Tenerife is the largest island of the Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, both in terms of area and population. It is called the "Island of Eternal Spring" because of its mild and rather dry climate.
The territory of the Canary Islands belongs to Spain, so the rules for entering the picturesque island of Tenerife are the same as those for the Spanish mainland. The country is part of the Schengen zone, so you may need a visa to cross the border of the Spanish state.
How long can I stay in Tenerife (Spain) without a visa?
The length of your visa-free stay in Spain depends on your nationality. If you are a holder of one of the following passports, you can enter Spain without a visa and stay for up to 90 days:
- EU/EEA member states - you need to register with the relevant Spanish authorities if you want to stay longer.
- Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of South Korea or the United States of America - you need to obtain a residence permit within three months of arrival in Spain if you want to stay longer.
- Visa-free countries to Spain - you need to obtain a Spanish national long-stay visa from your country of residence if you want to stay longer.
- Whereas, if you are a passport holder of any of the countries that have not yet signed a visa-free travel agreement with the Schengen area, you must obtain a visa before traveling to Spain or any other Schengen member state.
Types of Schengen visas
In addition to Schengen tourist visas, there are other types of Schengen visas that allow visitors to enter for different purposes, including transit and business.
Documents and requirements for applying for a Schengen visa
To successfully apply for a Schengen visa, applicants must provide the following documents:
- Visa application form (completed without errors).
- Two recent passport photos (last three months).
- Valid passport (minimum validity of three months with at least two blank pages).
- Travel itinerary (a document with flight dates and numbers showing entry and exit points in the Schengen area).
- Health insurance (documents from the insurer).
- Proof of accommodation (evidence showing where you will be staying for the duration of your stay in Schengen).
- A letter from the tour organizer (if you are traveling with a travel agency).
- Proof of sufficient funds (showing that you have enough money to finance the trip).
- Certificate of employment status (if you are employed, i.e. an employment contract).
- Income tax return (if you are an individual entrepreneur).
- For students: confirmation of enrollment in a university or college.
- For minors: birth certificate, parental consent letter, copies of passports of both parents/guardian.
Entry requirements
- Entry through an authorized checkpoint.
- Provide an identity document and a valid travel document.
- If necessary, show a visa appropriate to the nationality.
- Provide evidence of compliance with the conditions for the proposed stay and availability of sufficient financial resources.
- Not be under a ban on entry to Tenerife.
All persons entering Spain by land, sea or air must present at least one document to the border police. Which documents you need to have with you when traveling to Spain depends on your nationality.
If you are a traveler from one of the EU countries, all you need to carry is a valid personal ID or passport.
However, if you are not a traveler from the EU, you will need to provide several documents to the border police when you arrive at the Spanish port of entry.
These are the following documents:
- Valid passport or travel document. Valid for at least three months after your planned date of exit from Schengen and issued within the last 10 years.
- Visa - if you are subject to the Spanish visa regime.
- Proof of residence. A document showing where you will stay during your stay in Spain.
- A return ticket. Or confirmation of onward travel if you do not plan to return to your home country after your stay in Spain.
- Documents confirming your purpose of entry.
The Spanish border guard will ask you to provide him/her with these documents. He/she may also ask you some questions related to your trip to Tenerife, for example:
- What is the purpose of your visit to Tenerife?
- How long are you going to stay in Spain?
- Where do you plan to stay in Tenerife?
NOTE that the Border Police have the right to refuse you entry to Spain if they believe that there is something wrong with your documents or the purpose of your entry to Spain. If the Spanish border officer concludes that you do not pose a risk to Spain, you will be allowed to enter Spain and therefore the Schengen area after checking your documents.
Make sure that when you enter Spain, the Spanish border guard stamps your passport. Without a stamp, you can be fined or detained from Spain.
To see the Spanish sights, a traveler needs a visa if he or she does not have a biometric passport. One of the conditions for its issuance is the need to take out insurance in Spain.
Why do you need a travel insurance policy?
