The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says:
The British Embassy in Madrid and Consulate General in Barcelona are in contact with local authorities and urgently seeking further information following incidents in the Las Ramblas area of central Barcelona and Cambrils, near Salou (100kms south west of Barcelona). If you’re in the immediate area you should take care and follow the advice of the local security authorities; press reports suggest that some public transport, particularly the metro, has been affected.
If you’re caught up in an ongoing incident, turn any mobile phones or other devices to silent, and do not put your location on social media. Follow the advice of the local authorities when instructed.
If you are safe, follow the instructions of the Spanish authorities and notify friends and family via social networks, to avoid using phone lines. A helpline has been set up on 0034 93 214 21 24, although some callers have experienced problems with the line. The Spanish authorities are working to resolve this.
What to do if you’re in Spain now
If you need medical assistance as a result of the terrorist attacks, call our 24-hour emergency assistance line on +44(0)207 748 0060 as soon as you can.
Otherwise, here’s how our cover can help you:
- Medical expenses – Any claims for medical costs you need to make as a result of the attacks are fully covered under the policy terms and conditions
- Repatriation – We’ll provide cover for repatriation in line with your medical needs
- Cutting short your trip – As the FCDO isn’t currently advising tourists to leave Spain, we can’t provide cover for cutting your trip short. You should speak to your holiday company or travel provider if you’re unhappy to stay in your resort
- Travel delay – These incidents shouldn’t have affected any flights or international travel out of Spain, so there’s no cover under this section
- Missed departure – If you’re delayed in reaching your international departure point as a result of the closure of the metro system following the attacks, you may qualify for cover under the missed departure section (if you have this cover on your policy). Please read your policy wording to check what cover you have
- Baggage claims – Any baggage claims associated with these incidents will be considered. If any delay or loss occurs if the government arrange for its return, claims should initially be submitted to that government authority before being submitted to us for consideration
We’ll automatically extend the cover on your policy if you’re unable to return home as planned.
What to do if you’ve booked a holiday to Spain
If you’ve booked a holiday to Spain and you’re due to leave very soon, please contact your holiday company as soon as you can as they should be able to either rearrange your holiday for another time or offer you a full refund. If you have a travel insurance policy with us, we can change this to cover your new holiday providing the new trip is within three months of your original departure date, is for the same (or no longer) duration and is to the same geographical area.
If your trip’s cancelled and you’re being fully refunded by your holiday company, and have no claim to make on your policy as a result, we’ll also consider the cancellation and refund of your existing policy (this only applies to single trip policies for specific trips covering the dates concerned).
Please note that our advice remains valid until further notice.
If you have any queries, please get in touch with us.