diff --git a/sentry_sdk/api.py b/sentry_sdk/api.py
index e724a3b317..db0ce275fd 100644
--- a/sentry_sdk/api.py
+++ b/sentry_sdk/api.py
@@ -237,7 +237,6 @@ def flush(
 
 def start_span(
     *,
-    span=None,
     custom_sampling_context=None,
     **kwargs,  # type: Any
 ):
@@ -255,7 +254,7 @@ def start_span(
     method.
     """
     # TODO: Consider adding type hints to the method signature.
-    return get_current_scope().start_span(span, custom_sampling_context, **kwargs)
+    return get_current_scope().start_span(custom_sampling_context, **kwargs)
 
 
 def start_transaction(
diff --git a/sentry_sdk/integrations/opentelemetry/potel_span_processor.py b/sentry_sdk/integrations/opentelemetry/potel_span_processor.py
index db4c1f58d6..06376ec3e6 100644
--- a/sentry_sdk/integrations/opentelemetry/potel_span_processor.py
+++ b/sentry_sdk/integrations/opentelemetry/potel_span_processor.py
@@ -51,8 +51,7 @@ def on_end(self, span):
         if is_sentry_span(span):
             return
 
-        # TODO-neel-potel-remote only take parent if not remote
-        if span.parent:
+        if span.parent and not span.parent.is_remote:
             self._children_spans[span.parent.span_id].append(span)
         else:
             # if have a root span ending, we build a transaction and send it
diff --git a/sentry_sdk/integrations/opentelemetry/scope.py b/sentry_sdk/integrations/opentelemetry/scope.py
index 50a7e45b01..01bf693611 100644
--- a/sentry_sdk/integrations/opentelemetry/scope.py
+++ b/sentry_sdk/integrations/opentelemetry/scope.py
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@
 from contextlib import contextmanager
 
 from opentelemetry.context import get_value, set_value, attach, detach, get_current
+from opentelemetry.trace import SpanContext, NonRecordingSpan, TraceFlags, use_span
 
 from sentry_sdk.scope import Scope, ScopeType
+from sentry_sdk.tracing import POTelSpan
 from sentry_sdk.integrations.opentelemetry.consts import (
     SENTRY_SCOPES_KEY,
     SENTRY_FORK_ISOLATION_SCOPE_KEY,
@@ -14,6 +16,8 @@
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from typing import Tuple, Optional, Generator, Dict, Any
 
+    from sentry_sdk._types import SamplingContext
+
 
 class PotelScope(Scope):
     @classmethod
@@ -61,10 +65,43 @@ def _get_isolation_scope(cls):
     @contextmanager
     def continue_trace(self, environ_or_headers):
         # type: (Dict[str, Any]) -> Generator[None, None, None]
-        with new_scope() as scope:
-            scope.generate_propagation_context(environ_or_headers)
-            # TODO-neel-potel add remote span on context
+        self.generate_propagation_context(environ_or_headers)
+
+        span_context = self._incoming_otel_span_context()
+        if span_context is None:
             yield
+        else:
+            with use_span(NonRecordingSpan(span_context)):
+                yield
+
+    def _incoming_otel_span_context(self):
+        # type: () -> Optional[SpanContext]
+        if self._propagation_context is None:
+            return None
+        # If sentry-trace extraction didn't have a parent_span_id, we don't have an upstream header
+        if self._propagation_context.parent_span_id is None:
+            return None
+
+        trace_flags = TraceFlags(
+            TraceFlags.SAMPLED
+            if self._propagation_context.parent_sampled
+            else TraceFlags.DEFAULT
+        )
+
+        # TODO-neel-potel tracestate
+        span_context = SpanContext(
+            trace_id=int(self._propagation_context.trace_id, 16),  # type: ignore
+            span_id=int(self._propagation_context.parent_span_id, 16),  # type: ignore
+            is_remote=True,
+            trace_flags=trace_flags,
+        )
+
+        return span_context
+
+    def start_span(self, custom_sampling_context=None, **kwargs):
+        # type: (Optional[SamplingContext], Any) -> POTelSpan
+        # TODO-neel-potel ideally want to remove the span argument, discuss with ivana
+        return POTelSpan(**kwargs, scope=self)
 
 
 _INITIAL_CURRENT_SCOPE = PotelScope(ty=ScopeType.CURRENT)
diff --git a/sentry_sdk/tracing.py b/sentry_sdk/tracing.py
index 43a17e44ff..66a3a7b7c7 100644
--- a/sentry_sdk/tracing.py
+++ b/sentry_sdk/tracing.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
 
 from opentelemetry import trace as otel_trace, context
+from opentelemetry.trace import format_trace_id, format_span_id
 from opentelemetry.trace.status import StatusCode
 
 import sentry_sdk
@@ -1346,13 +1347,13 @@ def parent_span_id(self):
 
     @property
     def trace_id(self):
-        # type: () -> Optional[str]
-        return self._otel_span.get_span_context().trace_id
+        # type: () -> str
+        return format_trace_id(self._otel_span.get_span_context().trace_id)
 
     @property
     def span_id(self):
-        # type: () -> Optional[str]
-        return self._otel_span.get_span_context().span_id
+        # type: () -> str
+        return format_span_id(self._otel_span.get_span_context().span_id)
 
     @property
     def sampled(self):