Many of us panic when organising the documents that are vital for travelling, and the Covid crisis and Brexit aren’t helping with that. At the moment, here are the main documents or procedures any traveller from Lanzarote to the UK or Ireland will need to sort out.
First published in Gazette Life, October 1st 2020.
Passenger Locator Form (if you’re flying to the UK or Ireland)
This requirement for the UK is to complete this online form 48 hours before you fly.
Boarding Pass
Many budget airlines require you to check-in online rather than at the airport. Print out the pass or save it to your smartphone. If you haven’t got a boarding pass yet, you’ll need a print out of your ticket or your booking number.
Passport
For the time being, your passport will be your main piece of photo ID. British citizens may be able to use the new TIE card in the future.
Travel Certificate
If you are registered as a resident in Spain, check-in desks should be able to ascertain this through their database. Nevertheless, hitches can and do occur and a certificado de viajes, which costs around €2 from your local Ayuntamiento, is still a wise bet.
EHIC Card and/or Health Insurance
If you are travelling to the UK before 2021, or are a UK pensioner resident in Spain afterwards, you can still use your EHIC card when accessing the NHS. However, the rules are still unclear as to whether UK citizens resident in Spain can access the NHS for free without it next year.
Children and Pets
Youngsters under 18 may require a signed authorisation for travel from a parent or guardian. The EU pet passport scheme will not be available to UK citizens after December 2020 and those taking pets to the UK are advised to find out about the procedures required.
