LAST UPDATED – 10/18/22 – Spain Entrance Requirements
If you are traveling to Spain from outside of the country, you should be aware of the passport, VISA, and immunization requirements before planning your travel. If you do not meet the requirements, you will be denied entry into Spain. This is not something that I would wait until the last minute to take care of as you might not have enough time to sort out any issues at the last minute should you run into them.
To assist you in making sure you meet the necessary Spain entrance requirements, I have outlined all of the requirements you need to be concerned about in this article. Furthermore, I have also created the handy checklist I linked below for you to use as a point of reference and to track all of the requirements as you meet them.
View Spain Passport, VISA, Customs, and Immunizations Checklist
Spain Passport Requirements
One of the most important of the Spain entrance requirements are the passport requirements for entering the country. If you don’t have a valid passport, you won’t be allowed to enter. Before booking your travel to Spain, you will need to review the requirements below to ensure your passport will be accepted.
Requirement: Passport must be valid for 3 months after your trip.
You will need to make sure that your passport is not only valid but that it will be valid at least 3 months after your trip (6 months is recommended). So if your passport is set to expire a month after you get back, you won’t be let into the country. That is something that frequently trips travelers up, so make sure you check the expiration date of your passport closely.
Spain VISA Requirements
Requirement: No VISA requirements prior to January 1, 2021. After January 1, 2021, all visitors from outside the Schengen Zone of Europe will be required to apply for an ETIAS Electronic VISA.
Spain Immunization Recommendations
Requirement: No immunizations are required for entry, but there are recommendations.
While there are no immunization requirements to enter Spain and no specialized immunizations that are recommended for protection while visiting (such as the Yellow Fever, Rabies, or Japanese encephalitis vaccinations), it is strongly recommended that you are up-to-date on the standard immunizations. For some guidance on what is recommended before traveling to Spain, please refer to the tables below.
Recommended Vaccinations
| Vaccine | How Disease Spreads | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis A | Food & Water | Recommended for most travelers |
| Hepatitis B | Blood & Body Fluids | Accelerated schedule available |
Routine Vaccinations
| Vaccine | How Disease Spreads | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) | Various Vectors | Given to anyone unvaccinated and/or born after 1957. One time adult booster recommended. |
| TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria & Pertussis) | Wounds & Airborne | Only one adult booster of pertussis required. |
| Chickenpox | Direct Contact & Airborne | Given to those unvaccinated that did not have chickenpox. |
| Shingles | Direct Contact | The vaccine can still be given if you have had shingles. |
| Pneumonia | Airborne | Two vaccines are given separately. All 65+ or immunocompromised should receive both. |
| Influenza | Airborne | Vaccine components change annually. |
| Meningitis | Airborne & Direct Contact | Given to anyone unvaccinated or at an increased risk, especially students. |
| Polio | Food & Water | Considered a routine vaccination for most travel itineraries. Single adult booster recommended. |
Spain Customs Restrictions
Requirement: Firearms, narcotics, certain plant products, and non-native animal products are controlled. There are also limits on the amount of tobacco and alcohol that can be brought into the country.
Before you start packing for your trip to Spain, it is important that you are aware of the customs restrictions that are in place. Making a mistake and trying to bring a prohibited or restricted item into the country can lead to a lot of needed hassle or refusal of entry. I would strongly advise checking the website of the Spanish Embassy for up-to-date information on customs restrictions before leaving for your trip. I have also included some of the most important considerations for you to review below.
Travelers MUST declare the following items
- Tobacco Products in excess of the following:
- 800 cigarettes
- 400 cigarillos (max. 3 grams each)
- 200 cigars
- 1 kilogram of smoking tobacco
- Alcohol Products in excess of the following:
- 10 liters of spirits over 22%
- 20 liters of alcoholic beverages less than 22%
- 90 liters of wine (though no more than 60 liters of sparkling wine)
- 110 liters of beer
The Following Items are Strictly Prohibited
- Firearms of any kind
- Certain restricted plant products as designated by the European Union.
- Products of animal origin, not originating from an EU Member State, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
Traveling With Controlled Drugs
If you are traveling with controlled substances such as medications, you must make sure you are following the correct protocols for bringing those substances into the country. If you are traveling with medications, make sure you consider the following:
- You are only carrying substances prescribed for yourself or someone in your care (parent/child or nurse/patient).
- You declare the substance(s) on your Passenger Arrival Card which is inspected by Customs.
- You carry a copy of the prescription from your doctor for the substance.
- The controlled substances are carried in their original containers.
- You are carrying a supply that does not exceed a month’s supply of the controlled substance.
Spain Currency Requirements
Requirement: 10,000 Euros or equivalent must be declared.
If you are traveling to or from any country outside of the EU with currency exceeding 10,000 Euros or the equivalent in another currency (banker’s draft and cheques of any kind included), you must declare the money.
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Ugh. I wish I could use this information. I’ll be cancelling all my Spain bookings in the coming weeks. I wonder if Europe will relax or eliminate the Schengen ETIAS Visa in light of the virus and with the hopes of making travel to Europe as easy as possible.
I totally feel your pain. We cancelled our trip to Greece and Portugal. That would be nice if they pushed back or eliminated the VISA requirement. Though from what I’ve read, it is going to be a lot like Australia’s electronic VISA, which is a breeze to obtain.