As of September 6, unvaccinated American travelers have been barred from entering Spain, except for absolutely essential purposes, as they have been removed from the list of epidemiologically safe third countries by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare. .
The decision follows the recommendation of the EU Council to add more drastic restrictions on travel arriving from the US and five other third countries - Israel, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia and Lebanon - as they have also been removed from the EU white list.
As a result, travelers from the US can now enter Spain without restrictions only if they present a vaccination certificate with one of the vaccines approved by the Spanish authorities as proof of immunity for travel.
Certificates must contain the name and surname of the holder, the date of vaccination of each dose administered, the type of vaccine, the country of issue, and the identification of the body issuing the vaccination passport.
Passengers in the United States who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 or whose vaccination does not meet the criteria established by the Spanish authorities may enter Spanish territory only if they belong to one of the following categories:
- Residents of the EU, the Schengen area, Andorra, Monaco, the Vatican (Holy See) or San Marino in transit to the country of residence
- Holders of long-stay visas in the EU and / or the Schengen Area traveling to that country
- Health professionals, including health researchers and elderly care professionals
- Transport staff, navigators and aeronautical staff
- Diplomatic and consular staff
- Staff of international organizations, the military, civil protection and members of humanitarian organizations
- Students at universities in the EU, Iceland, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Norway who hold the appropriate permit or visa and health insurance
- Highly skilled workers whose work is essential and cannot be postponed or carried out remotely
- People traveling for important family reasons
- Persons in a situation of force majeure or who have to enter for humanitarian reasons
Unvaccinated travelers are also required to present a certificate stating that they have passed the boalp or to show a negative COVID-19 test result. PCR tests are accepted when performed a maximum of 72 hours before arrival in Spain, while antigen tests must not be older than 48 hours.
Spain has also announced that all travelers from France and Italy are required to present a certificate proving that they have been vaccinated, have previously been infected with the virus or have tested negative for COVID-19. Previously, only travelers from certain regions of these two countries were subject to these requirements.