelona-El Prat airport
Passport control at Barcelona airport is on your way out of the aircraft, before you reach the baggage hall. Both terminals have it.
- Flights from within the Schengen Area - most European flights - go straight through with no passport check.
- Flights from outside Schengen, including all flights from the United Kingdom, pass through passport control. Queues at peak hours can take 30 to 45 minutes: allow for it if you have a connection.
Once through, see arrivals and departures and the list of airlines by terminal, and how to get from the airport to the city centre.
Customs: what you may bring in
Travellers arriving from outside the European Union may bring in goods up to a set value without declaring them, and are limited on tobacco and alcohol. Cash of 10 000 € or more must be declared. Arrivals from another EU country face no customs formalities.