Arriving by land or via another Schengen country

Key rules

• Entry record: If passport control happens in another Schengen country, Spain keeps no entry record, so you must keep your own proof.
• Internal checks: Spain rarely checks arrivals from Schengen countries, but police can ask for ID near borders, ports and airports.
• Reporting: Ask your local Policía Nacional or Extranjería office whether you must declare your arrival.
• Proof of entry: Tickets, bookings and the first country's passport stamp help, and each office decides what it accepts.

Internal border controls, the arrival declaration and accepted proof of entry vary by office and over time, so confirm them with the Policía Nacional or Extranjería before you travel.

What changes when you do not land in Spain

If you enter the Schengen area in another country and travel on, Spain will hold no entry record for you. Nobody at a Spanish border stamps your passport. You need to be able to prove your arrival date yourself.

Your Spanish long-stay (type D) visa lets you enter and cross the Schengen area. Spain must be your final destination. Keep your passport, the visa and proof of your onward journey with you, such as a ticket. Use the visa within its validity period for your first entry.

Passport control at the first country can be stricter in practice. Some nationalities also need an airport-transit visa there. Check this with that country's consulate before you book.

Will anyone check you at the Spanish border?

Usually not. Spain does not generally run systematic checks on arrivals from other Schengen countries. It has sometimes announced temporary controls for big events, at set border points and dates, and always in advance. The European Commission publishes the list of notified controls, so look at it before you travel.

Police can also do identity checks near borders, in ports and in airports. Carry your passport and visa at all times.

Do you have to report your arrival?

The Schengen rules say non-EU nationals arriving from another Schengen country should declare their presence within three working days. In Spain this goes through the Policía Nacional. In practice it is rarely asked of tourists, because hotels register their guests with the police.

Your situation is different if you arrive to live in Spain. Ask your local Policía Nacional or Extranjería office whether they want a declaration from you. If you make one, keep a copy. It is strong proof of your entry date.

How to prove your entry date

Offices usually accept papers that show the day you reached Spain:

• flight, train, bus or ferry tickets and boarding passes
• hotel or other accommodation bookings
• border-crossing records
• the passport stamp from the first Schengen country you entered
• a copy of your entry declaration, if you made one

A stamp or an official declaration is the strongest proof. Which papers are accepted depends on the procedure and the office, and each office decides case by case. Ask the office handling your procedure what it wants before you travel.

After you arrive

Your visa is only the start. Once in Spain you must complete your residence formalities, which usually means applying for the TIE within one month. The timeline and checklist below show the order and the papers to carry.

Timeline and deadlines

• Declare your presence to the Policía Nacional if you are a non-EU national arriving from another Schengen country: within three working days of entering

• Apply for your TIE (foreigner identity card): within one month of entry

Documents you need

• Valid passport, to show at the first Schengen country where you enter and again in Spain.

• Your Spanish long-stay (type D) visa, valid on the day you first enter the Schengen area.

• Proof of your onward journey to Spain, such as a ticket, showing Spain is your final destination.

• Proof of your arrival date in Spain, such as flight, train, bus or ferry tickets, boarding passes or an accommodation booking, since there is no Spanish entry stamp.

• The passport stamp from the first Schengen country you entered, which also helps show your arrival date.

• A copy of your entry declaration, if you made one to the Policía Nacional.

Checklist

• Check that your passport and Spanish long-stay visa are valid before you set off.

• Carry proof of your onward journey to Spain, since Spain must be your final destination.

• Look up the European Commission's list of notified temporary border controls before travelling, in case Spain has announced any.

• Keep your passport and visa on you, because police can do identity checks near borders, ports and airports.

• Ask the local Policía Nacional or Extranjería office whether you need to declare your arrival within three working days.

• Keep tickets, boarding passes and accommodation bookings that show the date you reached Spain.

• Ask the office handling your procedure which proof of entry date it accepts, as each decides case by case.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to report my arrival to the police if I come from another Schengen country?

Technically yes, non-EU nationals arriving from another Schengen country should declare their presence within three working days, but it is rarely asked of tourists. Hotels register guests and pass details to the police. If you are arriving to live, your stay is recorded through the visa and TIE process.

What proves my Spanish entry date if nobody stamped my passport in Spain?

Travel and booking documents that show your arrival date are generally accepted, such as flight, train, bus or ferry tickets, boarding passes and accommodation bookings. The passport stamp from the first Schengen country also helps, and an entry declaration is the strongest proof.