Your Spain trip checklist

Each passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and expire at least 3 months after you leave. Use our passport checker.

UK passport holders can spend up to 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area. Use our 90/180 calculator.

A GHIC covers state healthcare but not everything, such as getting you home. Buy a policy before you travel.

Declare every pre-existing condition when you buy. A GHIC is not a substitute, as it only covers state healthcare.

Request it at least 48 hours before you fly. Under EU rules, help at EU airports is free for disabled passengers and those with reduced mobility. Check your airline's rules.

Airlines need the battery type and watt-hours before you fly, and some ask for a form. See each airline's battery rules.

Villa Olivo doesn't supply hoists. Independent companies deliver hoists, shower chairs and more. Book a few weeks ahead in summer. Find equipment hire and accessible transfers.

Standard taxis may not take a wheelchair user who can't transfer. Book a vehicle with a ramp or lift in advance. See accessible transfer companies.

Carrying more than 3 months of a controlled medicine out of the UK needs a personal licence from the Home Office. Apply at least 2 weeks ahead.

Children need their own passport.

It's free from the NHS and covers medically necessary state healthcare in Spain. An in-date EHIC still works too.

Save them on your phone and on paper.

Border officers can ask to see that you're leaving the Schengen area.

Border officers can ask for proof of where you're staying. Keep your booking email handy on your phone.

Such as your escritura or a recent utility bill, in case border officers ask where you're staying.

Spain may ask visitors staying with friends or family for a "carta de invitación" or proof of their address.

Border officers can ask for proof of where you're staying.

Spain can ask non-EU visitors to show enough money for their stay. In 2026 that is about €121 per person per day, with a minimum of about €1,099. A bank card or recent statement is usually enough. It's rarely checked, but be ready.

If a child is travelling with one parent, or has a different surname from the adult they're with, carry a signed letter of consent and the child's birth certificate in case you're asked.

Spain recognised the UK Blue Badge in September 2025. Parking rules are set by each town hall, so check the signs and use a parking clock where time limits apply.

Keep the pharmacy label on them and carry a copy of your prescription. Put enough for a few days in your hand luggage in case your case is delayed.

It should give your name, date of birth, travel dates, destination, and each medicine with its dose and total amount. Carry controlled medicines in your hand luggage.

Some medicines that are normal in the UK are controlled in Spain. If you're unsure, ask the Spanish Embassy in London before you travel.

Put your name and contact details on the chair. Take cushions, joysticks and any removable parts into the cabin so they don't get lost or damaged.

Photos make a damage claim much easier if something happens in the hold.

Spain uses two-pin round plugs (types C and F) at 230 volts.

See our accessible Jávea map for beaches with amphibious chairs, step-free walks and accessible toilets.

A UK photocard licence is enough for a visit. You don't need an International Driving Permit.

Spain requires one even if your number plate already shows the UK identifier. Old GB stickers are no longer valid.

Check your policy covers you in Spain and take the documents with you.

Spain and France both expect a reflective jacket for each person, within reach rather than in the boot. Put it on before you get out at the roadside.

Since January 2026, Spanish-registered cars must carry a connected V-16 beacon. Visiting UK cars can still use a warning triangle. A beacon is a handy extra if you like.

UK headlights dazzle oncoming drivers on the right. Some cars can switch the beam in the settings.

Spain expects you to carry one. Check yours is pumped up before you set off.

Carry it with your other car documents.

Most UK policies give the legal minimum abroad, but some limit how many days you can be away or reduce cover. Ask your insurer and take proof with you.

UK breakdown cover usually stops at the border. European cover gets you towed, repaired or brought home, and can include an English-speaking helpline.

Some companies add charges for young or older drivers. If you need hand controls or a wheelchair accessible vehicle, book a specialist well ahead.

Every French city with 150,000 people or more has a low emission zone, and UK cars need a sticker to drive in them. Order it in advance, and only from the official French government website.

In France you don't need a separate UK sticker if your number plate shows the UK identifier. Spain needs the sticker regardless, so keep it on.

France's limit is lower than England's. Carrying a breathalyser is no longer compulsory, but it's a cheap way to check the morning after.

Most French motorways are tolled. Keep a card handy at the barriers.

Crossing from Dover or on LeShuttle, the French border check, including EES registration, happens in the UK before you leave.

From Portsmouth or Plymouth, your EES registration happens on arrival in Santander or Bilbao, not before you sail. Passengers can be asked to get out of the vehicle for photos and fingerprints.

Accessible cabins on the long crossings are limited. Tell the ferry company about any assistance you need when you book.

The crossings take one or two nights, and you can't get to your car during the sailing. Keep medicines, chargers and overnight things with you.

The first time you enter Schengen, you'll register your passport, a photo and fingerprints at the border. After that, your record lasts 3 years. It replaces passport stamps.

Children under 12 can't use the self-service kiosks, so families with young children are usually sent to a staffed desk.

They register just like adults on their first trip.

At the airport, look for the assistance meeting points, often marked with a wheelchair symbol.

It's the free emergency number across Spain and the EU, with English-speaking operators.

Some UK networks charge for using your phone in the EU, so check your plan before you go.

Most places take cards, but carry some euros for markets and beach kiosks.