· · · · ·

Travel to Spain just got easier – the latest on the SpTH Health Check Form

ByPaul Johnson Hours
Comments 10 Comments

There’s good news for travellers to Spain! From today, the SpTH Health Check Form is no longer needed to enter Spain for all passengers, regardless of their country of departure, who have an EU Digital COVID Certificate (or EU equivalent) of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative certificate of a diagnostic test for active infection or a certificate of recovery after having passed this disease. Children under 12 years of age and those in international transit are exempt of this requirement.

What is an EU Digital COVID Certificate or EU Equivalent and what is its validity?

An EU digital COVID certificate (DCC) or EU equivalent is a digital certification issued by the competent authorities of EU countries, and third countries/territories that have joined the DCC system, whose aim is proving that a person:

  • has been vaccinated against COVID-19, with a complete schedule or booster dose. In the case of a complete vaccination schedule, you should check the validity periods: this certificate will be valid from 14 days after the administration of the last dose of the complete vaccination schedule and will be valid up to 270 days from the administration of this last dose. The vaccination certificate with complete schedule for children under 18 has no expiry date. Thereafter, in order to be valid (people aged 18 and over), the vaccination certificate must reflect the administration of a booster dose. These certificates will be considered valid from the day the booster dose is administered.
  • a diagnostic test (sample collection) has been performed within 72 hours prior to arrival in Spain for NAAT (nucleic acid amplification tests, e.g. RT-PCR, RT-LAMP, TMA) / 24 hours for RAT (rapid antigen test), the result of which has been negative.
  • a person is considered to have recovered from COVID-19, after the disease has passed, provided that more than 11 days have elapsed since the first positive NAAT or RAT was performed, and this recovery shall be valid for 180 days thereafter.

Only travellers who do NOT have an EU COVID Digital Certificate or EU equivalent must still complete the SpTH Health Check Form, manually entering the details of your vaccination, recall or diagnostic test certificate.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

If you are reading this article anywhere other than on A Luxury Travel Blog, then the chances are that this content has been stolen without permission.

Please make a note of the web address above and contact A Luxury Travel Blog to advise them of this issue.

Thank you for your help in combatting content theft.

What is the SpTH Health Check Form?

It is a Health Control Form, which must be completed if the traveller does not have an EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) or EU Equivalent. It is based on international initiatives of public health and aviation organisations to protect the health of passengers and residents. This model was adopted by the Government of Spain as part of the mandatory health control measures for passengers from other countries, in the context of the health emergency caused by COVID-19. Its objective is to assess the health status of travellers on arrival in Spain and to ensure their identification and traceability, if necessary, if they are considered to have had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, or of another communicable infectious disease that could put the health of all at risk. This form consists of 5 sections that contain questions about personal information, the traveller’s contact information, details of the trip and a health declaration to pass the health control on arrival in Spain.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

Did you enjoy this article?

Receive similar content direct to your inbox.

10 Comments

  1. That’s good news for both travellers and the Spanish economy, a lot of towns are very dependent on Euros from visitors. For many Spaniards it has been a long two years.

    Reply

    1. Yes, anything that takes away additional layers of red tape has to be a good thing if businesses are to re-open and survive after what has been a particularly tough period.

  2. One step forward with easier admin but we’re now playing the lottery with flight cancellations.

    I’m on the Costa do Sol at the moment and wondering if I’m going to get back. It seems there are a lot of flights being cancelled due to the airlines being short of staff (from COVID).

    Reply

    1. Yes, there have been a lot of staffing issues with my regular international airport (Manchester) lately. Hopefully it will prove to be only a temporary blip and some normality will return shortly. Good luck getting home!

  3. I’ve read a story, only recently published, that hours after the announcement, Spain is reversing its decision.

    Maybe those statistics that 1 in 13 people in the UK have COVID and 20,000 hospital admissions might be influencing them!

    Reply

    1. From what I understand, there has been a lot of confusion on this issue, because the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK issued a statement that said that non-vaccinated UK passengers can now enter Spain with proof of a negative PCR or antigen test, or proof of diagnostic recovery and without the need to be double vaccinated, which apparently is incorrect.

      Here’s what you need to know on this issue:

      UK travellers aged 12 and above are still required to show proof of being fully-vaccinated or a certificate of recovery. There is an exception for those aged 12 to 17 (inclusive) who can show a negative COVID test (PCR of similar) taken within 72 hours of arrival.

      Pedro Medina, deputy director of the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK says:

      “We apologise unreservedly for the miscommunication earlier today which was due to a misunderstanding of the new entry requirements.”

      UK travellers, aged 12 and above will need to fulfill the below criteria:

      1.- Certificate of vaccination: Proof of being fully-vaccinated (with both doses of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a one-dose vaccine) at least 14 days prior to arrival in Spain. If more than 270 days have passed since the final dose, certification of a booster vaccination is also required, except for teenagers aged 12 to 17 (inclusive).

      2.- Certificate of recovery: Proof that the passenger has recovered from COVID. Recovery certificates issued by the official authorities will be valid at least 11 days after the first NAAT diagnostic test or positive antigen screening test, carried out by qualified personnel. The certificate shall be valid for 180 days after the date of the first positive diagnostic test result.

      Children under 12 years old are exempt when travelling with an adult.

      From 6 April, children under 12 and those travelling to Spain with an EU COVID passport or equivalent (including NHS COVID travel pass) no longer need to complete the Health Control Form (FCS in Spanish) prior to arrival. Those without an EU COVID pass or equivalent must complete the Health Control Form to show evidence of their vaccinations or certificate of recovery. This can be completed via Spain Travel Health (SpTH).

      For more information about travelling to and around Spain safely, please visit https://travelsafe.spain.info/en/

    2. The days are ticking by. I think I had my third jab in November. It means that a lot of us are going to be looking for another vaccine around September otherwise we’re not going to be able to travel. It’s going to get confusing.

    3. Peter,
      if you have had your booster jab then there is no expiry date, so the 270 day requirement is irrelevant.

  4. I am traveling to spain on June 20 from the USA. do i still need the health form since I have CDC vaccination record.

    ELEANOR FARBER

    Reply

    1. Hi Eleanor

      Here is the latest information for travel out of the USA:

      https://es.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/

      Specifically it reads:

      Additionally, U.S. citizens traveling from the United States to Spain must present upon arrival in Spain a QR code generated through the Spain Travel Health portal, obtained through the website or by downloading the “SpTH app” in Google Play Store or iTunes App Store for each traveler, regardless of their age and duration of the trip, unless they have a EU Digital COVID Certificate (DCC). To travel to Spain, it is not necessary to complete the SpTH health control form if you have an EU DCC, or equivalent EU certificate. The CDC vaccination certificate is not a digital certificate; therefore travelers from the U.S. who have a CDC vaccination certificate must still generate the QR code through the Spain Travel Health portal.

      U.S. citizens who are traveling to Spain from a country that is not the United States should make sure they follow the guidance published by Spanish authorities on their local Spain Embassy website .

      I hope this answers your question.

      Kind regards

      Paul

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *