Spain is abolishing Covid health checks at airports and seaports from Tuesday September 20. Passengers, travelling from outside the EU, arriving in Spain by plane or ship will henceforth no longer need to present a Covid vaccination certificate or complete the Spanish traveller health check form.
Monday´s Official Gazette BOE published a resolution of the Health Ministry’s General Directorate of Health abolishing the Covid health checks measure. However, the obligation to wear a facemask on public transport, including planes departing from or arriving in Spain, will remain. According to Health Minister Darias, this will only change if the experts advising the government and autonomous communities advise otherwise.
Also read: Spain opens debate on facemasks on public transport
Ports and airports
Now the Spanish government is fully normalising ports and airports. This is ‘to promote international mobility with the least possible impact on public health’ and ‘taking into account the evolution of the pandemic at global level and the epidemiological situation in Spain’.
‘It is no longer considered necessary to maintain the use of the Spain Travel Health application’ and ‘once normality is restored on international cruises, it is appropriate to lift the extraordinary measures taken at the time for its restoration’, according to the resolution published in the BOE.
Air passengers
On 20 September, the requirement to complete the Spanish travel health document will be abolished. The Spain Travel Health form required a vaccination certificate to enter Spain through the airport. Following the abolition of travel controls between EU countries, this requirement had remained in place for passengers from other countries.
The presentation of the EU digital covid certificate or a valid equivalent issued by other countries in Spanish or one of the other official languages is no long in force. This is according to the BOE. This provision had been in force since April 2022. With the Spain Travel Health digital health check form, travellers generated a QR code that to be shown for boarding. And again, at health checks on arrival in Spain until Monday 19 September.
Measures for cruise ships
From Tuesday, cruise passengers arriving in Spain from the waters of another country will no longer have to prove vaccination against Covid. Also it is not now necessary to present a negative PCR test carried out 72 hours before boarding. The resolution now published in the BOE repeals these and other provisions of the document ‘Sanitary measures for the recovery of international cruises’, which included obligations for ship owners since May 2021. For example, reporting anti-Covid measures, checking that passengers do not show symptoms, providing sufficient space to maintain safe distances or ensuring sanitary agreements in Spain to care for potential Covid patients after docking in Spanish ports.
