Ministry of Home Affairs extends restrictions on airport entry from third countries and adapts them to spread of pandemic

The Order, signed by the Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and published in the Official State Gazette (Spanish acronym: BOE), extends the restrictions on airport entry until 31 May.

The Order also adapts these restrictions on entry through air borders to the spread of the pandemic in third countries. Specifically, as from 1 May, passengers, with or without a stopover, from India, Brazil, South Africa, Botswana, the Comoros, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Peru and Colombia may only enter national territory if they are "residents in Spain or Andorra, Spanish citizens or their spouse or legal partner with whom they maintain an analogous union to spouse recorded in a public register, and those ascendants and descendants in their charge, provided that they travel with or to meet with them.

They may also travel if they are "transport personnel, sailors and the aviation personnel needed to implement air transport activities", "diplomatic and consular staff, members of international, military, civil protection and humanitarian organisations in the exercise of their functions" or "people who can provide documentary accreditation on grounds of force majeure or a situation of need, or whose entry is permitted on humanitarian grounds".

Epidemiological Situation

This measures has been adopted with the aim of "addressing the risks stemming from new variants and from the epidemiological situation being suffered in some third countries", in line with the measures adopted by the Ministry of Health to establish quarantine measures for those people who arrive, with or without a stopover, from Brazil, South Africa, Botswana, the Comoros, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Peru and Colombia.

The Ministerial Order also established, in line with the decision taken by the Ministry of Health, as from 1 May, the quarantine conditions for those people who travel, with or without a stopover, from India.

"In order to accompany these measures and facilitate the control of compliance therewith, it is necessary to limit the categories of people exempt from the general restriction applicable to these countries", indicates the text of the Ministry of Home Affairs published in the BOE on Friday.

The restrictions on airport entry for passengers from countries outside of the European Union and the Schengen Area have been extended and adapted to the spread of the pandemic in different countries. The latest extension, which came into force on 26 March, runs out at midnight on Saturday, 1 May.

All these restrictions have been adopted pursuant to EU recommendations on temporary restrictions on non-essential travel for residents of countries outside of the European Union and the Schengen Area.