• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

OBSOLETE COVID THREAD St Jean Pied de Port and COVID

OBSOLETE COVID THREAD
Status
Not open for further replies.

Craig Nolan

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Camino de Frances 13/09/2017 ->
Hi all,

So I am taking train from Barcelona to Pamplona then hoping to take a bus to SJPP. As this is crossing a border between Spain/France will there be COVID/PCR checks needed?

I have had 2 x Pfizer vaccinations in Spain.

If i cannot get to SJPP i will start from Roncasvalles.

Your help as always appreciated in advance.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Ach, come on. I think you're living in Barcelona(?) You'll have knowledge of the current COVID rules for Catalonia and for Spain. You're living within the Schengen Travel Zone so you're presumably aware of the freedom of movement rules, current COVID requirements for Schengen residents and you'll have access to the daily News in Catalonia which most of us on this forum don't have.

And anyway why not just start your pilgrimage to the bones of Santiago or to the End of the World from Pamplona? The Camino does not start in SJpdlP, never has, never will.
 
I would be curious to hear answers to this as well. I am taking a taxi...i haven't heard any border crossing check points on this forum yet.
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Hi all,

So I am taking train from Barcelona to Pamplona then hoping to take a bus to SJPP. As this is crossing a border between Spain/France will there be COVID/PCR checks needed?

I have had 2 x Pfizer vaccinations in Spain.

If i cannot get to SJPP i will start from Roncasvalles.

Your help as always appreciated in advance.
Hey Craig, why not start your pilgrimage from Barcelona instead?

Sven :)
 
Hi @Craig Nolan and @adam lapp. Although you didn't formulate it so clearly I know in my heart that you are not only curious about border checks you also want to make sure that you are fully informed about current public health related rules so that you can comply 100%.

If you are fully vaccinated there are no issues in either direction, whether Spain->France or France->Spain.

If you are not vaccinated my unsolicited advice would be to get fully vaccinated, or to stay at home or to at least inform yourself carefully about the current and ever changing rules of the health authorities on both sides of the border and to fully comply, no matter whether anyone will check you or not. I recommend the relevant official Spanish and French websites.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Maybe the moderators ought to formulate a standard reply, something along the following lines for travelling between Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Switzerland, i.e. the usual Camino travel question countries:
  • If you are fully vaccinated and have an EU Digital Covid Certificate, make sure that you have downloaded it onto your mobile phone and print out one or two copies and put them in a plastic folder for protection and ease of use. You'll be ok as far as border and police control, if any, and access to beds, food and transportation is concerned.

  • If you are fully vaccinated and don't have an EU Digital Covid Certificate, we don't know how to get one. Take what you have in the way of vaccination proof. You'll probably be ok as far as border and police control, if any, and access to beds, food and transportation is concerned.

  • If you are not vaccinated you are on your own. Stay away or get the current info that applies to your specific situation from the government website of the country you want to travel to and comply 100%. Be prepared that more and more restrictions may apply to you before, during and after your trip in August 2021 and possibly also in September 2021.
 
Last edited:
There are currently no requirements to provide Covid certification for local short distance travel over the land border between Spain and France / Roncesvalles and SJPP.

The French government is seeking to implement such certifications for long-distance journeys, but this will not affect those crossing that particular border on foot, bike, local bus, or taxi.

The requirements that Kathar1na has described principally concern travel between the two countries by air or by sea, and depending on the changing situation, travellers can occasionally be stopped at the border on long-distance trains as well.

Even so, with your double jab, if you bring your certification of it with you, this will let you pass any unlikely challenge that might be asked of you.
 
Up to date and still valid: Orden SND/292/2021, de 26 de marzo, por la que se establecen medidas de control sanitario a las personas procedentes de Francia que llegan a España por vía terrestre. This executive order concerns only the "persons arriving by land from France in Spain". It must be read in combination with the weekly list published on the SpTH website where they inform about what Spain currently (= during this week) defines as risk areas in France, if any.

Remember: The weekly list on the SpTH website changes from week to week and so do the French regions that are defined by the Spanish authorities as the risk areas where the unvaccinated pilgrim comes from and arrives in Spain as a still unvaccinated pilgrim ...

 
Last edited:
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Ach, come on. I think you're living in Barcelona(?) You'll have knowledge of the current COVID rules for Catalonia and for Spain. You're living within the Schengen Travel Zone so you're presumably aware of the freedom of movement rules, current COVID requirements for Schengen residents and you'll have access to the daily News in Catalonia which most of us on this forum don't have.

And anyway why not just start your pilgrimage to the bones of Santiago or to the End of the World from Pamplona? The Camino does not start in SJpdlP, never has, never will.
A judgemental patronising reply if ever there was one
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Ach, come on. I think you're living in Barcelona(?) You'll have knowledge of the current COVID rules for Catalonia and for Spain. You're living within the Schengen Travel Zone so you're presumably aware of the freedom of movement rules, current COVID requirements for Schengen residents and you'll have access to the daily News in Catalonia which most of us on this forum don't have.

And anyway why not just start your pilgrimage to the bones of Santiago or to the End of the World from Pamplona? The Camino does not start in SJpdlP, never has, never will.
Why are you, as “a moderator”, such an ”asshole” to place a comment like this?
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Hey, I was an "asshole" long before I was a Moderator. Old habits take a long time to die.

