The UK Foreign Office has issued a fresh reminder to Britons travelling to Spain and other Schengen Zone countries about the new European Union entry rules. While Spain, and other EU countries rush to try and get the new EES entry/exit system fully operational ahead of the April 10 deadline, the FCO has stated: Britons can travel without a visa to the Schengen area, which includes Spain, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
This applies if you travel:
as a tourist
to visit family or friends
to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events
for short-term studies or training
The requirements for working in Spain are different.
If you’re travelling to other Schengen countries as well, make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day visa-free limit. Visits to Schengen countries in the 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days. If you overstay the 90-day visa-free limit, you may be banned from entering Schengen countries for up to three years.
And the FCO warns that until the Entry-Exit System (EES) is fully rolled out, make sure you get your passport stamped on entry and exit. If you’re a visitor, border guards will look at your entry and exit stamps to check you have not overstayed the 90-day visa-free limit for the Schengen area. If your passport is missing a stamp, show evidence of when and where you entered or left the Schengen area (for example, boarding passes or tickets) and ask the border guards to add the date and location in your passport.
British nationals living in Spain do not need their passports to be stamped. Actively show your proof of residence, such as the foreigner’s identity card (‘la tarjeta de identidad de extranjero’ or ‘TIE’), when presenting your passport at Spanish border control. And, the Home Office has confirmed that, from 25 February 2026, British dual nationals will no longer be able to enter the UK using only the passport of their other nationality. Instead, they must present a valid British passport or a certificate of entitlement (CoE) to the Right of Abode glued into the foreign passport. The CoE costs £589, must be renewed each time the foreign passport is replaced and can take weeks to obtain.
Officials say the measure closes a loophole in the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) regime. Because ETAs are available only to non-British, non-Irish travellers, a British dual national who attempted to rely on a foreign passport would be unable to obtain an ETA yet would still have a legal right to enter. Airlines and ferry operators would have no electronic confirmation of that right, creating confusion at check-in. By insisting on a British passport or CoE, the Home Office argues, the UK will have the same clarity that the United States and Canada demand of their own dual citizens.