Spain – Ministry of Interior
Madrid, 04/11/2020
The extension will run from Sunday 12th April to Saturday, April 25 and is subject to new extensions if necessary.
Controls at the borders with France and Portugal are additional to the restriction of passenger access established at the external borders of Spain in ports and airports and to the temporary closure of land posts in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla
The Spanish Government has decreed the extension by another 14 days of the reestablishment of the controls in the terrestrial borders with France and Portugal. This extension, decreed by an order signed by the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, will enter into force at midnight between today, Saturday and Sunday morning and will be in force until midnight on Saturday, April 25, although it is subject to new extensions in case of need.
The reestablishment of controls at Spain’s internal borders with France and Portugal came into force on March 17 within the framework of the containment measures of COVID-19 and with the aim of protecting the health and safety of citizens and containing the coronavirus.
These controls only allow access to national territory to Spanish citizens; people residing in Spain; cross-border workers and those who prove, documentary, causes of force majeure or a situation of need. The restriction does not apply to the transport of goods in order to ensure the continuity of economic activity and to preserve the supply chain.
The measure also does not affect foreign personnel accredited as a member of diplomatic missions, consular offices and international organizations located in Spain, provided that they are displacements linked to the performance of official functions.
The extension is part of the activation of article 28 of the Schengen Borders Code, which allows for the temporary restoration of controls at internal borders in situations such as the current one.
EXTERNAL BORDERS
The reestablishment of controls at the borders with France and Portugal is in addition to the restriction of passenger access across Spain’s external borders at ports and airports. This measure at the external borders entered into force on March 23 and remains in force.
Through the external borders in ports and airports, access is only allowed, in addition to Spaniards and residents in Spain, to:
- a) Residents of the European Union or Schengen Associated States, who go directly to their place of residence.
- b) Holders of a long-term visa issued by a Member State or Schengen Associated State who apply to it.
- c) Cross-border workers.
- d) Healthcare or elderly care professionals who go to carry out their work activity.
- e) Personnel dedicated to the transport of goods, in the exercise of their work activity and the flight personnel necessary to carry out commercial air transport activities.
- f) Diplomatic, consular, international organizations, military personnel and members of humanitarian organizations, in the exercise of their functions.
- g) People traveling for imperative family reasons duly accredited.
- h) Persons who document documentary reasons of force majeure or situation of need, or whose entry is permitted for humanitarian reasons.
On March 23, the temporary closure of the land posts enabled for the entry and exit of Spain through the cities of Ceuta and Melilla was also established.
Neither of the two measures, the one relating to the borders with France and Portugal and the one referring to the external borders in ports and airports, is applicable at the land border with Andorra or at the checkpoint for persons with the territory of Gibraltar, without prejudice to the possibility of carrying out police controls in its vicinity to verify compliance with the provisions of article 7 of the Royal Decree on the state of alarm, regarding the limitation of movements.
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