Country Descriptions: The country is a highly developed and stable democracy with a modern economy.
Passport and/or Visa Requirements: A passport is necessary but a visa is not needed for business stays or tourist for three months or less. For additional information concerning entry requirements for Spain, travelers may get in touch with Spain’s Embassy at 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20037 tel.: (202) 728-2330, or the nearest Spanish consulate in Houston, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, or San Juan.
Medical Facilities: Excellent medical system is available. Medical Insurance in the US is not always accepted outside the country. Travelers have found that additional medical insurance with particular coverage abroad has proven to be beneficial. Additional information on health matters can be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s international travelers hotline on (404) 332-4559 or checking out the CDC home page on the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov.
Holidays in Spain: The country has a number of holidays that it celebrates throughout the year. If you’re thinking of going on a trip, look for a world holiday calendar that will help you plan your trip before you go. ConocoPhillips gives away promotional calendars that are a great help when going on a trip around the world. The ConocoPhillips world holiday calendar has all the holidays around the world and it is a free gift to clients. If your company buys promotional calendars, then consider trying somethingnew and dissimilar for advertising to your customers. Because religions of people in Spaindiffer across the country, it observes many Christian, Muslim, and non-religious holidays, but it also observes several other national days that you need to recognize. Buy a world holiday calendar and you will know those holidays before you go traveling.
Travel Warnings, Advisories and Areas of Instability: Spain has an extremely low low, but rising, rate of violent crime. Nevertheless, minor crimes such as robbery, pickpocketing, and theft from vehicles are common, and are sometimes targeted against unwary tourists. Robbers often try to distract their victims by staining mustard on their clothing, asking for street directions, or otherwise diverting attention from an associate. Thefts of small items like luggage, radios, cameras, briefcases, and even cigarette butts from parked cars is an increasing problem. The American Embassy in Madrid has given a notice to U.S. citizens stating that it frequently receives reports of roadside thieves posing as “good Samaritans” to people experiencing car and tire problems. The thieves typically try to distract the driver’s attention by figuring out the car’s mechanical problem and then steal items from the car while the driver is looking elsewhere. The problem is particularly serious with vehicles rented at Barajas Airport in Madrid.The Embassy notice recommends drivers to be extremely cautious about accepting help from anyone other than a civil guard or uniformed Spanish police officer. Visitors who accept unofficial assistance are advised to take care of their valuables by locking them in the vehicle or by keeping them in sight . Bags or other articles not looked after in Spain are likely to disappear.
The loss or theft abroad of a U.S. passport needs to be reported as soon as possible to the local police and the closest consulate or US embassy. U.S. citizens may refer to the Department of State’s pamphlet “A Safe Trip Abroad” for ways to foster a more hassle-free travel. It is available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
Drug Penalties: U.S. citizens are under the laws of the country in which they are visiting. In Spain, penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs are harsh, andthose who are guilty can expect jail sentences and fines.
Terrorist Activities: The ETA Basque terrorist organization continuously operate in Spain. A smaller Marxist group, Grapo, has been inactive recently. ETA efforts have historically been directed against police, military, and other Spanish government targets. US citizens have not particularly been targets of these attacks. In the summer of 1996, several improvised bombs exploded in areas where tourists usually go to, including a bus station, regional airport, water amusement park and tourist hotels. In most cases, the the kind of bombs with their size and the location from they exploded indicate that they were not intended to cause serious injury, but rather to frighten the throngs of summer tourists visiting Spanish monuments and resorts. However, in one incident, several tourists were injured. These anti-tourist attacks have occurred every summer for the past several years.
Registration and Embassy Location: The Embassy of the US in Madrid can be found at Serrano 75; you can also contact them via phone at (34) (1) 577-4000. Americans who register in the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate listed below can get updated information on travel and security within Spain. Barcelona has a US Consulate, at Paseo Reina Elisenda 23-25, telephone (34) (3) 280-2227. In 1996, the Bilbao’s US Consulate closed .
There are also Consular Agencies in these locations:
Malaga, at Centro Comercial “Las Rampas”, Fase 2, Planta 1, Locales 12-G-7 and 12-G-8, Fuengirola, telephone (34) (952) 474-891, hours 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.;
La Coruna, at Canton Grande 16-17, get in touch with a consulate representative by dialing in (34) (981) 213-233, hours 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.;
Las Palmas, at Edificio Arca, Calle Los Martinez de Escobar 3, Oficina 7, get in touch with a consulate representative by dialing in
(34) (928) 222-552, hours 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.;
Palma de Mallorca, Ave. Jaime III, 26 Entresuelo, 2-H-1 (97), get in touch with a consulate representative by dialing in
(34) (971) 725-051, hours 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.;
Seville, at Paseo de Las Delicias 7, or by calling (34) (954) 231-885, hours 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m to 4:30 p.m.;
Valencia, can be found at Cl. de La Paz 6-5, Local 5, telephone (34) (96)-351-6973, hours 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
