Now, according to Immigrationspain.es, Britons and other non-EU citizens who plan to stay with a friend or family member in Spain must have an official invitation letter issued by the police.
Britons must demonstrate that they have a place to sleep for each and every one of the nights they intend to stay in the country.
This can be demonstrated through a hotel, hostel, Airbnb or apartment booking confirmation.
But in certain cases, the foreigner stays at a relative’s or friend’s house and for this reason a letter of invitations is required.
This letter is the document that must be used to prove that Britons have confirmed accommodation at the home of this relative or acquaintance, as he/she will be the one who will request it and notify the authorities that he/she is inviting people to stay for certain days/weeks at his house.
Many people think that it is a handwritten document that can they create themselves, but that is wrong the document is official and must be granted by the police.
If you come from a country that requires a visa to enter Spain, you must present this letter of invitation at the Spanish consulate in your country of origin when applying for a tourist visa (therefore, your host must send it to you before that).
On the other hand, if you do not need a visa to cross the Spanish border for tourism purposes, the police may ask you for this “carta de invitación” when you arrive in Spain by plane (just when crossing the Spanish borders).
It is absolutely essential to have this letter if you plan to visit the country and do not have a hotel or similar accommodation, otherwise you could be imposed a significant fine.
For further information visit https://www.immigrationspain.es/en/invitation-letter-spain/
And, if that is not enough, Britons could be banned from entering dozens of countries as some red passports may not be legal to travel on.
Britons have been issued an urgent warning should they still have an old-style red passport. The newer blue travel documents were re-issued as of March 2020, after the UK completed it’s Brexit move from the EU.
This also in-turn means that all red passports are due to expire in the coming years, and with certain countries having a three or six-month validity rule - in which, your passport should still be valid for another six months before its holder’s departure for international travel - it could be worth checking the date on yours to make sure you’re good to go.
35 comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
All seems a bit strange. As recent experience shows that often, passport control officers don't even look at the details on passports before stamping them. To the extent that during a recent visit to Ibiza UK arrivals were instructed by notice to open passports at the stamping page!
Richard PearsonIf your question is meant for me… I was just quoting what it says on the UK Foreign Office site since Guy said he could find no mention of the carta de invitación there (if that’s what he means by FCDO?). However I disagree with the reference just to Schengen and maintain that it is an EU requirement. If I can find the legislation in Spanish I will post a link.
So why did everyone, including you, rubbish my comment when I expressed the same opinion ?
Guy de Jonquiereshttps://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements If you enter the Schengen area as a tourist, you may need to provide additional documents at the border. As well as a valid return or onward ticket, when travelling to Spain you could be asked to show: > you have enough money for your stay > proof of accommodation for your stay, for example: > >a hotel booking confirmation >proof of address if visiting your own property (such as second home) >an invitation or proof of address if staying with a third party, friends or family. A carta de invitation completed by your hosts is one of the options available. You can visit the Spanish Ministry of Interior website for more information (only available in Spanish). https://www.interior.gob.es/opencms/es/servicios-al-ciudadano/tramites-y-gestiones/extranjeria/regimen-general/entrada-requisitos-y-condiciones/ Note “may”. As I have mentioned in a previous comment this isn’t being applied. But the ruling does exist and has done for many years prior to Brexit when of course it didn’t affect British citizens,
https://www.immigrationspain.es/en/invitation-letter-spain/ Info
As far as I can see, this story is complete rubbish. I was sufficiently alarmed by it to check on the websites of the FCDO and the Spanish consulate in London. They publish regularly updates on travel regulations and on neither was there any mention of any such a requirement. I then asked British friends resident in Mallorca if they had heard anything about it and none had. Finally, I asked our Spanish lawyers in Palma, who are specialists in immigration law. They had not heard of it either but, to be certain, rang both the police and the local government, both of which said it was completely wrong. It is incredible that immigration.es, from whom the Bulletin picked up the story, should have put out something that the relevant authorities insist is quite wrong and that the Bulletin should have decided to publish it without having first checked whether it was true. Extraordinarly amateurish journalism that wasted a lot of my time. Readers deserve a correction and an apology.
Morgan WilliamsThank you for that sensible reply. As reported sounded a problem. Still don't understand about checking the dates for residents but there you go!
More scaremongering nonsense.,
Finbar SaundersMy apologies for overstepping your perceived limits to the ability to express one’s low level thoughts in these columns. Will try harder in the future. PS This makes it #10
john williams"So, they are going to stop every UK citizen arriving at customs on arrival and ask them where they are going to stay? And if they say "with my dad" they'll be fined 1000€ or sent home?" Well, this is one of those demands that can be made by a customs officer if the entrant appears suspicious or is from a traditionally "problem" nationality with a history of showing up and never leaving. That might include Morocco and a number of South American countries.Its like the 100€ per day "requirement". It's just something they *can* demand if the subject seems suspicious in some way. These rules have been on the books for years (they can also demand this, stuff in the US), and to date, I don't know of even one example of a British citizen ever being subjected to this. "If so that's the end of Mallorca as a holiday destination." Well, no, actually. It doesn't apply to the vast majority of tourists who visit Mallorca. And since in any practical sense, it also doesn't apply to Brits either, I don't think Brits need to lose any sleep over it. "My wife (resident) said the officer examined her passport for the dates of arrival and departure of her many recent visits to UK. Why?" Because it's their job. Has she ever been detained or asked to provide proof of accommodation or proof of adequate funding? I seriously doubt it. I'd be surprised if anyone can come up with any example of any Brit being subjected to this. This entire piece is nothing more than tabloid sensationalism designed to inspire fury and outrage ("click bait"). Otherwise, in any practical sense, it's just more "poor abused Brits" drivel. Carry on.