Proof of accommodation on border control
Hi,
I’m looking for real traveller experiences with Spain border control.
My family and I (2 adults and 3 yo) are Canadian citizens planning a short tourist/family visit to Spain, under 90 days. We will have:
- valid Canadian passports
- return tickets
- travel insurance
- bank statement
- credit card statement showing available credit
The concern is accommodation proof. We are planning to stay with relatives/friends, but we dont have an official Spanish carta de invitación. We would only have their address and a phone number. Also they are not Spanish citizens, they are French but they own a property in Spain.
I understand the official guidance says travellers may be asked for proof of accommodation or an invitation letter. What I’m trying to learn is what happens in practice.
Has anyone here entered Spain in a similar situation?
Questions:
- Were you asked for proof of accommodation?
- If yes, did you have a hotel booking, official carta de invitación, informal letter, WhatsApp/email, or only address/phone number?
- Did the officer accept it?
- Did they ask follow-up questions?
- Did anyone get sent to secondary inspection because of this?
- Has anyone actually been refused entry for not having formal accommodation proof?
I’d especially appreciate recent experiences from Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga, or Girona airports, but any Spain entry experience would help.
Thanks in advance.