“Do I need a visa to travel to Spain?”

Some of you have recently asked what is the documentation needed to travel to Spain.

Hi, I’m from Boston and my friend is a U.S. permanent resident.  I’m having trouble finding information on if we would need a visa to travel to Spain and take one of your tours.  If so, where do we apply for it?  What other information should I know?  I would really appreciate if you could please help me with this.

Thanks!

A. L.

Boston, MA

First, we love when we hear that you want to travel and see new places.  It’s one of life’s most rewarding experiences.  And some research should be the first rule when you decide to travel.  But yes, some websites are pretty much like a jungle out there.  If this is your first time traveling to Spain (or Europe), here’s a quick list of the entry requirements to visit this country.

Since most of our readers are from the US and Canada, we’re going to focus our answer on these two countries.

1.  US and Canadian citizens. NO VISA REQUIRED.

You will need a valid US or Canadian passport to enter Spain as a tourist for a short stay of up to 90 days.
You must have at least 6 months of validity left on your passport to enter Spain.  Otherwise, you will need to get a new passport.
You should travel with a round trip airline ticket.
It’s advised to take out travel insurance for any trip abroad.

2.  You are a US or Canada permanent resident but your passport is foreign (i.e. not from the US or Canada).

You will need to apply for a visa if your country is listed under the paragraph “Holders of passports who require a visa to enter Spain”.

3.  You are an EU citizen, or you’re a national of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.  NO VISA REQUIRED.

You only need a valid passport or ID document.


4.  You are from any other country.

You will need to apply for a visa if your country is listed under the paragraph “Holders of passports who require a visa to enter Spain”.

Other things you may want to know before your travel:

• Typically, a visa takes anywhere from 2 days to 15 days to process in the Spain Embassy/Consulate.

•  You do not need any special vaccination to enter the country.   

• Nevertheless, if it has been more than 10 years since your last tetanus booster, it is advised to bring your immunizations up to date, especially if you’re going to be surrounded by nature.

•  If you’re traveling from the US, Canada or a country outside the EU, you cannot bring any meat, dairy or other animal products.   

• You only need to declare cash if you are carrying over 6.000 € (or the equivalent value in other currencies). 6.000 EUR is approximately 8.154 USD or 9.101 CAD.

At Run and Tour we want to make your trip more enjoyable. Please check our commitment, and if you have any more comments or questions, we’ll be happy to hear them.