The main task of the policy is to transfer financial responsibility for medical expenses abroad from the traveler to the insurance company. The more insured events are included in the document, the better protected a person is abroad.
In addition, travel insurance to Tenerife is mandatory for travelers who do not have a biometric passport, as the presence of a document is one of the prerequisites for issuing a Schengen visa.
To be accepted, the document must meet the following requirements
- minimum insurance coverage of 30,000 euros;
- validity of the policy in all Schengen countries.
Transit visa for Spain
This visa allows you to transit through Spain to reach a destination country outside the Schengen area.
There are two types of transit visas to Spain:
- Airport Transit. You can apply for this visa if you need to transit through an airport in Spain to change your flight and reach your destination.
- Seafarers Transit. You must apply for this visa if you are a seafarer and need to disembark in a Spanish port to send a ship to a country outside the Schengen area.
Airport transit visa (type A)
The vast majority of passengers do not need a Schengen visa to transit through an airport. The visas allow travelers to change flights at a Schengen airport as long as they do not leave the designated transit area. Visitors cannot leave the international transit area with a Schengen transit visa.
Transit visas of type A allow only one transfer to an airport, if someone needs to transit through two or more airports, a regular Schengen visa (type C) is required.
A transit visa is only required for citizens of the following countries to travel to a Schengen airport:
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Congo
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Iran
- Iraq
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
For more information, please visit the
website.To bring a dog, cat or ferret to Spain, you need to:
- Identify the animal with a microchip or tattoo.
- Be vaccinated against rabies with a valid vaccine at the time of travel.
- A European pet passport is required.
- In the passport, you must fill in the sections "Owner", "Description of the animal", "Marking", "Issuance of the passport" and "Rabies vaccination".
- The sections "Serological test", "Treatment against ticks", "Treatment against echinococcus", "Other vaccinations", "Clinical examination", "Legalization" and "Other" are not mandatory for travel from other Member States to Spain.
Dogs, cats and ferrets under the age of 15 weeks and therefore not vaccinated with a current rabies vaccine are not eligible to enter Spain:
- The minimum age for vaccination is 12 weeks.
- At least 21 days must have passed since the date of vaccination for the vaccine to be valid.
You can view the
instructions for importing dogs, cats and ferrets from other member states into Spain.
What can be imported to Tenerife (Spain): customs regulations
Before traveling to Spain, you need to know what goods can or cannot be transported across the border, how much money, cigarettes, alcohol, and other items can be imported duty-free to avoid a fine.
Below is a list of goods and items that can be imported duty-free by passengers arriving on the Spanish mainland, as well as on the Canary and Balearic Islands from non-EU countries (in particular, from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus):
Currency
Rules for importing and exporting currency:
- Amounts exceeding EUR 10,000 or more, or the equivalent in another currency (including bank transfers and checks of any kind), must be declared.
Tobacco products
- 200 cigarettes
- 50 cigars;
- 250 g of smoking tobacco.
Tobacco products may be imported by persons aged 17 years and older.
Alcoholic beverages
- 1 liter of strong alcoholic beverages over 22% or undenatured ethyl alcohol over 80%;
- 2 liters of alcoholic beverages or aperitifs made from wine or similar beverages with a strength of less than 22%, sparkling wines or liqueurs
- 4 liters of wine;
- 16 liters of beer.
Alcoholic beverages may be imported by persons aged 17 years and older.
Medicines
According to the needs of the traveler.
Products of animal origin
Not allowed to be imported into Spain:
- Meat and milk and any products from non-EU countries, except for limited quantities from Andorra, Croatia, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and small quantities of certain products from other countries.
Weapons and ammunition
- Imports from Russia and Syria are completely prohibited.
- For other countries, you must first obtain a permit from the police (Spain).
- For hunting weapons: no special requirements apply for temporary importation, except that hunting weapons must be declared upon arrival.
Airport tax
- Airport taxes are not charged to passengers when they land at Spanish airports.
For more information and tips on Spanish customs regulations, please visit the official website of the Federal Customs Administration.
Tenerife