Madrid, Europe Brief News – The Spanish tourist board in London has reversed its decision to open up the country to unvaccinated British travellers.
The board had announced that Spain would welcome all UK holidaymakers with immediate effect, with those unvaccinated against COVID-19 allowed to enter with a negative pre-departure test.
However, just eight hours later they released a statement claiming they had misinterpreted a bulletin from the Spanish government.
So in fact, the rules for unvaccinated UK tourists have not changed.
British tourists aged 12 and over must show proof of being fully vaccinated or present a certificate of recovery to enter Spain.
“If more than 270 days have passed since the final dose, certification of a booster vaccination is also required, except for teenagers aged 12 to 17 (inclusive),” says the STO.
This means that if you have not had COVID-19 in the last six months and are unvaccinated you will not be able to travel to Spain at the present time.
All Brits must also fill in a Health Control Form and there are specific rules for children and teenagers too. You can find out more about Spain’s travel restrictions here.
Some Expectation Declared
Meanwhile, one change that has been confirmed is that children under 12 and those travelling to Spain with an NHS COVID travel pass no longer need to complete the country’s health control form in advance.
It is still uncertain how airlines and tour operators conducting flights from the UK to Spain will deal with the Spanish tourist board’s announcement, nor how it will affect unvaccinated travellers who had booked a holiday before the U-turn was announced.
Spain remains the most popular destination for British travellers, with the nation welcoming 18.1 million visitors from the UK in 2019 – an average of 50,000 arrivals per day.
Tourist figures dropped during the COVID pandemic, with Spain imposing further tough entry requirements at the beginning of this year, insisting all arrivals aged 12 or older were fully vaccinated.
The latest move comes as Spain’s health minister plans to lift face-mask requirements for indoor spaces except for public transport and medical centres after Easter, when many people in the country travel to see their families.
Carolina Darias said she would bring the proposed action to a government Cabinet meeting on 19 April.