MADRID – Spanish authorities have extended the travel restrictions for non-essential trips from third countries outside the EU and the Schengen Zone. The most recent restrictions expired at the end of April.
The new measures are in place until May 31 and are due to the on-going coronavirus situation.
The restrictions mean travellers from out-side these areas (which include the UK and America), will not be permitted to enter Spain by either land, air, or sea. The exception to this is for essential trips only.
However due to extremely low incidence rates in certain countries, this restriction does not apply. Travellers from the following countries will be permitted to enter Spain:
- Australia
- China
- Hong Kong
- Macao
- New Zealand
- Rwanda
- Singapore
People travelling to and from Gibraltar are also excluded. This was confirmed at the end of March since Gibraltar have vaccinated almost 100% of their population.
Spain had already stated that it will be ready to welcome travellers from the UK and the US from June. This was previously announced by Fernando Valdes, Tourism Minister.
Traffic light system
Currently, the UK has made it illegal for any non-essential international trips to be made. However, this is set to change from May 17. Whereby a traffic light system is expected to be announced within the next few days which will confirm where each country will feature.
Full details of the restrictions can be found in the official Spanish State Bulletin (BOE).
Third countries subject to quarantine
According to La Moncloa the Order also means passengers arriving, with or without a stopover, from Brazil, South Africa, Botswana, the Comoros, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Peru and Colombia may only enter national territory if they are “residents in Spain or Andorra, Spanish citizens or their spouse or legal partner with whom they maintain an analogous union to spouse recorded in a public register, and those ascendants and descendants in their charge, provided that they travel with or to meet with them. This is due to risks stemming from new variants. These people will be subject to quarantine.
Spain has also imposed a ten-day quarantine restriction for anyone arriving from India, due to the extremely high daily incidence rates there.
According to Worldometer figures, Spain is the 9th most affected country in the world with the total number of cases sitting at 3,544,945. There have also been 78,399 deaths and 3,222,697 reported recovered. This includes 4,515 new cases and 106 new deaths yesterday.
