When thinking about an adventure in Spain, legal issues might not be the first thing to cross your mind. But to keep it that way, it is essential to understand what will be asked of you when traveling, and how to make sure that you are always on the right side of the law.
When applying for your Spain visa and planning ahead for your journey, there are many things to consider when it comes to Spain travel legal requirements. But what does that mean for your travels? And are there any other things you should be aware of?
Yes, even though changes are on the horizon, UK citizens can still travel visa-free to Spain in 2025, provided that they are not staying for longer than 90 days, which is considered a short stay. You will need to make sure to travel with a valid UK passport (or otherwise non-visa required passport, depending on your nationality).
This does not apply to visa-required individuals who only live in the UK but hold a different international nationality, or if you are planning to travel for longer, to work long-term, or to establish a permanent life in Spain, as these tend to fall under long-stay visa categories which will need a more thorough immigration and documentation process most of the time.
You should also note that depending on how often you wish to travel to Spain, you may eventually be required to take out a visa, as the short-stay travel permission is limited to no more than three months in total within a six-month period.
If you have travelled to Spain in the past, you might remember a fairly straightforward process. You packed your bag, booked your flights and accommodation, and didn’t worry too much about borders. As a UK national, you would have been mostly free to come and go in the past, even though there were obviously some checkpoints in between.
Unfortunately, this has changed somewhat since the UK’s Brexit Referendum came into effect, leading to the official exit of the UK from the EU, which left some of these previous arrangements on the chopping block. While there is still a relative ease of travel for UK nationals who want to visit Spain, rules are changing and in the future, even more requirements will need to be considered.
Long-term visitors to Spain are now usually visa required if they are from the UK, though this is rarely a pressing consideration for holidaymakers. Still, while you are currently able to go to Spain without needing to apply for a visa for short stays of up to 90 days in a 180-day period, there are changes on the horizon.
Predicted to come into effect sometime in the final quarter of 2026, UK travelers will be required to obtain travel authorization from the European Travel Information and Authorization System, also called ETIAS. This is a largely EU-wide change that is slowly being implemented, meaning that while you still won’t need to deal with the tedious steps of a proper visa application, most non-EU nationals from outside the Schengen region who don’t otherwise have visa requirements still have to obtain the ETIAS authorization.
While currently, a valid UK passport is all you need to legally travel to Spain as a UK visitor, the upcoming changes and ETIAS requirements are going to add some extra steps to this process.
While the ETIAS itself will be deemed part of your required legal documentation once implemented, applying for it will involve additional details which you will be asked to provide. Overall, this includes your passport, contact details and travel plans, but as part of its core, the ETIAS seeks to screen applicants who wish to enter Spain. Consequently, the application process will require you to provide details and evidence of any past criminal convictions, relevant health issues that may affect the general public and any past issues adhering to immigration law.
It can feel frustrating to have to jump through these hurdles, and if you’ve ever had any issues with the aforementioned details, it might also feel daunting to now face this scrutiny where you might have previously been able to travel more freely. Nevertheless, it is best to reframe it and consider it a routine step to entering another country, and focus on the experiences you will be able to have there.
Beyond your overall documentation and ETIAS authorization, you should make sure that you are otherwise informed of any restrictions when coming to Spain and that you can confidently follow all UK-to-Spain travel rules. Of course, you will need to travel with valid identification – your passport must be eligible to travel with only the ETIAS so remember that this applies to UK nationals and residents of the UK with a different nationality may be subject to other requirements.
Beyond this, you should inform yourself of the general rules of what you are allowed to bring to Spain, or even consider any potential restrictions placed upon you by your chosen mode of transportation.
With the borders between the UK and EU now more strictly considered, the import of certain goods may put you at risk of legal trouble if you don’t educate yourself and declare anything that needs declaring. Usually, this isn’t a major concern for holidaymakers, but it can still happen that you get tripped up unintentionally so it is better to be informed. From a variety of food products or alcohol to items classed as unsafe, not everything is allowed to pass the borders, or it may be limited to particular quantities. Try to consider what you are bringing, and when in doubt, double-check.
