Travellers to Spain - Can you prove you have funds of 100€ per day?
Travellers to Spain could be asked to prove they have at least €100 per day (per person) in order to be able to enter the country.
This has actually been the rule for some time, and CAN be asked for by border control along with other things such as proof of a return ticket to place of origin. Whether it is asked for or not is entirely down to the officer working on the border at the time. (Its similar to rules to enter the USA or Australia, proof of funds).
See Entry Requirements from the UK
According to the EU laws on entry for third-country nationals, travellers from non-EU and non-Schengen countries need to show proof that they have the financial means to support themselves during their stay in the Schengen Area..
The same requirement also applies to Spain Schengen visa applicants, which means that they need to show proof that they have at least €100 per each day they plan on staying in Spain when applying for a Schengen Visa to Spain, border guards may verify the sufficient means of subsistence on cash, travellers’ cheques and credit cards in possession of the traveller.
The amount required for crossing the external borders is fixed by the Spanish national authorities and has been noted by the official EULaw database & home of the EU Official Journal, known as EUR-Lex.
Why €100?
It is the responsibility of each country to set the per day required amount for stays in its territory.
The amount of €100 per day represents ten per cent of the gross minimum interprofessional gross salary or its legal equivalent in third-country currency multiplied by the amount of days they plan on spending in the territory of Spain and by the number of other travellers whose expenses will also be covering.
Since January 1st, 2022, the Spanish authorities have set the minimum interprofessional wage at €33.33 per day or €1,000 euros per month, depending on whether the wage is fixed by days or by months.
Belgium requires travellers to show proof they have €95 per day if they are staying in a hotel and at least €45 per day if they will be accommodated at cheaper options, and for France the minimum required daily amount of money is €120 if the traveller holds no proof of prepaid accommodation. If the accommodation has been prepaid, the required amount drops to €65 per day.
“I Travelled to Spain Several Times and I Was Never Asked For Such Proof”
Many travellers might have visited Spain more than once, and have never been asked to show proof of sufficient financial means for entry into the country.
The reason behind this is that while travellers are absolutely obliged to hold such proof, the border guards are not required to ask each person entering the country to present these documents. In fact, random travellers are selected to be asked for such documents.
“Foreigners must prove, if required to do so by the officials in charge of controlling the entry of people into Spanish territory, that they have economic resources [for entering the country],” the Spanish Ministry of Interior notes.
The Ministry also points out that travellers are eligible to prove they have the required financial means through cash or by presenting certified checks, traveller’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 such as travellers’ cheques and credit cards in possession of the traveller are also acceptable.
What Happens If I am Asked to Prove I Have €100-Per-Day and I Don’t Have It?
If the border guards decide to ask a traveller whether he or she has the required means of subsistence, and the same fails to do so, the border guards have to right to refuse entry into the country to that traveller.
Border officials also have the right to permit entry into Spain to persons who do not have sufficient financial means but by reducing the length of their permitted stay in proportion to the amount of resources available, this means they will set a deadline when the travellers must leave Spain so a new departure ticket would have to be purchased according to this deadline.
Over 135,000 Third-Country Nationals Were Refused Entry at EU External Borders in 2020
Article provided by Schengen Visa Info