Flemish residents are allowed to travel to Spain without having to present a negative Covid-19 test, a vaccination or immunity certificate from now on, according to the latest update of Belgium's Foreign Affairs website.
People living in the Brussels-Capital Region or Wallonia, however, will still have to present a recent coronavirus test or certificate of vaccination or immunity before entering Spain, according to the website.
The adjustment comes after Flanders was given a green colour on the coronavirus map of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which still shows Brussels and Wallonia as orange.
Following the ECDC's update, the Spanish Health Ministry updated its own list of high-risk countries and areas, and no longer considers the Flemish Region a high-risk area, meaning Flemish people currently no longer have to get tested before going on holiday to Spain.
"Our travel advice is entirely based on what information we get from the Spanish authorities," Marie Cherchari, spokesperson for Belgium's Foreign Affairs Department, told The Brussels Times.
"We await an official announcement from the Spanish authorities about when it will change for Wallonia and Brussels," she said, adding that she asked Spain for more details on the changes.
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"If Wallonia and Brussels also colour green, I assume it will be the same scenario as for Flanders now, but we are waiting for official information from the Spanish authorities," Cherchari said.
At first sight, it does not seem to matter whether a Flemish person gets on the plane in the Walloon airport of Charleroi (which is in an orange zone), but that has not yet been officially confirmed, according to Cherchari.
Additionally, the place of the traveller's residence seems to be the deciding factor, but Foreign Affairs is "waiting for a formal reply from Spain" before officially confirming that, she said.
Travellers arriving in Spain from an area of the EU or EEA (European Economic Area) that is not included in the list published by the Spanish Ministry of Health are not subject to diagnostic tests, neither must provide certificates of vaccination or immunity, the Reopen-EU info website confirms.
Travellers who are coming from an area on the list of risk areas (with an exception for children under 12) are still allowed to go to Spain, but have to present a vaccination certificate upon entry, or provide proof of recovery from Covid-19, or present a negative PCR or PCR-like test (NAAT-type) or a negative antigen test, issued within 48 hours prior to arrival in Spain.
The list is updated by the Spanish authorities every 15 days, according to the official info. The current rules came into effect at midnight on 28 June, and will remain in place until midnight 4 July.
Additionally, all travellers entering Spain via Belgium by plane, no matter which Region they are coming from, still have to fill out the Spanish version of the Passenger Locator Form: the Formulario de Control Sanitario (FCS) beforehand.
The form can be filled out on Spain's Travel Health website at any time before departure, but some questions can only be completed within the last 48 hours before arrival. Once the form has been completed, you will receive a QR code, which will need to be shown upon arrival in Spain. People travelling by car do not have to fill out this form.
