Spain Officially Reopens to American Tourists, Here’s What You Need to Know

Spain on Monday officially began welcoming vaccinated travelers from the U.S. and a handful of other countries.

Americans who wish to travel to the country have to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before traveling. Vaccines that are approved include Pfizer-Biontech, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca, Johnson&Johnson, Sinovac, and Sinopharm, which are authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or included in the WHO emergency use list.

Official vaccination certificates, issued by the country’s health authorities, must include the following information: name and surname; date of vaccination, indicating the date of the last dose administered; type of vaccine administered; the number of doses administered/complete schedule; issuing country; and identification of the body issuing the vaccination certificate.

Minors will also be able to enter Spain when they are accompanying people who have been fully vaccinated.

Children under age 6 don’t need any special requirements to enter the country with their vaccinated parents. However, children age 6 and up will need their own vaccination certificate or negative results from a COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours before arriving in Spain.

All arrivals in Spain must fill out the Spain Travel Health (SpTH) form at least 48 hours prior to departure to the country. After completing the form, a QR code will be generated, which then should be shown to the health authorities upon arrival in Spain.

Spain also opened its ports to cruise ships on Monday. Passengers on international cruise ships sailing in territorial waters will not have to use the Spain Travel Health application, but their information will be collected through the EU Digital Passenger Locator Form application,

Upon arrival, there will be certain health assessments, such as temperature checks. Everybody aged 6 or over must wear a mask in all public spaces and on public transport.

Other COVID-19 related measures still remain effective in the country in order to protect public health.

Museums, exhibitions, monuments, and other cultural spaces have already opened for visitors, although there is reduced capacity and guests will likely have to purchase tickets ahead of time. Restaurants and bars are also open.

Tourism is a major industry that in 2019 accounted for over 12% of Spain’s GDP. The Spanish government has set a goal of receiving between 14.5 million to 15.5 million visitors between July and September. That’s about 40% of the tourists in the same period of 2019 but twice as many as last summer, when only EU visitors could enter Spain.