Spain

Spain

Regulations on the Items Taken into and out of Spain

Entry:

According to Spanish customs regulations, passengers are not allowed to carry drugs and other contrabands, counterfeits or pirated goods. Such items will be detained by the customs. The value of the tax-exempt items cannot exceed EUR 175 (for visitors above the age of 15) or EUR 90 (for visitors under the age of 15).

The prescribed upper limit of the quantities of tax-exempt items: (a) 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco; (b) 1 liter of spirits with alcoholic content of above 22% or 2 liters of wine or alcoholic drinks with alcoholic content of less than 22%; (c) 50 grams of perfume or 0.25 liters of eau de toilette; (d) 500 grams of coffee or 200 grams of coffee espresso; (e) 100 grams of tea or 40 grams tea concentrate. 

Any person who carries into or out of Spain endangered species of wild animal and plant specified by the Washington Convention must hold the relevant license issued by the international trade organization in question.

Exit:

Non-residents should report, upon arrival, to the Spanish customs and obtain a certificate from the customs with respect to the foreign currencies or Spanish pesetas to be taken out of the country. Spain imposes restrictions on the export of paintings by famous artists – bearers of such works of art must produce the relevant receipt and such works of art are subject to rigorous physical examination.

Travelers who are not residents of any of the EU countries can request tax refund on the items they have purchased in Spain. As the Spanish law stands, to obtain a tax-free card, the visitor must spend at least EU 90.15 on a single day. Important: Only items purchased at shops with signs “TaxRefund”, “TaxFree” or “EuroFreeTax” qualify for the tax refund policy. To qualify for tax refund, the items must be purchased within 1 month to 3 months before exit. Alcohol and tobacco products, items exempt from consumer tax and items that have been used outside Spain do not qualify for tax refund. Items that their owners do not keep with themselves do not qualify for tax refund.

Visa

Spain is a country that has signed the Schengen Agreement. Chinese citizens who plan to visit Spain can apply for visa to the Embassy of Spain in China. If you plan to visit a number of Schengen countries in a single journey, you should apply for the visa of the country where you plan to say for the longest period of time. Use the visa application form of the country whose visa you plan to apply for. A Schengen visa allows its holder to stay for up to 90 days in a single journey or up to 90 days on a cumulative basis in a number of journeys within half a year. In principle, a visa cannot be renewed. Long-term visa that allows its holder to say for over 90 days is issued by the Schengen country in question.

By 2010, there were 26 Schengen countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Greece, Austria, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Malta, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Customs

“Ladies First” is a prized principle, which is reflected everywhere from elevator and bus to meal table. In the formal social occasions, Spaniards usually shake hands with guests. Good friends, relatives, lovers and old acquaintances hug and cheek-kiss each other. In the case of cheek-kissing, the right cheek comes before the left.

Spaniards use napkin at meals. Only after the host unfolds his/her napkin can others follow suit. The napkin can be placed on legs, table or chest. Spaniards use knife and fork. Fork is placed to the left side of the plate while knife to the right. Start from the outermost ones. After finishing a dish, put the knife and fork together on the right side of the plate, which means you have finished.

Embassy and Consulates General

Embassy of Spain in China

Add: 9 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Tel: +86-10-65323629/1445/3728

Fax: +86-10-65323401

Email: cog.pekin.vis@maec.es

Website: http://www.spainvisa-china.com/ 

Hours: 8:00 - 14:30, Monday-Friday

Consulate General of Spain in Shanghai

Add: Rooms 301/303/305, 12 Zhongshan East Road 1, Huangpu District, Shanghai

Tel: +86-21-63213543

Fax: +86-21-63211396/1726

Email: cog.shanghai.vis@maec.es

Office hours: 9:00 - 13:00 (Monday to Friday)

Consulate General of Spain in Guangzhou

Add: Rooms 501/507/508, F5, Fuli Center, 10 Huaxia Road, Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou, Guangdong

Postal code: 510623

Tel: +86-20-38927185/38928909

Fax: +86-20-38927197

Email: cog.canton.vis@maec.es

Hours: 9:00 - 13: 00, 14: 00 - 17:00, Monday to Thursday; 9:00 - 15:00, Friday

Consular regions: Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Guizhou

Consulate General of Spain in Hong Kong, China

Add: F8, Printing House 18, Ice House St.-Central,Hong Kong, China

Tel: +852-25253041/42

Fax: +852-28772407

Hours: 08:30 ~ 16:00 (Monday to Friday)

Voltage and Plugs

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* The above information is for reference only. For more, contact the embassy.

* For more information on visa, head to the Star Alliance website.