Catalonia has decided to end the obligation to present a health pass to enter bars, restaurants and sports halls, considering it not very effective against the Omicron variant.
[Mis à jour le 28 janvier 2022 à 13h07] Many French people go on a city break or a weekend in Spain to enjoy the sun and local specialties less than 3 hours from France. If you are planning to go to Catalonia soon, know that the region has decided to put an end to the obligation to present a health pass to enter bars, restaurants and sports halls. The Catalonia has already lifted most of its restrictions: the curfew, the gauges in restaurants and the ban on private meetings bringing together more than ten people. The only measure still in force is the closure of nightclubs.
Any passenger wishing to travel to Spain by plane or ship, including in transit, must first complete a form personal and non-transferable. Once this form has been completed and signed, the traveler receives a QR code associated with their trip which they must keep on their mobile phone or print out in order to be able to pass the airport health check. As French territory is still qualified as “at risk” regions by the Spanish Ministry of Health, travelers are therefore obliged to be vaccinated or to present a negative PCR or antigen test to travel to Spain. Advice and recommendations for travelers are available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Beyond the list of documents to present at the time of boarding or at the borders, you will find the new distancing measures and the rules in force in the different autonomous communities.
► Consult the “Guide for French tourists in Spain” (in the time of Covid-19), by the French Embassy in Spain
Favorite destination of the French for holidays, Spain has reopened its external borders with all the Member States of the European Union. No quarantine measures are required nationwide. The second tourist destination in the world allows all people who have been vaccinated to enter its territory” since June 7, regardless of their country of origin, announced head of government Pedro Sanchez.
If you are not vaccinated, an antigen test remains mandatory when entering Spanish territory by air, sea and land. Spain now lets in travelers arriving by road if they have a vaccination certificate. International ships are once again allowed to dock at Spanish ports.
Any entry into Spanish territory from a region at risk by air (airports), sea (ports) or land is subject to the presentation of one of these documents, in digital or paper format, written in Spanish, in French, German or English:
- Either a certificate justifying complete vaccination against Covid-19 for at least 14 days. It must in particular mention the date of vaccination carried out, the vaccine administered and the country of vaccination;
- Either an active infection screening test certificate, with negative result, issued within 48 hours (antigen test) or within 72 hours (PCR test) prior to arrival in the territory. This may be an NAAT test (Covid-19 RNA detection test: RT-PCR, TMA, LAMP, NEAR, etc.) or an antigen test included in the list of the European Commission. Saliva tests whose sample was not taken in the laboratory, but at home, do not authorize travel, nor “rapid tests” in pharmacies, which do not give rise to a written result. The certificate must in particular include the identity or travel document number of the person tested;
- Either a Covid-19 recovery certificate, valid from the 11th day after the 1st positive diagnostic test for a total period of 180 days. This document must in particular mention the date of the first positive test, the type of test carried out and the country where this certificate was issued.
- Either the EU digital Covid certificate. This incorporates proof of vaccination, a negative test result, or proof of recovery within six months.
No, no quarantine is imposed on foreign tourists arriving in Spain. Subject to the presentation of the health documents required on arrival on Spanish soil, no fortnight or quarantine is required to travel to Spain.
The curfew was lifted on May 9, 2021 in most Spanish regions following the end of the state of emergency across the country.
Hygiene and social distancing measures will have to be respected during your holidays in Spain. In hotels and tourist accommodation but also restaurants, shops, cultural centers, performance halls, managers must guarantee a minimum distance of 1.5 meters between customers but also with employees.
In Spain, bars, restaurants and businesses categorized as “non-essential” have reopened for the most part, with restrictions varying by region. May vary: capacity gauges, schedules or whether access is possible inside or only on the terrace.
Bars and restaurants are allowed to serve until midnight, with gauges of four people per table indoors and six people per table outdoors. However, the 17 autonomous communities can always limit the opening hours or the reception capacity of bars, restaurants or shops.
In Madrid as in Barcelona, everything is open: bars, restaurants, cultural venues and museums. Following the end of the state of emergency, bars and restaurants now close at midnight, with gauges indoors and outdoors. The terraces are taken by storm while the discotheques are also open. Museums are open with a maximum capacity gauge of 30 to 50% depending on the region. Cinemas and theaters are also open, with varying gauges.
The entire Spanish territory is subject to the rules of the “new normal”, which provide in particular:
- Wearing a mask is compulsory for anyone over the age of 6 in enclosed spaces open to the public or open to the public
- Wearing a mask is compulsory in all open air spaces, when the groups of people do not allow respect for a distance of 1.5 m (except between people from the same household)
- Wearing a mask is compulsory in all transport (air, land, sea) including on platforms or in stations, in public or private transport (VTC) for travelers in vehicles with up to 9 seats, except people with the same household. For cruise ship travelers, wearing a mask will not be compulsory in the cabins, nor in the exterior spaces of the ship if a distance of 1.5 m can be respected (except people from the same household)
The beaches of the Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, the Atlantic and much of Andalusia have reopened for swimming, always with strict security measures. The Ministry of Health recommends limiting the crowds on the beaches, delimiting spaces for each group and spacing the parasols 4 meters apart. Then charge the municipalities to prohibit access if the beaches are too busy. You can find advice and recommendations on the website of the Institute for Spanish Tourism Quality (ICTE) which has launched a Safe Tourism Certified label in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
Seville, Minorca, Ibiza, Lanzarote-César Manrique, Fuerteventura, Tenerife Sur, Alicante-Elche, Valencia, Barcelona-El Prat, Gran Canaria, Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Málaga-Costa del Sol, Palma de Mallorca… All the Spanish airports are open and welcoming travellers. Air France has reinforced its flight program to Spain, with additional flights planned to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Alicante, Ibiza and Las Palmas.