Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an extraordinary advisory on Saturday evening calling on the 158 Spaniards registered in Iran to exit the country “as soon as commercial options become available” and warning the estimated 30,000 nationals resident or travelling elsewhere in the region to remain indoors and keep travel documents at hand. The communiqué follows the complete closure of Iranian and Israeli airspace and partial shutdowns in Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates after retaliatory strikes between Tehran and Jerusalem.
Dozens of Iberia, Air Europa and Vueling code-share passengers were among those diverted to Athens and Istanbul when Gulf hubs ground to a halt. Consular staff in Abu Dhabi and Doha have set up emergency hotlines but admit that evacuation flights are impossible while over-flight bans remain in place. “For now the safest airport with limited connectivity is Muscat,” one official told Infobae España, advising travellers to monitor the EU’s DACOTA conflict-zone bulletin.
![Madrid urges Spaniards to leave Iran as 30,000 nationals stranded across Middle East flight shutdown]()
Amid the uncertainty, many travelers are turning to specialists like VisaHQ for up-to-date entry requirements, expedited documentation and rerouting advice. The company’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) aggregates real-time visa and travel alerts and can coordinate courier pickup of passports or help arrange compliant travel insurance, giving both corporate mobility teams and holidaymakers an extra layer of support until scheduled flights normalize.
The advisory also activates Spain’s contingency plan for non-combatant evacuation (NEO). Military sources say an A400M transport aircraft is on stand-by in Zaragoza should a humanitarian air corridor open. Large Spanish employers in the region, including Técnicas Reunidas and Indra, have begun tallying expatriate headcounts and reviewing insurance cover for dependants.
Mobility experts urge companies to contact relocation providers before ordering staff out, stressing that breaking housing leases or schooling contracts without notice can create legal exposure. For individual travellers the Foreign Ministry recommends registering on the ‘Registro de Viajeros’ app, booking refundable fares and ensuring passports have at least six months’ validity to avoid bottlenecks once commercial flights resume.
Dozens of Iberia, Air Europa and Vueling code-share passengers were among those diverted to Athens and Istanbul when Gulf hubs ground to a halt. Consular staff in Abu Dhabi and Doha have set up emergency hotlines but admit that evacuation flights are impossible while over-flight bans remain in place. “For now the safest airport with limited connectivity is Muscat,” one official told Infobae España, advising travellers to monitor the EU’s DACOTA conflict-zone bulletin.
Amid the uncertainty, many travelers are turning to specialists like VisaHQ for up-to-date entry requirements, expedited documentation and rerouting advice. The company’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) aggregates real-time visa and travel alerts and can coordinate courier pickup of passports or help arrange compliant travel insurance, giving both corporate mobility teams and holidaymakers an extra layer of support until scheduled flights normalize.
The advisory also activates Spain’s contingency plan for non-combatant evacuation (NEO). Military sources say an A400M transport aircraft is on stand-by in Zaragoza should a humanitarian air corridor open. Large Spanish employers in the region, including Técnicas Reunidas and Indra, have begun tallying expatriate headcounts and reviewing insurance cover for dependants.
Mobility experts urge companies to contact relocation providers before ordering staff out, stressing that breaking housing leases or schooling contracts without notice can create legal exposure. For individual travellers the Foreign Ministry recommends registering on the ‘Registro de Viajeros’ app, booking refundable fares and ensuring passports have at least six months’ validity to avoid bottlenecks once commercial flights resume.
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