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MEDICAL INFORMATION
Before you leave
make sure that your medical insurance has coverage overseas. If that is
not the case you will need additional insurance since the Spanish Social
Security system can only offer treatment in the event of an emergency.
If you are taking any medication it is recommended that you carry a
letter from your doctor stating your prescription and dosage.
Inoculations
No inoculations are
required when traveling between the United States and Spain.
PETS
There is no quarantine in Spain. The animals will be accompanied by
their owners or their owner's duly authorized representatives. It must
be justified by written certification that the animal has been kept
under their owner's supervision, for at least three months prior to
their introduction in Spain; and a certificate by a veterinarian stating
that an animal is in good health and has been inoculated against rabies
(for dogs and cats).
You can obtain the forms for these two
certificates
through the
Embassy of Spain
web site under the
section of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; or contact the Consulate of
Spain nearest you.
Tips
For taxi rides, a 10 percent tip is sufficient. For restaurants, a 10
percent tip is customary.
Opening Times
Usual shop
opening times are 9:30 am - 1:30 pm, Monday-Saturday, and 4:30-8:00 pm,
Monday-Friday. Major shopping malls, department stores and supermarkets
stay open without a break from 10:00 am - 9:00 pm or in some cases until
10:00 pm. On a fixed number of Sundays in the year (approximately 12 in
all), the large department stores and supermarkets also open to the
public. Along the coast, during the high season, shops are generally
open until well after 10 at night.
Banks
are mainly open
Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm (ATMs are available
throughout the country. Make sure that the signs at the back of your ATM
card match the signs on the ATM machine. ATMs in Spain only accept four
digit PINs so it is very important to make sure you have a four digit
PIN before traveling).
Breakfast
time is usally from 8-10 am and lunchtime in restaurants from 1-3:30 pm.
Dinner is served from 8:30-11:00 pm. Many catering establishments
operate a continuous service throughout the day, a common practice in
coffee shops and bars, in many of which it is possible to order
snack-like servings (tapas), a limited variety of set dishes,
rolls and small portions of selected foods (raciones).
Pharmacies
usually open from 9:30 am - 1:30 pm and 4:30-8:00 pm, though in the
bigger cities a certain number remain open 24 hours. There is a listing
displayed outside pharmacies and published in the daily press,
indicating wich of them are on night-service and/or open during the
weekend.
Standard museum
hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and Sundays and
holidays from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, but check with the Tourist Office of
Spain nearest you for hours of specific museums. Museums close on the
following holidays: January 1, Good Friday, May 1, and December 25.
Cinemas
also usually operate a flexible timetable, with the matinées beginning
at 4:30-5:00 pm and films being shown continuously until the last
screening at around 10:15 pm. Midnight shows are also a feature at some
of the cinemas in the bigger cities.
Theaters
tend to have a single function, with performances beginning at 8/8:30
pm.
Nightlife
in Spain is a class of its own, particularly from Thursday to Sunday.
Pubs, late night haunts (bares de copas) and discotheques
normally keep open until 3 or 4 in the morning, and in the major cities,
such as Madrid and Barcelona, there are innumerable night-spots that
stay open till dawn.
LANGUAGE
Castellano (Spanish) is spoken throughout the country. However, Català,
Gallego, Euskera (Basque) and Valencià are also official languages in
these autonomous regions: Catalonia, Galicia, the Basque Country and
Valencia, respectively.
Shopping and
Shipping
Travelers will find a great variety of items in Spain: ceramics,
jerwelry, suede and leather goods, designer clothing, shoes, fans,
handicrafts, antiques, art objects, etc. Many shops and all major
department stores will ship goods to the United States for a fee. If
purchases have to be shipped home, the following recommendations should
be kept in mind:
1) Receipts should be obtained from the store indicating the merchandise
bought and exact amount paid. These receipts should also indicate how
much has been paid for packing, shipping and insurance.
2) shipping costs usually indicate only the expenses as far as a port or
airport in the U.S.A. There are additional charges to be paid here for
customs, port handling and forwarding to the final destination.
3) If the purchase has been insured, the store should give the buyer the
name and address of the insurance company. The tourist should be aware
that the company must, in turn, send an inspector to evaluate any
damages caused in shipping. The inspector's fee must be paid by the
owner of the merchandise. The tourist should also be aware that this
cost may run higher than the actual price paid for the merchandise.
Taxes and Tax Free Shopping
A 7 percent V.A.T. (Value Added Tax) tax is added to rates for all
restaurants and hotel rooms. Service is included. This 7% V.A.T. tax on
services is not refundable.
GETTING YOUR V.A.T. BACK. Travelers to Spain are entitled to a
reimbursement of the 16 % V.A.T. (Value Added Tax, IVA in Spain) they
pay on all purchases as long as the purchases add up to no less than
90.15 Euros (approximately $86.00) in the same store. The vendor must
provide the purchaser with a duly filled out invoice which includes the
price of each good, the V.A.T. paid for each item, as well as the
identification (name and address) for both vendor and purchaser. The
goods must be brought out of the European Union within three months from
the date of purchase.
At the time of departure from Spain and final departure from the
European Union territory, and before checking in your baggage, you must
bring your invoice(s) and the merchandise purchased to the Spanish
Customs in order for them to process your V.A.T. refund claim (there is
a specific booth for this purpose just prior to the entrance to the
international area at the international port, gate or airport). The
Customs Officer will process the original invoice, and the passenger
should return this invoice(s) to the corresponding vendor(s). The
vendor(s) is responsible for issuing the V.A.T. refund (although,
usually, the processed or stamped invoice can be turned in at a bank in
the airport for reimbursement). This V.A.T. claim will only be processed
when Spain is the final point of departure from the European Union,
otherwise, this claim must be processed in the country of your
final departure from the European Union (and always before
leaving Spain or the EU).
COMMUNICATION
Telephones
Telephones To call Spain from the United States dial the international
access code (011) followed by the country code (34) and the phone
number. To call home from Spain dial the international access code (00)
followed by the U.S. country code (1) and the phone number. Public
telephones take coins as well as prepaid phone cards which can be bought
at post offices (Correos) and tobacco shops (estancos). In the cities,
the phone company, Telefónica, also operates public phone sites (locutorios)
where you can pay the attendant at the end of your call. Should you
travel with your laptop computer there is no need to bring any special
phone jack adaptors since Spanish and U.S. jacks are the same.
Mail
Stamps are available in post offices (Correos)which are usually open
from 8:30 am - 2:30 pm, Monday-Friday and usually Saturday mornings,
although some are open uninterruptedly from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm. The cost
of the postage to the US of a regular postcard or letter up to 20 grams
is 0.75 Euros. Stamps can also be purchased at tobacco shops (estancos).
DRIVING IN SPAIN
An international
driver's license is officially required to drive in Spain and can be
obtained at the AAA. Minimum driving age is 18. |