Meanwhile I was wondering which of several comments in that post you were having most trouble with?
Keep on wondering.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Humor is in the eyes of the beholder. Sadly, some prefer rose colored glasses.
That said, Getting back to the original posting. COVID restrictions are changing by the day. If you have plane tickets...check with your air carrier. Other modes of transport...do the same. Checking daily will only increase your anxiety. When you are a week out begin the final countdown.
I've been planning this Camino since March 2021. I am prepared for a go...don't go.
Any deposits for lodging that are not refundable I consider a donation to keep the Camino infrastructure in tact.
Buen "whatever comes" Camino
Arn
 
I had heard that Astra Zeneca certification from outside the EU is not accepted by EU countries. Can someone point to a definitive statement on this?

De colores

Bogong
 
If i cannot get to SJPP i will start from Roncasvalles.
Seems good to me. Why bother trying to get to SJPP if you can get to Roncesvalles much more easily?
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
If people were being stopped at the land border at SJPP/Roncesvalles, we would be hearing about it. It remains generally true that those within 30K of an internal border between EU countries can cross those borders by land travel without Covid requirements, and crossings on foot in particular seem not to be subjected to them in practice, though that was not necessarily the case 6 months ago.

Also, the Spanish law instituting the rules for travel from France are based on incidence of infection region by region, and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques are below the threshold for the stricter requirements, albeit above those of no requirements at all.

And any potential difficulties for the pop over the border could be in the Spain to France direction, whereas France is requiring certification only for long-distance travel.

All of which is irrelevant to the OP in his situation given that he is double jabbed, so that these abstract questions are not very pertinent to his actual requests.

His situation is that he could make it to SJPP no problems, and discussing the general situation of unvaccinated persons towards international borders can only confuse him.
 
I always forget to mention this website: Travel Safe Spain, run by the official Spanish Tourism Agency: https://travelsafe.spain.info/en/ . I must remember this in future. Go there when you need up-to-date information. Below is a screenshot of today. Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port is located in the French region that is called Nouvelle Aquitaine.

France to Spain.jpg
 
From another thread, the OP lives in Barcelona; is taking his bike in a bag on the train to Pamplona, and is cycling to SJPP (which route not stated).

After an overnight stay, he'll do the reverse.

Seems like a normal cycling trip which is somewhat made more complex by a border and COVID. But as @JabbaPapa has pointed out, it is unlikely to trigger a response from any official on either side of the border.
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Just incase it helps anyone else looking to get from Pamplona to Saint Jean, today (Sunday the 1st of August) I took the bus and there were no checks of tests or vaccination passports or anything. Just a quick check of your ticket and that was it.

There didn't seem to be any checks going over the border to cyclists or cars either, so at least this way the movement is still quite open.

Obviously this was just my experience and things are ever changing, but hopefully this information will help the worriers like me about the current situation and getting to Saint Jean from Spain.
 
Even the Pilgrims Office in SJPP posted the current rules for entry into Spain on their Facebook page three days ago. Toute entrée sur le territoire espagnol en provenance d’une région à risque par voie aérienne (aéroports), maritime (ports) ou terrestre est soumise à la présentation de l’un de ces documents, sous format numérique ou papier, ... followed by the by now familiar list: 1. Proof of vaccination or 2. Proof of negative test if not vaccinated or 3. Proof of recovery or 4. EU DCC. They posted this https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/conseils-aux-voyageurs/conseils-par-pays-destination/espagne/?

Of course someone can argue that if there is nobody to whom I can present my document I don't have to have it ... or if I am already in Spain, then go to France and go back to Spain, this doesn't concern me ... I am not expressing an opinion about this. 😑
 
Last edited:
You're right Kathar1na that someone travelling from an area or country subjected to the restrictions in question to SJPP, and then hiking to Roncesvalles, would need to obey those restrictions ; else for example stay in SJPP or area for sufficient time to no longer be subjected to them.

This is still not the situation of the OP though, with his double jab and Spanish origin.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I had heard that Astra Zeneca certification from outside the EU is not accepted by EU countries. Can someone point to a definitive statement on this?

De colores

Bogong
It depends which batch



My first jab was made in India, but I downloaded the French anti-covid app, scanned my NHS codes and they uploaded fine. There is a warning saying "The authenticity of NHS certificates does not comply with EU standards. Work is in progress.", but I'm not worried about flying there on Friday.
 
Our AstraZeneca is manufactured here, in Australia. No-one mentions it. Perhaps because we are still not allowed out of the country without special permission.
 
Our AstraZeneca is manufactured here, in Australia. No-one mentions it. Perhaps because we are still not allowed out of the country without special permission.
FWIW, Spain does not require a vaccination proof from travellers from Australia. France has explicitly stated that they accept vaccination of foreign travellers by AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) and AstraZeneca (Covishield). Nobody checks where a vaccine is produced. Here is a link to AstraZeneca Australia about the brandname ""issue"":


A separate issue are the EU Digital Covid Certificates. AFAIK, they are designed to allow only data of vaccination by vaccines approved for use in the EU. But they are designed for people who got vaccinated in an EU country anyway.
 
Last edited:
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Status
Not open for further replies.

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Similar threads

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top