Spain Says Covid Vaccine Certificates Only Valid For 9 Months From February 1
Spain News
Published: 21 January 2022 16:15 CET
Spanish authorities have announced that Covid vaccination certificates for those entering the country will only be valid for 9 months from February 1, 2022.
The move will mean tourists wishing to enter the country from February may need to have a booster vaccination if they were vaccinated more than nine months previously.
As a result of the new measures, immigration officials will only admit travellers with vaccination certificates indicating they have been fully vaccinated against the virus within the previous 270 days.
In addition, in the event that a booster jab is required, this must have been administered at least 14 days prior to travel. Proof of being vaccinated with the third dose will need to be demonstrated via the NHS app or equivalent official document.
The country's official travel website Safe Spain stated: “From February 1, 2022, in order to travel to Spain with a vaccination certificate, the certificate must have been issued by the competent authorities of the country of origin at least 14 days after the date of administration of the last dose of the full course of vaccination, as long as the final dose of that course of vaccination was no more than 270 days ago.”
Back in December, the EU Commission announced via a press release that it wanted all EU Member States to adopt the new measures which would mean that there would be coordinated travel measures throughout the block.
However, it is still down to each Member State to decide the validity period of the certificates of those who wish to enter any EU country.
A number of other European countries have already signalled that they will be implementing similar measures to Spain including the Netherlands and Switzerland.
However, Austria recently announced that they would limit Covid certificates to 180 days with Malta going even further and limiting their validity to just 90 days.
The news comes as many British and other European holidaymakers look to arrange their holidays to Spain for the half-term break.
Anyone looking to book a holiday to Spain and its islands are advised to check their vaccination status and its validity before booking a break.
Those under the age of 12 are not currently required to produce proof of their vaccination or recovery status, however, all passengers travelling to Spain including those under the age of 12 must continue to complete a Health Control Form regardless of their nationality.
If travelling via air, a health control form can be completed at https://www.spth.gob.es/
If entering Spain via sea, the health control forms can be completed at https://spthm.puertos.es/
Source
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/travel/spain-issues-new-covid-vaccine-22829724
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/official-eu-makes-covid-19-vaccination-certificates-valid-for-only-9-months-from-february-1-2022/
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/spain-to-shorten-vaccination-certificates-validity-from-february-1/
