Visa-free travel to the borderless Schengen area, which consists of 26 European countries, is possible for holders of biometric passports from more than 60 countries around the world, including here, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Albania, New Zealand, Georgia, and more.

However, visa-free does not mean obligation-free.

When presenting themselves at the external borders of the Schengen area, travelers from visa-free countries must ensure that they meet several mandatory conditions in order to be able to enter.

“The visa exemption does not give an unconditional right of entry and residence. Member States have the right to refuse entry and stay on their territory if one or more of the entry conditions are not metnotes the European Commission, explaining how visa-free entry works while listing the requirements.

According to the Commission, travelers must meet the following most important conditions to be able to enter Schengen countries:

• They must hold a valid travel document issued by one of the countries on the visa-free list
• They must have proof of the purpose of their trip, proof that they have sufficient financial means to support their stay, and proof of their planned return date.
• They must not have an alert on the Schengen Information System for the purpose of refusing entry

When it comes to proving that they have sufficient financial means to support their stay in the EU, each country has a different amount required. For example, the minimum daily sum of money required for entry into France is €120 if the traveler does not have any proof of accommodation paid in advance. If the accommodation has already been paid for, the required amount increases to €65 per day.

According to Article 5(3) of the Borders Code of the Schengen Area: “means of subsistence are assessed according to the duration and purpose of the stay and by reference to the average prices in the Member State(s) concerned for food and accommodation in budget accommodation, multiplied by the number of days of stay.”

In addition, the European Commission also notes that border guards can check the sufficient means of subsistence in cash, traveller’s checks and credit cards in the possession of the traveler.

“The declarations of care, where such declarations are provided for by national legislation and the letters of guarantee/invitation from hosts, as defined by national legislation, in the event that the third-country national is staying with a host , may also constitute proof of sufficient means of subsistence“, explains the Commission.

Travelers to Spain must prove they have at least €100 per day

It was only recently, through a statement on the official EULaw database and the home of the Official Journal of the EU, soon to be known as EUR-Lex, that it was announced that travelers from third countries reaching the national territory of Spain should continue to hold proof that they have an amount of at least €100 per day to be able to enter Spain.

The same requirement also applies to Schengen visa applicants for Spain, which means that they must prove that they have at least €100 per day they plan to stay in Spain when applying for the visa. Schengen for Spain.

“… foreigners who intend to enter the national territory must continue to prove that they have a minimum amount of € 100 per person per day, those they intend to stay in Spain with a minimum of €900 or its legal equivalent in foreign currency, provided that they are required by the agents in charge of carrying out the entry control into Spanish territory, and under the conditions established in the aforementioned decree“, is it noted on the EUR-Lex site.

Why €100?

The amount of € 100 per day represents ten percent of the interprofessional minimum gross wage or its legal equivalent in currency of a third country multiplied by the number of days they plan to spend in Spanish territory and by the number of other travelers whose expenses will also be covered.

Since January 1, 2022, the Spanish authorities have set the interprofessional minimum wage at €33.33 per day or €1,000 per month, depending on whether the salary is set per day or per month.

“I have traveled several times to Spain and I have never been asked for such proof”

Many travelers may have visited Spain more than once, and they have never been asked to prove their sufficient financial means to enter the country.

The reason behind such a thing is that while travelers are absolutely obliged to hold such proof, border guards are not required to ask every person entering the country to present these documents. In fact, random travelers are selected to be asked for such documents.

“Foreigners must prove, if required by the officials in charge of controlling the entry of people into Spanish territory, that they have economic resources [for entering the country],notes the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.

The ministry also points out that travelers are eligible to prove they have the required financial means in cash or by presenting certified cheques, traveler’s checks, payment letters or credit cards, “which must be accompanied by the bank account statement or an up-to-date bank book.” Other means that reliably prove the amount available as credit of the aforementioned card or bank account are also accepted.

In a CaminoDeSantiago forum discussing the requirement, many travelers insisted they had never been asked for such documents while traveling in Spain. Yet others shared their experience of having to prove that they had enough means of subsistence to enter the country.

“The one and only time I was asked to provide proof of funds to support myself, all I did was deposit my Mastercard, my Visa card, a debit card and a debit card. ATM on the bench and that was enough… I was not asked for bank statements or anything. I carry the debit card and ATM card as a last line of defense in case something goes wrong…and a trip, it happened!” wrote a traveler by the name of Tassie Kaz.

While another commenter by the name of Eve Alexandra said that about a week ago, while traveling in Spain, she was asked for her passport, proof if she had a vaccination card, and so she was asked if she had €96 per day to cover the number of days of her trip, she was not required to prove it.

What happens if I’m asked to prove that I have €100 a day and I don’t?

The Spanish Ministry of the Interior explains that if the border guards decide to ask a traveler if he has the required means of subsistence, and the latter does not do so, the border guards have the right to refuse the entry into the country to this traveller. .

“In the event that, during the execution of the control of the entry of persons into Spanish territory, it is verified that a foreigner does not have sufficient economic resources for the time that he wishes to stay in Spain and continue his travel to the country of destination or to return to the country of origin, or not having the nominative, non-transferable and closed ticket(s), in the means of transport they intend to use, their entry on Spanish territory will be denied according to law”, explains the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.

In addition, the Ministry warns that border officials have the right to authorize entry into Spain to people who do not have sufficient financial means, but reducing the duration of their authorized stay in proportion to the amount of available resources, by diligence in the passport or similar document.

This means that the guards are empowered to set a deadline by which travelers must leave Spain. Travelers will also need to purchase a new departure ticket within this timeframe.

>> More than 135,000 third-country nationals were refused entry at the EU’s external borders in 2020