Covid-19 Crisis: June 2020 Legal Updates
June 5th, 2020
This week has seen various legal updates regarding COVID-19, all of which point to a return to normality.
Here we show the most important ones:
Litigation
- Lifting of the suspension of procedural terms and deadlines, with effect from 4 June 2020. Terms and deadlines for litigation writs will be recalculated by granting the full period granted by law.
- August will only be a holiday period for litigation activity between the 1 and 10th of the month, the rest being normal working days. However, it is recommended that hearings are limited as much as possible and that writs and other legal submissions for the period between 11-31st of August 2020 are notified preferably before the 15th of June, with a view we think of allowing legal professional arrange their holidays.
- Lifting of the suspension of the statute of limitations and expiration periods, with effect from 4 June 2020.
Administrative
- Lifting of the suspension of administrative terms and deadlines, with effect from 1 June 2020. This implies procedures such as with the municipality, traffic fines, social security etc.
- The suspension of administrative deadlines is not applicable to tax proceedings, and applicable at national, regional or local level.
Immigration and travelling:
- By reference to the Ministry Order approved on the 20th of May Non-EU residents of Spain whose residency cards have expired in the interval between 3 months prior to the commencement of the state of alarm”, or lockdown (15th of March 2020), and the first day after the state of alarm is lifted (est. 7th of June 2020 or, if it gets extended for a last time, the 21st of June), will enjoy an automatic extension to renew their cards of up to 6 months from the first day after the “State of Alarm” is terminated. Those residents who are abroad whilst the country is in a situation of state of Alarm will be able to enter Spanish territory within the same 6-month period (December 2020), showing the expired card and a valid airline ticket (or equivalent if using a different means of transport).
- With regards to EU residents, they do not face this problem as it is largely irrelevant if an EU person lives in Spain permanently with, or without a residency card.
- Until further notice, travelers into Spain will have to observe a minimum 14-day quarantine period, at home. There is to our knowledge no system to monitor the observance of this obligation.
Leave a Reply