Everyone travelling to Spain (including children) must submit an online Health Control Form (in English), no more than 48 hours before departure. This will generate a QR code which needs to be presented (either digitally or as a hard copy) at the Spanish border.

All travellers aged 12 and over must be able to prove they’ve been fully vaccinated (with both doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a one-dose vaccine) at least 14 days before arrival. Proof of a negative test or recovery from Covid is not accepted.

From 23:00 GMT on 13 February, children aged 12-17 do not need to be double-jabbed to enter the country. Instead, they must present a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival.

You must have received your final vaccine dose no earlier than 270 days (about nine months) before travelling. If it was earlier than this, you must be able to show proof of having received a booster jab. There is no requirement for 14 days to have passed between receiving your booster and entering Spain.

Spain (like all EU countries) will accept as proof the NHS Covid Pass, Scotland’s NHS Covid Status Pass or Northern Ireland’s COVIDCert NI app – these can be presented either in digital form on a phone, or printed (as long as it’s dated after 1 November 2021).

Fully vaccinated children aged 12 to 15 can now also use the NHS app to show their Covid status, or they can request an NHS Covid Pass letter for international travel. Children under the age of 12 do not need to show proof of vaccination.

If you have not been fully vaccinated, you can only enter Spain if your journey is classed as “essential” by the Spanish Ministry of Health. If your journey qualifies, you will need to present either a negative PCR test taken within the previous 72 hours, or a negative antigen test/LFT taken within the previous 24 hours, or else a medical certificate to say that you have recovered from Covid in the previous six months.

If you’re travelling via Gibraltar, check the latest Foreign Office travel advice.

Covid-19 rules in Spain

Wherever you are in Spain, you must observe social distancing of 1.5m (5ft). Everyone aged six and over must also wear a face mask in the following places (unless they have a medical exemption):

— any enclosed space open to the public (eg shops, restaurants, hotels or hospitals)
— any indoor space where people from different households mix
— any outdoor space where it is not possible to observe social distancing (e.g. crowded streets, public demonstrations etc.)
— all forms of public transport and all transport stations, platforms and airports

Some regions may have additional restrictive measures, including:

— overnight curfews
— a limit on social gatherings
— restrictions on meeting people from other households indoors
— capacity restrictions at beaches or other public areas (eg booking systems)

You should check with local and regional authorities for more details.

The Foreign Office has specific healthcare guidance for UK nationals visiting Spain.

For more details about travelling in Spain, go to the UK Foreign Office travel advice for Spain

Return to the UK

Everyone aged 12 and over travelling to the UK must fill in an online passenger locator form before they depart. Adults can complete the form for under-18s travelling with them.

If you qualify as fully vaccinated, you do not need to take any tests either before or after you arrive in the UK, nor is there any need to quarantine. The same rules apply for travellers under the age of 18.

If you are 18 or over, and not fully vaccinated:

— you will need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test, taken in the two days before you travel to the UK
— you will need to book and pay for a PCR test, to be taken within two days of arrival in the UK. This must be booked with a private provider before you travel
— you do not have to quarantine unless your PCR test is positive