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I am a Spanish citizen, living in Canada. I would like to fly back home (from CAN to ESP). Do I need a PCR test? I found conflicting information online, and also my own past experience. Here's some details:

  • I am an adult.
  • I am fully vaccinated (two shots), Pfizer, both done in Spain (so I have EU certificate).

My impression is that I do not need any negative tests (neither rapid antigen test nor PCR). But I've been flying back and forth in the past two years and frequently had issues (had to reschedule flights, redo tests, etc.). How can I maximize my chances of success? Is there for example an official document I could take to the airport in case they do not let me through? Or would this be useless?

(The obvious answer is to get a PCR test anyway, just in case, but it is not easy to get an appointment right now: there are no clinics nearby and they seem to be overbooked. Also, I strongly dislike the only clinic that is accessible via public transport because the last time I almost missed my flight as they would not give me my results in time, and asked for extra money to do it faster, which I could not refuse as I was already at the airport.)

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    Rules change frequently with very short notice. Your "official document" valid on the day before departure may cease to have any validity the day of your departure. Ultimately the airlines make their own decisions on whether to let a passenger on their plane or not, even when it is erroneous.
    – xngtng
    Commented Jan 1, 2022 at 15:39
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    The most “authoritive" source is the airlines or the official website of the destionation country in its official language, whichever is stricter.
    – xngtng
    Commented Jan 1, 2022 at 15:40
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    @xngtng Yes, I understand that. I know there is no way to guarantee they'll let me through. What I would like to do is to maximize my chances. Perhaps that cannot be done either...
    – AccidentalFourierTransform
    Commented Jan 1, 2022 at 15:44
  • As @xngtng points out, the rules can change at any time. It's possible that, at the last minute, the rules will change to require travelers on this route to present evidence of a clean test. You'll maximize your chances by having taken a test.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Jan 1, 2022 at 16:24
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    @DavidSupportsMonica I am aware that rules change fast. I want to know what the rules are now.
    – AccidentalFourierTransform
    Commented Jan 1, 2022 at 16:29

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At the present time, as a vaccinated Spanish citizen flying from a low-risk country, you do not need a pre-flight covid test.

This Spanish Ministry of Health page describes the current requirements. Drilling down on that page will reveal the EU list of low-risk countries (Canada is on the list) and the text of the Spanish Health Control Form which you must complete and submit on-line before flight. Note that the list of low-risk countries is reviewed by the EU each week; the list presented on the page linked above is effective from 30 December 2021 until 5 January 2022.

Adding your travel info into this secondary source generates a report that does not mention or require a pre-travel covid test.

EDIT Jan 11, 2022: The OP was successful in entering Spain (see the comment below), but correctly pointed out that because the itinerary included a transit in Portugal (not mentioned in the question), the OP also had to be admissible into Portugal. Fortunately, the OP was admissible into Portugal.

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  • Awesome, thank you very much! I thought that this was the case but I was getting paranoid. Will try and book a flight as soon as possible (and I'll report back once/if I get to Spain, in case anyone is in a similar situation). Cheers!
    – AccidentalFourierTransform
    Commented Jan 1, 2022 at 17:51
  • Given Canadas rapid growth in cases I presume they won’t be on the “safe” list for much longer…
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Jan 1, 2022 at 20:06
  • Back home, all went well. I wanted to mention the obvious fact that if your flight has a connection through some other country, you'll have to follow the entry requirements of that country too, even if you don't plan to stay. My flight stopped in Portugal, which do require a test, so I had to take one anyway, even if Spain would not ask for one (and they did not).
    – AccidentalFourierTransform
    Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 17:47
  • @AccidentalFourierTransform Thanks for reporting back! Your point about being able to enter your transit country (Portugal) is a good one, and I'll edit the answer to include this issue.
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 18:25

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