NOVEMBER 1ST UPDATE: Covid health pass no longer needed for travel between Spain's regions
Currently, travel to Spain from most EU and non-EU countries requires proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test.
The same applies to other nations’ health requirements for travellers from Spain: proof of Covid-19 health status is a must with very few exceptions.
But how about national travellers?
Do you need to show the Covid health pass issued by your region if you’re flying between Madrid and Barcelona?
In the event that you’re not fully vaccinated against Covid-19, do you need to get a Covid-19 test before catching a ferry between Valencia and Mallorca?
The answer is no if you’re flying between two places on the Spanish mainland.
The exceptions are - or have been until recently - Spain’s two archipelagos: the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.
It’s worth pointing out that for bus, car or train journeys within the Spanish mainland, having to show a Covid health pass at any point of the journey is not a requirement.
The Canary Islands
On October 1st, the Canary government lifted the requirement for passengers arriving from another part of Spain to have to show a Covid health pass reflecting their full vaccination, negative Covid test results or proof of recovery.
The high rate of vaccination in the archipelago and low rate of infections are the two main reasons given for this decision.
In practice, it means one step less of security that arrivals from other parts of Spain have to go through when arriving at the Canaries’ airports and ports (it also applies to ferries).
It also means that arrivals in the Canary Islands with no proof of vaccination or testing will no longer have to quarantine until they get the negative results of Covid-19 test.
Regional health authorities found that over the summer holidays, 94 percent of arrivals from the rest of Spain provided either a negative Covid-19 test or proof of full vaccination.
The Balearic Islands
As things stand, the Balearic Islands is the only region which requires national travellers to show some form of Covid health pass.
However, these restrictions are up for discussion on October 25th, meaning that arrivals by sea or air to Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera may soon not be asked for proof of vaccination, recovery or testing.
As things stand, the Balearic government determines whether travellers need to show a Covid health pass depending on whether the regions they are resident in have a fortnightly infection rate below or above 60 cases per 100,000 people.
If it’s under that rate, there’s no health pass requirement, but if it’s above there is.
You can check whether you need to show a Covid health pass on the Balearic government’s health website here.
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