Speaking to Spanish radio station Onda Cero, Reyes Maroto, the country’s minister of industry, commerce and tourism, announced the certification scheme would be axed within days, according to The i.

“It will be a matter of days before we are going to eliminate a restriction that could be discouraging tourists from outside the European Union from visiting us, and that is that we are going to stop requiring the vaccination certificate to allow them to enter with a negative test," Maroto is reported as saying.

The move would mean unvaccinated adults will be able to enter Spain on the basis of a negative test for Covid-19. However, there is no indication rules on children will be relaxed; children aged between 12 and 17 must test negative for Covid-19 to enter the country. Under-12s are exempt from the rules.

Spain is one of only a few European countries to have retained Covid restrictions stipulating unvaccinated children aged 12 to 17 must show a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure or proof of recovery from Covid in the past six months. 

Earlier this month, the Madrid government extended this requirement until 15 June.

A spokesperson for the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK confirmed it was aware of the comments, but stressed no changes had yet been made to the rules.