Spain has new rules this year for visitors from the UK and non-EU countries | Photo: La Moncloa
It’s time for all Britons and other non-EU citizens entering Spain to ensure they have enough cash in their wallets or their bank accounts for their stay in the country, because border officials might ask them to prove they meet the minimum daily budget requirement.
According to new rules that came into effect this year, Britons and others from non-EU countries will be required to demonstrate they have at least €1,118.40 (£101.51) for each day they plan to stay in Spain. “Britons and other foreigners entering Spain must prove they have a minimum of €1118.40 per person per day, with a minimum of €1,065.60 (£918) or its equivalent in a foreign currency,” the new Ministry of the Interior rules state.
Accommodation and return tickets
They also need to provide proof of hotel reservations or a letter of invitation from someone in Spain who has agreed to host them in their home. For Brits visiting friends or family at their homes, click on this link for all the details on how to prepare a letter of invitation.
“Travellers must also have a return ticket to their place of origin or a ticket to travel to a third country,· it adds. “Those tickets must be non-transferable to a third person and must be paid for.
If travellers can not prove they have enough money or do not have the required proof of travel back home or to a third country, “they will be denied entry to Spain,” the statement warns.
The following exceptions apply to specific travellers:
- They hold a valid passport that has not expired and a document or ID card that proves their residency.
- They hold a valid passport and a valid Spanish study visa.
- They hold a diplomatic passport or travel document.
- They hold a Spanish work permit or visa.
Potential health examination
Another rule states that if a Spanish border official determines that you require a health certificate issued by your country’s government, you must present it to them.
If you do not have that document, you must allow for a customs medical practitioner to examine you to ensure you do not have a health issue that might pose a risk to the country. Therefore, you may be denied entry.
The new rules mainly apply to Britons and have a lot to do with the UK exiting the European Union, and it goes in both directions, as the freedom of movement no longer applies since Brexit.
Britons and travellers from other non-EU countries could face these rules in any other European Country as well, so prepare well and do your own research before boarding a plane, train, or otherwise.
However, truth be told. Because border officials are usually overwhelmed with checking and scanning visitors’ documents in the UK, Spain, and the rest of the EU, they will very rarely ask you for proof of funds or return tickets. Still, over 90 per cent of the time, they will ask you if you have tickets to travel back to your place of origin.
