To enter Spain, it is no longer enough for Europeans to present identity papers and for travellers from the rest of the world a passport and a visa .

In fact, since the beginning of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the rules for travelling to Spain have evolved as a result of medical knowledge and various government decisions. We all hope that this new regulation is temporary, but it is essential that you take it into account when preparing for a stay in Barcelona, as in the rest of Spain.

Spain travel restrictions : the new rules

The classic documents for entering Spain

Identity card or passport for Europeans

• Travellers who are members of a Schengen country must present either a valid identity card (ID) or a valid passport at the border with Spain.

Passport and visa for non-Europeans

• Travellers who are not members of a Schengen country must present a valid passport and a visa at the border with Spain.

Traveller health control: QR Code, PCR test, Vaccine, Covid pass..

Since 23 November 2020, in addition to your identity cards or passports and visas, you must now present the following documents at the Spanish border post:

1- For all foreigners arriving in Spain:

A QR CODE of health control is obligatory for all foreigners arriving in Spain.
Before entering Spain, foreign travellers must fill in an online form to obtain a personal QR code which they will present at the border.

Where can I find the Spanish health control form?

The form can be filled in online on the official website or by downloading the dedicated application:

On the SpTH Spain Travel Health website:  https://www.spth.gob.es/
By downloading the SpTH application to your mobile phone.

2- For all travellers arriving by plane or boat from a country at risk:

A PCR TEST or TMA  Test is mandatory for all passengers coming from a country with a high risk of coronavirus:

Since November 23, 2020, all passengers arriving from a country with a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus must present a certificate with:

• a NEGATIVE PCR result (COVID-19 RT-PCR or TMA), issued within 72 hours prior to their trip, in order to enter Spain by sea or air (the test is therefore not mandatory for arrivals via land borders).
• This test does not apply to travellers in transit (in airports for example).
• Children under six years of age are exempt from taking the test.

This certificate or supporting document must be the original, written in Spanish and/or English, French, Deutsch and can be presented in paper or electronic format.

The document (PCR test or TMA test) will contain at least the following information :

• name of the traveler
• passport or identity card number
• test date
• identification and contact details of the center that performed the analysis
• technique used and negative test result.

The personal identification number (passport/DNI) used to obtain the QR code must be the same as the one on the negative PCR certificate.

Upon arrival in Spain, you will still be subject to a health control at the airport and after evaluation by the health authority (including documentary control), you may be tested for COVID-19.

The list of countries at risk is updated daily on this page: 

For information, as of November 23, 2020, the list of countries deemed to be at risk, based on the grey and red zones defined by the European Union, was as follows:

Germany
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Croatia
Denmark (except Faroe Islands and Greenland).
Slovenia
Estonia
France
Greece (with the exception of the regions of Kitri, Ionia Nisia, Dytiki Ellada and Sterea Ellada).
Hungary
Ireland
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Norway (except the regions of Rogaland, Møre og Romsdal, Nordland, Viken,
Innlandet, Vestfold og Telemark, Agder, Vestland, Trøndelag and Troms og Finnmark).
The Netherlands
Poland
Portugal (with the exception of the Autonomous Region of the Azores)
Czech Republic
Romania
Sweden
Liechtenstein
Slovakia

Countries outside the EU are those with an incidence rate of more than 150 per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days:

Albania
Andorra
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Bahrain
Belize
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Cape Verde
Colombia
Costa Rica
United Arab Emirates.
United States
Russia
Georgia
Gibraltar (United Kingdom)
Guam
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Northern Macedonia
Morocco
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Palestine
Panama
French Polynesia (France)
Puerto Rico
United Kingdom
San Marino
San Martin
Serbia
Switzerland
Tunisia
Ukraine

A vaccine to travel to Spain in 2021?

A vaccination is planned in Spain from January 2021.

The head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, presented in November 2020 the broad outlines of a vaccination plan which should hopefully start in January 2021.
A three-stage vaccination campaign is planned between now and June 2021, with the aim of vaccinating all priority groups: residents of retirement homes and the professionals who accompany them, dependents and health workers.

A second mass vaccination campaign is planned from July onwards for less vulnerable people. The vaccination will be free and voluntary.

The Spanish government has not, for the moment, raised the idea of a Spanish border control of travellers vaccinated against Covid-19 or not and No Covid Pass as well.
For the time being, the issue remains unresolved.

Prepare your trip to Spain:

• Find all the information about arrivals and departures at Barcelona airport. Which terminal is currently working?
• In Barcelona Coronavirus find the news, from day to day, on the restrictions and sanitary measures in force, including what is open and what is closed in Barcelona and Catalonia.
• The hotels are open in Barcelona right now. For your safety a new sanitary protocol for a safer stay is now in place! Book your hotel in Barcelona