Year-round sunshine makes Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura a popular option for half-term and winter sun, but there are extra entry requirements for UK travellers since the pandemic and Brexit. British holidaymakers must still show proof of their vaccinations or a negative Covid test to visit the Canary Islands, and should check if their passport meets the EU’s validity rules.
Like the rest of Spain, the Canary Islands have Covid entry rules for holidaymakers from outside the EU, including Brits. UK travellers must be able to present either: a valid certificate of vaccination or recovery, or a negative PCR or antigen test. Children under 12 are exempt from all Covid entry restrictions.
Spain, including the Canaries, has set an expiry date on the validity of your vaccination status. If you’ve received a booster jab, you’re considered fully vaccinated. If you haven’t had a booster, your second dose must have been at least 14 days ago, and no more than 270 days ago. This also applies to children aged 12 to 17, but they qualify as fully vaccinated even if their second dose was more than 270 days ago.
Anyone over the age of 11 who hasn’t been vaccinated, or whose vaccination isn’t valid, will need to take a pre-departure test or show a certificate of recent recovery. Antigen tests must be taken within 24 hours of arrival, while PCR tests must be taken 72 hours prior to entering Spain.
As of 20 September, you no longer need to fill out a health control form to enter the Canary Islands.
All British passport holders also need to check if their passport is valid for travel to the EU as the entry rules have changed since Brexit. Your passport needs to have been issued less than 10 years before your arrival date and be valid for at least three months after your departure. These passport expiry rules apply to travel to any EU country apart from Ireland, including the Canary Islands and Spain.
British passport holders could also be asked to prove they have sufficient financial means for their trip and can access €100 per person per day for its duration - and could be denied entry if they fail to do so. While few travellers are asked to prove this, spot checks do take place in Spain - and holidaymakers landing in the Canary Islands could, in theory, be asked as well.
This advice is based on the latest guidance from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for UK travellers, who are considered citizens of a third country by the EU since Brexit. Before travelling abroad, check the entry requirements on the gov.uk website. Travel restrictions can change very quickly and without warning.
Read on for more information on what vaccinated and unvaccinated UK travellers need to do before travelling, and the rules in the Canary Islands on mask wearing.
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What are the Canary Islands’ Covid entry requirements for UK holidaymakers?
Fully vaccinated adults:
To be considered fully vaccinated, you need to have had a booster jab, or had your second dose at least 14 days and no more than 270 days ago.
Holidaymakers visiting the Canary Islands can use the NHS Covid pass to provide evidence of the dates of their vaccination and any booster jabs. The pass has a QR code and can be downloaded from the NHS app. Our advice is to print it out, or at least save it in your phone's document wallet. Some travellers have missed flights when the app stopped working, leaving them with no means of proving when they received their vaccinations.
If you don't have a smartphone, you can also access your vaccine status via the NHS website, or request proof in letter form. Find out more about how to use the NHS app.
Unvaccinated adults and travellers whose vaccinations are no longer valid:
You'll need to book a privately purchased pre-departure Covid test if you aren’t vaccinated. A test is also required if you haven’t had a booster and your second dose was fewer than 14 days ago or more than 270 days. You can either take an antigen test taken within 24 hours of arrival, or a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival. The test results need to arrive before your flight.
Alternatively, you can present a valid certificate of recovery from Covid. You must have tested positive using an NHS PCR test in the last six months - and at least 11 days need to have passed since your first positive result. Your recovery certificate can also be downloaded from the NHS app.
Travelling with children
Children under 12 years are exempt from all Covid entry requirements.
Children aged 12 to 17 must present proof of vaccination or recent recovery, or a negative pre-departure PCR or antigen test result. If vaccinated, their second dose needs to be at least 14 days ago. Chidren aged 12 and over are considered fully vaccinated if their second dose was more than 270 days ago (unlike adults).
All travellers
On arrival in the Canary Islands, both vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers may be asked to undergo a temperature check, a visual health assessment or PCR test, but this is rare.
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What are the Canary Islands’ Covid rules while I am there?
Local rules have been dropped, including venue curfews and capacity limits, restrictions on the number of people allowed to sit at a table and so-called 'dancing bans'.
Will I need to wear a mask?
Anyone over the age of six must wear a mask on public transport, including taxis. Masks also need to be worn in pharmacies, hospitals and medical centres.
What should I do if I have Covid symptoms during my trip?
There’s no need to self-isolate but you should wear a mask, reduce social interactions and avoid crowded spaces and big events. It's a good idea to check if your hotel or accommodation-provider has in-house rules about what guests with Covid should and should not do.
The tourist board has a list of authorised medical centres offering tests, or you can buy rapid lateral flow tests ("pruebas de antigenos") in most pharmacies. If your symptoms are severe, the Canary Islands has a regional hotline with English-speaking staff: +34 928 301012 for Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, or +34 922 470012 for Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma.
Can I travel between the Canary Islands?
Movement between the islands was reinstated earlier this year, with daily connections allowing you to travel by plane or boat.
What Covid forms, tests and quarantines are required when I return to the UK?
The rules on returning to the UK changed in March 2022. Regardless of vaccination status, you no longer need to take any tests or fill out a passenger locator form to enter the UK.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/travel-tenerife-lanzarote-gran-canaria-canary-islands-entry-requirements-acT9S6v82vhB