Irish tourists are getting cheaper holidays after a major Spanish law change

AS the summer holidays fast approach, many Irish people are preparing to fly to the sunny shores of Spain.

And a change in Spanish law could save you extra money on your restaurant bills.

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From April 11, all Spanish bars and restaurants will be required by law to offer their customers free tap water instead of paying for bottled water.

New regulations in the Waste and Contaminated Sites Act for a circular economy state: “Hotel and catering establishments will always have to offer consumers, customers or users of their services the opportunity to consume unpackaged water free of charge and as a supplement to the offer of the same facility.”

Previously, companies could choose whether to offer bottled or tap water and whether to charge for it.

The new measures aim to reduce the consumption of plastics, especially plastic bottles.

And the Spanish government is encouraging more water fountains to be installed to ensure locals and tourists can refill reusable bottles.

It comes after a massive rule change error by the Spanish government prevented many hopeful Irish holidaymakers from entering the popular tourist destination.

The U-turn on entry requirements led Spanish authorities to announce they would allow unvaccinated passengers to return from April 6.

They previously issued an EU-wide statement claiming that anyone who had not received both vaccinations could only enter Spain with a negative Covid test.

However, they have since backed down and the Spanish Tourist Board has announced that the guidance was a misunderstanding due to a “misunderstanding of the new entry regulations”.

And now only unvaccinated people between the ages of 12 and 17 can enter the country with just a Covid test.

But although Covid-19 restrictions are almost a thing of the past here, Irish tourists traveling to Spain will still be subject to a number of requirements upon their landing.

According to Spain Travel Health, to enter Spain, all passengers, regardless of their country of origin, must present an EU Digital Covid Certificate, a negative certificate of an active infection diagnostic test, or a certificate of recovery.

Children under the age of 12 and passengers in international transit are not required to present any of the above documents.

PASSENGER HEALTH FORM

Passengers are also required to complete the SpTH health check form – by manually entering the details of their vaccination, recovery or diagnostic test certificate.

However, your second dose must have been given within 270 days of your arrival in Spain.

If not then you must have a refresher or you will not be allowed into the country.

And starting April 20, a major rule change will come into effect for travelers heading to the popular holiday destination.

FACE MASKS EXCLUDED

The Spanish government will remove the obligation to wear face masks indoors, but it will remain in place on public transport.

Health Secretary Carolina Darias confirmed the changes ahead of the expected influx of tourists during the summer months.

Masks are still compulsory on public transport, in hospitals and nursing homes.

REDUCED PASS REDUCTION

For those who don’t have their passports ahead of their long-awaited holiday, the processing time for issuing new Irish passports will be reduced by five days from next week.

The State Department’s Director of Passport Services confirmed today that the processing time will be reduced from 35 to 30 days from April 19.

Speaking of Today with Claire ByrneSiobhán Byrne said: “I am pleased to announce that starting next Tuesday we will be reducing the processing time to 30 days, which is good news for people applying for their babies and other first-time applicants.

“We’re reducing our processing time to 30 days and that’s because we produce more passports each day than we actually receive. We are a little ahead of the dates given in the system.”