COVID guidelines for travellers to Spain and Portugal

The Covid entry requirements for travel depend on whether you qualify as fully vaccinated.

Here’s our simplified guide to the current regulations and what they mean for vaccinated travellers to Spain and Portugal. If you’re not fully vaccinated or have any other doubts please don’t hesitate to contact us.

*  At least 14 days must have passed since being fully vaccinated (with both doses of a 2-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) before arrival in Spain or Portugal. Your date(s) of vaccination must be specified and your final dose must have been administered within 270 days prior to travel to Spain. If you completed your initial  course of vaccination (with both doses of a 2-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) more than 270 days prior to travel  you must be able to show proof of having receiving a booster jab. There is no limited validity period currently with regard to certificates based on booster jabs.

Check the gov.uk step-by-step checklist for travelling abroad and the Entering the UK page which also details the specific requirements for travelling or returning to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

There are currently no covid-specific requirements for travellers entering or returning to the UK from Spain or Portugal. This is irrespective of vaccination status.

Please check FCDO travel advice for Spain and Spain Travel Health website for up-to-date information including entry requirements. For more detailed information about entry requirements from the UK, Ireland and a host of other countries visit Spain’s excellent Travel Safe website. The site also includes information about which measures are in place for each region via an easy-to-use interactive map.

All travellers coming from the UK will have to present proof of full vaccination i.e. two doses plus 14 days (see note above with regard to certificate validity and boosters plus ‘NHS App – Certify and share your COVID status‘ below).

• Those who have had both jabs will need to show a vaccination certificate issued by UK authorities either electronically or in print at least 14 days from the last vaccination dose.
• Children under 12 are exempt from the requirement to present a negative PCR or vaccination certificate when travelling with an adult.

* At least 14 days must have passed since being fully vaccinated (with both doses of a 2-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) before arrival in Spain or Portugal. Your date(s) of vaccination must be specified and your final dose must have been administered within 270 days prior to travel to Spain. If you completed your initial course of vaccination (with both doses of a 2-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) more than 270 days prior to travel you must be able to show proof of having receiving a booster jab. There is no limited validity period currently with regard to certificates based on booster jabs.

Please check FCDO travel advice for Portugal for up-to-date information including entry requirements and visitportugal.com for information about the situation in Portugal.

Before departure all travellers to Portugal (arriving by air or sea) must complete the free Online Passenger Locator Card

All travellers coming from the UK will have to present proof of full vaccination i.e. two doses plus 14 days (see note above with regard to certificate validity and boosters plus ‘NHS App – Certify and share your COVID status‘ below) or a negative PCR test.

• Those who have had both jabs will need to show a vaccination certificate issued by UK authorities either electronically or in print at least 14 days from the last vaccination dose.
• Children under 12 are exempt from the requirement to present a negative PCR or vaccination certificate when travelling with an adult.

As always we advise that you read our terms and conditions thoroughly and contact us should you have any doubts.

To make booking easier we are currently accepting a reduced deposit of 25% and have reduced the balance-due period so that payment is due six weeks prior to travel rather than the standard ten weeks.

At that stage, six weeks prior to travel, you can choose to pay the balance and lock in the dates or postpone to a later time with no administration charges.

With regard to cancellations due to COVID virus and associated restrictions please see the following sections as applicable:

For package holidays (those which include travel, typically a car hire or ferry crossing) see Section C Clause 31 "If you Cancel your Package Holiday due to Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances".

For accommodation only holidays (where no travel element is included)  see Section A Clause 11 "Events Beyond our Control".

We strongly recommend registering for the EHIC or GHIC health insurance card before undertaking travel to any EU country.

The card is free of charge and will allow you to access  state-provided, medically necessary, healthcare when you're visiting an EU country

Please click here for information on the EHIC / GHIC card and how to apply for a new GHIC card.

Should you wish to carry proof of your COVID vaccination status the NHS smartphone app (rather than the NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app) now includes that functionality:

Though at the time of writing this has no direct application or benefits with regard to international travel between the UK and Mainland Spain or Portugal this situation may change.

You may also find it useful to share your COVID status whilst on holiday particularly should you require medical assistance for whatever reason.

Due to the constant updating of the information regarding the restrictions and measures caused by COVID-19 contained on this website, before travelling, it is your own responsibility to consult the requirements and recommendations of the public bodies and competent national authorities in each country.

Casas Cantabricas take no responsibility for the information shown here and will not be liable for any issues arising should said information be incorrect or out of date at the time of your travel.

The information found on this website is not binding and has no regulatory effect. Likewise, it is based on the information gathered from the official websites of the countries listed.