Spain will require COVID-19 vaccination certificates from US tourists starting next week, adhering to recent European Union recommendations to apply stricter regulations due to growing concern over coronavirus infections in the United States.
The European Council’s decision this week to remove the United States from a list of safe countries for non-essential travel was also taken amid calls by European officials for “reciprocity” in travel rules. Despite the fact that the EU opened its doors to US citizens in June, Washington did not allow tourists from the European bloc.
Spain, a highly attractive country for tourism, is among a handful of EU nations that have announced measures to adhere their entry standards to the Council’s recommendations.
The Iberian country published the new guidelines in the Official State Gazette on Friday, and also removed Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and North Macedonia from the list of safe countries.
According to the regulations, American tourists will no longer be able to enter as of Monday, September 6, unless they can demonstrate that they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days before leaving for the trip. Non-inoculated children under 12 years of age traveling with vaccinated adults may also enter Spain.
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