TRAVELLING IN SPAIN
The autonomous laws governing the use of guide dogs and the additional state regulations recognize throughout the Spanish territory the right of the user of dog guide to access, in the company thereof, all kinds of public transport, hospitality establishments and regulated tourist accommodation. The right of access to domestic flights is guaranteed by a European Union rule, Article 7.2 of Regulation (EC) 1107/2006 of 5 July on the rights of persons with disabilities or reduced mobility in air transport (official publication) (0.10 MB),also downloadable in format (Word 0.03 MB). Therefore, the guide dog user should not find any access problems in their travels and accommodation in Spain.
The right of access is also guaranteed in museums and monuments of public ownership. With regard to religious monuments, most autonomous laws include religious and worship centers as an area armed with the right of access. Access to common and public spaces is also guaranteed, and some Communities extend this right to those protected natural areas where access with pets is not permitted.
As regards access to beaches, it is considered allowed throughout the national territory, regardless of what the municipal regulations provide regarding their use and access of pets, because it is a state public domain space for general use. It excludes the case of Catalonia, where the Law of 2009 expressly established, in the face of the criterion of the ONCE and the FOPG, that the access of guide dogs to the beaches is regulated by the provisions of the municipal ordinance for pets, which, in many cases, implies denying the autonomous access of blind people to the beaches.
With regard to the swimming pools of tourist and public accommodation, the guide dog user can access with him the pool enclosure, but the dog cannot bathe in it (unless authorized by the property). In swimming pools for collective use of buildings on a horizontally owned basis, access will depend on whether the applicable law considers their common spaces as an area of law or not.
The reluctance that some hotels or restaurants usually put to the access of the guide dog to dining areas, especially in case of law firms, are not serviced. The guide dog user has the right of access in such spaces, regardless of the existence of exposed food, just as they have it in a supermarket or grocery market. Your right of access to the environment prevails over the restrictions imposed by health regulations, precisely because the guiding dog is required to have special sanitary conditions to avoid any risk.
TRAVELING ABROAD
Travelling outside Spain with a guide dog involves having to consider two different sections:
- The health requirements and procedures that are required for the entry of the guide dog in the country or countries of destination and, where appropriate, for re-entry in Spain.
- Recognition of the right of access to the environment with guide dog in the country or countries of destination.
Both sections are equally important. Neglecting the former may mean that the guide dog must be quarantined at the customs office of a foreign port or airport, without sufficient guarantees of how it will be treated. Not attending to the second can turn a holiday into a real ordeal if it is a country where the right of access is not recognized and the user cannot enter any space with his guide dog. We then treat both separately.
- REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTRY INTO THE COUNTRY OF DESTINATION AND RE-ENTRY INTO SPAIN
At this point, it is appropriate to differentiate between travel to Member States of the European Union and travel to other countries.
1.1. POSTINGS TO EU MEMBER COUNTRIES
In this case, the guide dog must have a European passport for pets, which is an official document in veterinary card format that certifies the necessary requirements to travel with a dog in the EU. Some Autonomous Communities have adopted this document as a veterinary card, so guide dog users residing in them will already have it. In the other Communities, the user must go to his/her veterinarian to issue him/her that passport of his guide dog. The passport must collect the data and dates of vaccinations and deworming required for entry into the destination country.
In general, entry from Spain into other EU countries only requires that the guide dog has an approved identification microchip in place, that it has a valid anti-arabic vaccination (inoculation 21 days before travel, except for revaccinations) and that it has a European passport. To travel to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Finland and Norway (member of the European Economic Area) a valid deworming against E. multilocularis is also required between 24 and 120 hours before arriving in the country and listed on the passport.
Entry into the UK has additional requirements that can be found on the website https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad. In particular, entry into the UK is required through certain airlines and airports, with a slightly wider list for guide and assistance dogs than for domestic ones.
Returning to Spain from an EU country should not pose any problems, as the same general requirements are required as for departure to an EU country.
You can complete the information on the page of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, in the following section: http://www.magrama.gob.es/es/ganaderia/temas/comercio-exterior-ganadero/desplazamiento-animales-compania/Viajar-perros-gatos-hurones.aspx#para2.
1.2. DISPLACEMENTS TO COUNTRIES OUTSIDE THE EU
To travel with a guide dog to a country outside the EU it is recommended to follow the instructions made by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, which advises to consult with the embassy or consulate of the country of destination or obtain official information from the department responsible for that country. However, the official website of the Ministry itself has a search engine that is very useful for this purpose., and whose link is: http://cexgan.magrama.es/Modulos05/Publico/InformacionMercados.aspx?proc=7. By selecting in the first menu the category of dogs, cats and ferrets, you can choose from the second menu any country in the world and obtain information on the requirements for entry in it from Spain. Important information on these procedures is also provided in the link on the export protocol for pets:
2.CHECK THE RECOGNITION OF THE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO THE ENVIRONMENT AT DESTINATION
Checking that you will be able to exercise in the destination country the right of access to public places and spaces or for public use with the guide dog is the second step in deciding to travel with it. If you do not have a minimum guarantee that you can exercise that right, it is advisable to leave it in Spain in the care of someone you trust.
The most complete and up-to-date information on the right of access with guide dog in the countries of the European Union is contained in an exhaustive report by the European Parliament’s study service in 2015, under the title Guide Dogs in the EU (0.92 MB). It gives account of the legal status of the law in each State, as well as the problems or incidents reported in terms of its exercise. In addition, links and contacts from major organisations in the visual disability sector and guide dog training centres in EU countries are included.
Information on this subject is also provided in a comparative law study presented in 2010 by the ONCE Foundation (0.09 MB). This study includes data on some countries outside the EU, such as Canada and Switzerland.