British Travellers Face Long Queues at Spanish Airports

Travellers from the United Kingdom who have reached Spain in the last few days have faced long queues at passport control.

Since the UK is no longer part of the European Union, British nationals without Spanish residency rights who reach Spain are no longer permitted to enter without a passport.

UK nationals now need to wait in the non-EU travellers’ line for their passports to be checked and stamped. Non-EU travellers can expect 45-minute queues at passport control.

With the winter holidays just around the corner and with more people wishing to visit famous Spanish destinations, such as the Canary and the Balearic Islands, British nationals have to expect and be prepared for even longer lines in the upcoming weeks.

Considering that UK tourists make up for around a quarter of international travellers that reach Spain every year, it is believed that those who plan on visiting Spain during the last two weeks of December may face even longer queues.

Lack of Border Officials

As of 1 December, it is no longer possible for unvaccinated UK tourists to visit Spain after Spanish authorities ruled that a negative COVID test no longer serves as a replacement for a vaccine passport.

The tightened entry rules against UK nationals will remain in force until 31 December. Nonetheless, they might get extended if the COVID-19 situation requires it.

The new restrictions come as long queues have already been making things difficult in Madrid. According to reports, 5,000 travellers missed their flights last month due to long waits at passport control.

The regional government of Madrid requested the deployment of more border officials to ease the flow of passengers at the city’s airport.

But now the problem seems to be extending to airports all over Spain, as fears over the Omicron variant have led governments to implement new travel restrictions.

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