Changes To Entry Requirements From UK

[Blue and white stripes]

Off N332 Website
‼️ When travelling to Spain from UK, only the full vaccination certificate will be accepted on entry ‼️
From 1st December 2021, Spain will ONLY allow the entry of people from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland if they have ✅ proof of full vaccination certificate and will NOT be permitted with ❌ negative diagnostic tests for covid or ❌ having just overcome the illness, as was admitted up until now.
In force from 1st December until midnight 31st December.
Official decree released today: https://www.boe.es/.../2021/11/27/pdfs/BOE-A-2021-19608.pdf
*EDIT; we are searching for clarification on children but we believe that under 12s aren’t affected by this measure. But we are awaiting clarification.
*EDIT; it doesn’t matter if you are a tourist or a resident, if you are entering Spain coming from the UK, you will only be accepted with a Proof of Full Vaccination Certificate.

[Derek]

Hi

This link is not working. Any chance you could repost it please.

thanks

Derek

[Blue and white stripes]

This is the site I always use Derek,

https://www.mscbs.gob.es/en/profesionales/saludPublica/ccayes/alertasActual/nCov/spth.htm

and then go to Entry Requirements on the drop down menu.

[wilson]

Travel update from the Wilsons visit for anyone unsure or hesitant.
Travelling into Spain from the UK (whilst we can) is really straightforward with airport check in staff familiar with the required elements. Paper copies do make the process easier especially with families though not essential.
For return to the uk we used Flysurance lateral flow tests which cost £16, these you register, take test and take picture of sample with document and email off, reply within the hour with test certificate which you can pdf or print. We used Randox PCRs which were £34.99 each, left these in car at Uk airport, a quick swab and dropped in motorway drop box. Notifications of collection whilst on journey home, negative results arrived after 7 hours whilst in bed. Sunday morning the Wilsons are free to roam.

[ian-steele]

One thing for sure, I won't be able to visit my holiday home again !   I live in the dark ages, have been coming to G.A for 15 years, have no internet, no fancy phone, just a basic phone for text & calls. Used to book return flights & boarding cards @ library or internet cafe.  Am baffled by all these tests & solutions here on this site. The only internet I have is a desktop P.C which I can't carry with me ! !

[Spurs]

Travel update from the Wilsons visit for anyone unsure or hesitant.
Travelling into Spain from the UK (whilst we can) is really straightforward with airport check in staff familiar with the required elements. Paper copies do make the process easier especially with families though not essential.
For return to the uk we used Flysurance lateral flow tests which cost £16, these you register, take test and take picture of sample with document and email off, reply within the hour with test certificate which you can pdf or print. We used Randox PCRs which were £34.99 each, left these in car at Uk airport, a quick swab and dropped in motorway drop box. Notifications of collection whilst on journey home, negative results arrived after 7 hours whilst in bed. Sunday morning the Wilsons are free to roam.

So just to clarify Wilson did you take the lateral flow tests with you and do them in the 48hrs before you returned ?  I’ve only ever done it by getting a test at Salvum clinic or the one in masa square , your way seems to be the way to go , I didn’t realise we could do that . Did you have any issues with airline about it not being a Spanish one ? I’m looking to go again in new year and your £16 seems much better than €45 in Spain

[Blue and white stripes]

Hi Spurs,
I expect Wilson took the test with him to Spain. I did the Randox equivalent on Saturday pm (within 48 hours of flying to UK Monday am) and got my certificate 5 minutes after I scanned it into the phone. Very impressed. No problems with Ryanair accepting the English Randox fit to fly certificate. Will definitely use them again. My Randox pack cost £64 for the Pre-departure and Day 2 test so a bit more expensive than Wilson's.

[Maria Jones]

Hi I'm the same as you ian-steele,I've got a disabled husband and I can't get him into our house as it is a town house and my dad is 85 our neighbours sold with Rosa so I am thinking about selling in the new year with a heavy heart.I don't understand the the rules and forms as I am not good with Internet and I phones etc 🤔

[wilson]

