Arriving in Spain as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen

Key rules

• Documents: A valid passport or national ID card is enough, and no visa is needed.
• No stamp: Expect a quick check and no passport stamp, so keep your own proof of the arrival date.
• Expired documents: An expired passport or ID card is not accepted.
• Non-EU family: A non-EU family member needs a valid passport plus the family residence card, or an entry visa if they have no card.

What you need at the border

You need no visa. Show a valid passport or a valid national ID card. Either one works, as long as it is in date on the day you enter Spain. Spain sets no minimum remaining validity, but an expired document is not accepted. In exceptional cases the border police may accept other proof of your identity and nationality, so do not count on it.

What the check looks like

Expect a light check. The officer looks at your document to confirm it is valid and genuine, and that it is yours. Police may also search databases for security threats, but this is not routine for every traveller.

Your passport is not stamped on entry or exit. You are also not registered in the entry system that records non-EU travellers.

Keep your own proof of arrival

Because nothing is stamped, nothing in your passport shows when you arrived. Keep your own evidence of the date: a boarding pass, a travel ticket or a ferry or train booking. You may want it later when you register in Spain or deal with an office that asks when you arrived.

If a non-EU family member travels with you

Your spouse, partner, children or dependent relatives who are not EU citizens have their own rules.

• With the family residence card (tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión), they need only a valid passport and the card. No visa is needed and their passport should not be stamped.
• Without the card, they need an entry visa. Spain must issue it free and quickly. Get it before you travel.
• A card issued by another EU country also removes the visa requirement. They can stay up to 90 days in Spain, then must register in Spain.
• The border police may ask them for proof of the family link and of your presence in Spain. Carry both.

These rules apply to family of EU citizens who are not Spanish. Family of Spanish citizens who have not used free movement follow the general immigration rules.

The comparison, documents, timeline, checklist and questions below go through the detail.

Border entry compared: EU citizen, visa holder and visa-free traveller

The border checks you face depend on your passport and your visa status. EU citizens get the lightest check, and nothing about their stay is counted. Visa holders and visa-free travellers are checked more closely and have their entry recorded.

What this means for you

• EU citizens: Show your document and walk through. Nothing is counted, so there is nothing to track.
• Visa holders: Keep your visa valid and carry it with your passport. Your entry date matters, because it sets how long you may stay.
• Visa-free travellers: Your entry date starts the clock on your allowed days. Keep your own record of days spent in the area, and do not rely on the stamp alone.

Border procedures for non-EU travellers have been changing, so ask the border police or a Spanish consulate what will be recorded when you arrive.

Timeline and deadlines

• A non-EU family member shows their passport and a residence card issued by another EU country at the Spanish border: on arrival in Spain

• They stay in Spain without a visa: for up to 90 days from arrival

• They register in Spain if they plan to stay longer: after the 90 days

Documents you need

• A valid passport or a valid national identity card, in date on the day you enter Spain. No minimum remaining validity and no visa are required.

• For a non-EU family member: a valid passport.

• For a non-EU family member: the residence card for family members of EU citizens (tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión). With it, no entry visa is needed.

• For a non-EU family member without that card: an entry visa, which Spain must issue free and quickly.

• Proof of the family link and of the EU citizen's presence in Spain, which the border police may ask a non-EU family member to show.

Checklist

• Check that your passport or national ID card is in date for the day you enter Spain.

• Hand your document to the officer for the quick identity and validity check, and expect no stamp.

• Check that a non-EU family member travelling with you has a valid passport and the family residence card.

• Get an entry visa before travelling if your non-EU family member has no residence card.

• Carry proof of your family link and of your own presence in Spain for your non-EU family member to show if asked.

Frequently asked questions

Can I enter Spain with an expired ID card?

No, Spain does not accept an expired passport or ID card for entry, so both must be in date on the day you arrive. In exceptional cases the border police may accept other proof of your identity and nationality. Do not count on this.

Does my non-EU spouse need a visa to enter Spain with me?

No, a non-EU spouse does not need a visa if they hold a valid residence card as a family member of an EU citizen, together with their passport. Without the card they need a visa, which Spain must issue free and quickly. The border police may then ask for proof of your relationship.

Can my non-EU partner use a residence card from another EU country in Spain?

Yes, a family member with a card issued by another EU country needs no visa and may stay up to 90 days in Spain. After that they must register in Spain.

Will I be registered in the EES when I arrive in Spain?

No, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are not registered in the EES, the EU's entry and exit system.