For Britons travelling to Mallorca, it is becoming increasingly complicated since the UK left the EU.
Now, according to Immigrationspain.es, Britons and other non-EU citizens who plan to stay with a friend or family member in Spain must have an official invitation letter issued by the police.
Britons must demonstrate that they have a place to sleep for each and every one of the nights they intend to stay in the country.
This can be demonstrated through a hotel, hostel, Airbnb or apartment booking confirmation.
But in certain cases, the foreigner stays at a relative’s or friend’s house and for this reason a letter of invitations is required.
This letter is the document that must be used to prove that Britons have confirmed accommodation at the home of this relative or acquaintance, as he/she will be the one who will request it and notify the authorities that he/she is inviting people to stay for certain days/weeks at his house.
Many people think that it is a handwritten document that can they create themselves, but that is wrong the document is official and must be granted by the police.
If you come from a country that requires a visa to enter Spain, you must present this letter of invitation at the Spanish consulate in your country of origin when applying for a tourist visa (therefore, your host must send it to you before that).
On the other hand, if you do not need a visa to cross the Spanish border for tourism purposes, the police may ask you for this “carta de invitación” when you arrive in Spain by plane (just when crossing the Spanish borders).
It is absolutely essential to have this letter if you plan to visit the country and do not have a hotel or similar accommodation, otherwise you could be imposed a significant fine.
For further information visit https://www.immigrationspain.es/en/invitation-letter-spain/
And, if that is not enough, Britons could be banned from entering dozens of countries as some red passports may not be legal to travel on.
Britons have been issued an urgent warning should they still have an old-style red passport. The newer blue travel documents were re-issued as of March 2020, after the UK completed it’s Brexit move from the EU.
This also in-turn means that all red passports are due to expire in the coming years, and with certain countries having a three or six-month validity rule - in which, your passport should still be valid for another six months before its holder’s departure for international travel - it could be worth checking the date on yours to make sure you’re good to go.