Travelling To And From Spain Will Change In 2025. Here’s What You Need To Know

Spain is one of the most popular destinations in Europe with thousands of people flying in and out of the country every single day.

But whether you’re a frequent flier to Spain or you’re planning a first-time trip, you need to know that travelling to and from Spain will change in 2025.

From extra visa requirements to brand new flight routes, here are all of the exciting developments that you need to know about:

New Visas Required To Enter The EU

The biggest change that you need to know about is that the EU’s Entry and Exit System (EES) will finally be launched in 2025.

This scheme has already been delayed three times, having first been delayed in 2022, then 2023. An introduction date of November 2024 was then proposed and quickly pushed back again. But it looks like a 2025 introduction date is realistic.

We should expect to see the EES introduced in the first half of the year followed by the new ETIAS scheme six months later. So what do all these acronyms actually mean?

EES is effectively a sophisticated version of passport scanning. As well as just scanning your passport you will also need to scan your fingerprints and a facial scan when you enter the EU. When you enter the EU for the first time after the scheme is introduced you will need to complete the EES pre-registration process. But don’t worry, you won’t have to do anything until you land in your arrival airport, ferry port of station of departure.

You’ll only have to complete EES when traveling into the EU from a non-EU country. So that means when travelling from the UK too.

It’s also worth noting that these rules don’t apply to anyone travelling on an EU/EEA passport, or anyone with residency in an EU/EEA country, like a TIE in Spain.

Six months after the EES is introduced the ETIAS will follow. This is a visa waiver scheme (similar to the ESTA in place in the U.S.) and will only apply to non-EU nationals travelling to Spain (or any other EU country). You will need to apply for an ETIAS online and in advance. This costs €7 but is free for over 70s and under 18s, and is valid for 3 years.

New Rules For Travelling To The UK

Just like the ETIAS, the UK will be introducing their own visa waiver scheme in 2025. This will be very similar to the EU's ETIAS and the USA's ESTA schemes but it will cost a little more than the EU’s new schem at £10 per applicant. It also won’t last as long: you will need to apply for the UK’s visa waiver every 2 years.

This won’t impact EU travelers or travelers with a British passport when it first launches . Only non-EU nationals will be required to apply for the UK’s visa waiver scheme when its introduced on 8th January. But from 2nd April EU nationals need to pay attention. At this point the scheme will be introduced to all EU nationals, except anyone travelling on a Irish passport.

Dual nationals should know that you are treated according to the passport you are using for travel - so if you are a Spanish-British dual national, but are using your Spanish passport, you will need an ETA. For this reason dual nationals should consider using their British passport to enter the UK.

New Flights Routes To And From Spain

Cementing the popularity of Spain on the global stage, 2025 will see dozens of different airlines launch new routes in and out of the country.

United and Delta Airlines will add 2 new routes between Spain and the U.S. We will also see a new budget route between Spain and the UK’s Southend.

Iberojet will begin flights between the Spanish capital and India and there will also be new routes introduced to the Dominican Republic and Argentina from Spain too. Meaning that the country will be more connected than ever before.

New Taxes For Tourists

We’ve already mentioned that Spain is a hugely popular tourist destination. Sadly that means that overtourism is a real concern in the country. To help combat this, several regions across Spain are introducing new taxes for tourists.

Tourism taxes in hotels will go up in Asturias, Galicia, Tenerife, Alicante and Seville next year.

Popular towns in Asturias are planning on introducing tourist taxes from the summer of 2025, while Galicia has also decided to introduce tourist taxes for those that stay in the region.

The Canaries have particularly suffered with overtourism. And next year Tenerife will start charging extra tourist taxes to those visiting natural areas such as Teide National Park from January 1st 2025. Other charges to be aware of include increased fees for museums in Alicante and new fees to access Seville’s Plaza de Espana.

Changes To Spanish Train Travel

In 2022, after the coronavirus pandemic, the Spanish government introduced free transport passes on trains and buses for Spanish citizens. These will no longer be available in 2025.

In October, the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, hinted that from 2025 the vouchers could be replaced by schemes which will still help reduce travel costs, but not be completely free as they had been before. However at this point we don’t know what will happen to travel aid in Spain. We do know that there will no longer be universal travel aid for Spanish citizens.

It’s not all bad news for Spanish rail users though. Spanish carrier Renfe are introducing a Spain Rail Pass aimed at international travelers. This will make exploring Spain by train as a tourist much more affordable. When you buy a pass, this will be valid for 6 months, making it a great choice for slow travel too. You can use this on high speed and regional trains.

Prices start from  €215 per adult, depending on how many journeys you want to take as part of your trip.

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