Spain effectively banning UK children from entering country

[Loudestcat14]

Anyone planning a Christmas holiday to Spain or the Canaries? You might have to rethink your plans. News broke overnight that Spain is only allowing fully vaccinated – ie, double jabbed – travellers from the UK and NI to enter the country, meaning anyone over 12 won't get in because they're only allowed one jab as things stand.

Spanish gov did various u turns all summer to avoid missing out on the summer trade this year!

@Fairylights25

Except the vaccines dont actually stop you catching covid! bungle Seriously can't believe we are still even having this conversation!

They reduce your risk of catching it. Seriously can’t believe we are still even having this conversation!

Really interesting OP, I was not aware of this

There needs to be some sort of grace period for children turning 12. My DS1 turns 12 in the middle of the summer holidays. We are happy for him to be vaccinated but will not be able to in sufficient time for him to travel.

There seems to be a loophole for the 12-16 double-vaccination requirement which may help some Mumsnetters - if you or your teen is a EU Citizen (e.g. has an Irish passport), then the requirement for double vaccination does not apply. See quote and links below (happy to be corrected if I have misunderstood!). I assume it means such teens will just have to show a negative PCR (which I think is what unvaccinated EU nationals travelling from the EU have to show).

"From December 1, residents in the UK who travel for non-essential reasons will only be able to enter Spain with proof of full vaccination. This change does not affect: the under-12s, Spaniards, Europeans or their families, who will be able to continue traveling as before.”

www.google.com/amp/s/english.elpais.com/spain/2021-11-29/spain-tightens-travel-restrictions-amid-concerns-over-omicron-coronavirus-variant.html%3foutputType=amp

@thebakeoffwasntasgoodthisyear
See my post above. Will apply to you (if I have understood the rules correctly!)

[quote TedGlenn]There seems to be a loophole for the 12-16 double-vaccination requirement which may help some Mumsnetters - if you or your teen is a EU Citizen (e.g. has an Irish passport), then the requirement for double vaccination does not apply. See quote and links below (happy to be corrected if I have misunderstood!). I assume it means such teens will just have to show a negative PCR (which I think is what unvaccinated EU nationals travelling from the EU have to show).

"From December 1, residents in the UK who travel for non-essential reasons will only be able to enter Spain with proof of full vaccination. This change does not affect: the under-12s, Spaniards, Europeans or their families, who will be able to continue traveling as before.”

www.google.com/amp/s/english.elpais.com/spain/2021-11-29/spain-tightens-travel-restrictions-amid-concerns-over-omicron-coronavirus-variant.html%3foutputType=amp[/quote]
Well that is certainly a Brexit bonus.

@Cakecrumbsinmybra See above - might help you!

@TedGlenn thank you for that, very kind and yes it certainly does look like a possibility if you have an Irish passport. However, what I didn't know is that DH and DC's passports are still being processed, with no indication as to when they will be received. We may get lucky though!



twitter.com/EmbSpainUK

Seems to be the case though - EU passport holders and their families (regardless of where they start journey?) appear to be able to take their unvaccinated teens to Spain from the UK.

So my DH is entitled to an Irish passport. Does this mean that if he gets one, our children can enter Spain whether they are vaccinated or not?

It sounds like that but it's hard to clarify.

I've been suggesting DH get his Irish passport and for the DC too since the Brexit vote in 2016, it's taken him years to get around to it!

DC won’t be able to get an Irish passport unless they have/had a grandparent born on the island of Ireland.
Example: my mother was born in Ireland so I have citizenship and a passport. My own children can register as foreign births and claim citizenship and get passports, but their children born before the application, can’t.

I'd suggest if anyone is going to do this they get confirmation (and preferably a letter) from head office of the airline they are flying with first - don't fancy the chances of convincing the Easyjet counter staff at Gatwick that an unvaccinated 13 year old is fine to travel to Spain...!

I’ve always been surprised that the newspapers haven’t flagged the lack of travel as another major Brexit bollox. This summer my German relatives and their kids went with ease to Spain, France and Italy.

@TedGlenn I don't think the staff at Gatwick will care - it will be the border control in Spain who check whether you're able to enter the country!

@PerfectlyUnsuitable

Something similar is probably going to happen with other countries soon so it wont just be Spain and will eventually affect the under 12s too.

IT IS ALREADY THE CASE IN OTHER COUNTRIES
Sorry fir shouting.. But you have to have a covid pass fir all people over 12yo in France. That’s to take the bus/train, go to the restaurant, use ski lifts etc etc
It has been the case since the end of the summer and basically stops anyone with a child between 12 and 16yo to go to France. Well unless you go and see family and aren’t planning g to do anything at all.

Yup. We couldn’t go to Italy last year tonvisir family. We have a family home that has lain empty for 2 years now as we can’t take kids Europeans had incredible freedom this summer while we all tried to cram into Spain and Greece.

[quote Gensola]@TedGlenn I don't think the staff at Gatwick will care - it will be the border control in Spain who check whether you're able to enter the country![/quote]
They will care to a degree because if the airline staff allow somebody who is inadmissible for entry to a country to travel there on a flight the airline can get it in the neck/pick up a (sometimes hefty) fine.

Yes, and pay for repatriation costs. Airlines do police this.

@TedGlenn

Yep, it’s on and off been b*complicated for a while now..

Passengers have to meet the requirements of border control at the far end and also meet the requirements the airline staff are working to…and though this shouldn’t be the case sometimes due to delay in amending procedures or whatever they are not the same,

@Tabbydancer

I’ve always been surprised that the newspapers haven’t flagged the lack of travel as another major Brexit bollox. This summer my German relatives and their kids went with ease to Spain, France and Italy.

That wasn't Brexit, it was our own government making it almost impossible to travel. I had three amazing holidays planned that I had to cancel because of pointless quarantine rules and expensive testing. All my friends on the continent had an amazing summer going wherever they wanted.

It was a ploy to keep tourists and money in the UK. Great for those who could afford £3000 for a villa in Cornwall, not so much for those with no car and a smaller budget.

@TKRedLemonade

I’m surprised you could just pop over for a vaccine in Dublin. We all needed pps number to get ours and also massive queues now for boosters so might not be as easy as it was a few weeks to just pop in

This. PPS number is required www2.hse.ie/screening-and-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/user-guide/

You could take your chance with a walk in centre and hope a PPS number is not asked however walk in centres are few and far between at the moment since the roll out of boosters most
centres are back to appointment only.