Spurs, yes we bought the Lateral flow tests from https://flysurance.co.uk/ at a cost of £16, you can order them any time ( though currently sold out till 1st Jan) they come in post. Box contains the same as an nhs ltf kit plus the form linked to the tester. You register each test at your leisure with name, passport etc so it is unique to you. Then 48 hours prior to leaving Spain open kit follow clear instructions, note the time on tester wait 20 minutes then take photo of document with tester on it and passport photo page open. Send image back to provider in Uk then within the hour a certificate comes back which you could print or as we did kept it as a pdf on WhatsApp. The airline check name, date/time and it says negative, the process is actually a requirement of the Uk government to allow you into the Uk, the Spanish medical centres saw a lucrative opportunity in my opinion. Clearly the €45 charged locally was a tad high. There are lots of Ltf providers around now so no need to overpay.
As for technology being a barrier my parents both in there 80s recently went to Benidorm, my dad has never owned a phone my mother got herself an iPhone at 78, we did all there forms back in the uk and emailed them over to Benidorm where hotel reception printed them off. Also my elderly neighbours in GA left whilst we were there, they got stuff printed over the centre and we did the Uk locator form for them, I’m not suggesting it’s easy but certainly not a major barrier. Parents are now booking for Tenerife.
Should also add that the advantage of taking your own tests with you is the flexibility of when you take them and that you can do them 7 days a week unlike the local centres who tend to not open Saturday/Sunday or bank holidays.

[Aficionado]

Maybe I am missing something here, but is that Flysurance LFT scheme not wide open to abuse? Suppose you know that your partner is positive but you are not - could you not test yourself twice and simply use your second test as if it was your partners copying it onto the documents etc? At least if you are physically going to e.g. Salvum for a test then it will definitely be unique to you.

Am I not reading things correctly or is that a possibility?

[Spurs]

Maybe I am missing something here, but is that Flysurance LFT scheme not wide open to abuse? Suppose you know that your partner is positive but you are not - could you not test yourself twice and simply use your second test as if it was your partners copying it onto the documents etc? At least if you are physically going to e.g. Salvum for a test then it will definitely be unique to you.

Am I not reading things correctly or is that a possibility?

No you are dead right you could do the test on anyone or if you test positive get someone else to do one and put your name on it.   But it’s not as bad as some of the stories around the free govt ones, I heard recently of someone who was off sick and his firm asked for a negative test before he came back . He used a govt one registered it in his name on line didn’t do test threw it in bin and recorded it as negative on govt website got txt back in 5 mins and returned to work

I’m going with Wilson’s idea from now on it’s cheaper and that lady up at salvum is a bit brutal I’ve still got a cotton bud shaped swelling in the top of my head from last time . I’m not even sure these lateral flow tests are any good anyway


So Wilson if you get a txt back to show at departures what’s to stop you using a Govt free one I bet the txt is similar

[wilson]

You are correct we travelled after 1st December and only fully vaccinated were allowed to fly,our children under 12 we’re okay, I did see a couple refused at Bristol Airport because they only had a test result and no vaccination certificate. Going forward into next year I believe the unvaccinated will increasingly find it more difficult to travel anywhere.
Spurs on the uk gov testing you get a text/email with a private provider you get a certificate with a Qr code, the rules clearly say you can’t use the free nhs test for travel, in August I saw a family who thought otherwise being marched over to the test centre at ALC, that’s not to say some check in staff might not be bothered. I relation to fiddling the LFTs of course it’s easy to, and with private clinics how watertight are they to just providing a certificate for the right price. No coincidence I think that over 60 people on a recent flight from South Africa to Amsterdam tested positive on arrival, they would all have provided a negative certificate at departure.
I would advise people to only use the UKs . gov site it’s quite simple you sign up stating which country your travelling to ie Spain then you get very frequent real time updates regarding any changes, most are trivial and have no effect but some are relevant to you. Our reliance on social media the news and my aunties neighbour to give accurate advice should be avoided.
There also a passport expiry date update specific to the EU travel which British passport holders need to be aware of.

[Blue and white stripes]

Flew back yesterday lunchtime. All documents checked by Ryanair but passports only at BHX. Again people denied boarding, standing by gate as we were boarding desperately trying to get their phones to work.
Regarding fiddling the tests, why both doing one at all? You could just draw your own line on with a biro and take a photo and scan/send it off.

[Aficionado]

Thanks all, just goes to confirm that the whole thing is just one great big money spinning mess. Wilson, I had forgotten about that SA flight with all the positive cases, I recall now thinking at the time how that should not have been possible, damn sure they didn't all suddenly develop Covid on the flight!

[Blue and white stripes]

It's not all doom and gloom. This time last year a one-way flight BHX - ALC went up to £330 before they were all pulled. This year I paid £100 return including the cost of the two tests for approx the same dates (and I had a row to myself).
Also Ryanair have started selling duty-free again with their litre bottles at £14, much cheaper than the duty-free shop at the airport. They also sell cigs on board but only had Malboro and B&H at £30/carton.