UK tourists warned to take key document on Spain holidays to stop being turned away
UK tourists heading to Spain on holiday this summer are being warned over vital travel documents you might need to take with you to stop being sent right back home.
If previous years are anything to go by, more Brits will be flying to Spain than any other country in the world for some fun in the sun.
Millions will take to the skies for beach holidays to the likes of Benidorm and Majorca.
And on the flip side, you've got city trips in the likes of Barcelona and Madrid if you fancy something a little less beach-based.
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But because of Brexit, you might need to take extra documentation with you if you're flying out any time soon.
As a result of the UK leaving the European Union, Brits are now classed as 'third-country nationals' and must clear far larger hurdles for any trip to the EU and wider Schengen Area
The Schengen Area - Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland - are 27 EU countries that are all signed up to freedom of movement for all their citizens.
The UK was in this, now it isn't. And as a result, your passport has to be assessed and stamped every time you arrive in a country that is in the Schengen Area, leading to longer queues when getting off planes.
Brexit also means UK passport holders are subject to something called the Schengen 90/180-Day Rule, which can see you banned from most of Europe if you stay for too long.
And for those specifically heading to Spain, you must make sure you have one specific document with you.
Called a Carta de Invitación (Letter of Invitation in English) it is vital to have this if you are staying with friends or family, rather than paying for accommodation.
Not having it could see you turned around at passport control and sent back to the UK.
The UK Foreign Office's official travel advice for Spain states that at Spanish border control, you may need to show:
- A return or onward ticket;
- Proof of your travel insurance;
- You have enough money for your stay – the amount varies depending on your accommodation;
- A hotel booking confirmation or proof of address if you’re staying at your own property; and
- An invitation or proof of address if staying with a third party, friends or family, such as a ‘carta de invitación’ completed by your hosts.
The Carta de Invitación costs about £70 and asks for quite a bit of information, including proof that your friend or family member owns or rents the place you're staying at.
On top of this, you could be 'summoned to hold a personal interview in order to verify his or her identity'.
And the letter can take up to two months to get of, so please plan in advance.
Legal experts from Balcells say: "The invitation letter is only necessary for non-EU people who want to come to visit the country. That is, people without a passport from the European Union. Thus, not everyone needs this letter for a visa to enter Spain.
"And this is because all EU citizens enjoy free transit within Spanish territory; so you don’t need it in those situations. So, to sum up, it is possible that with your short-term visa an invitation letter is required; especially if you are staying at a friend or family member’s house.
"In general, it takes from 10 days to two months to get the invitation letter for a foreigner who wants to visit Spain. Although this period may vary greatly, our recommendation is to start the process at least one or two months in advance.
The invitation letter is not a document given to you at the moment.
"If you are thinking of requesting it because you need it as soon as possible (in one or two days), they will not give it to you that fast."
Tom Earnshaw