Spain is introducing new legal requirements for tourist arrivals, in a bid to improve security but is facing backlash from consumer protection groups who say the information visitors are being asked to provide is intrusive.
The Spanish State Secretariat for Security is bringing in the new rules as a result of fears around public safety, noting that: “The greatest attacks on public safety are carried out by both terrorist activity and organised crime, in both cases with a marked transnational character.”
With tourism booming in Spain, authorities have created a series of checks, to ensure they can track on where people are staying while they visit Spain, as well as cross-referencing this info with other details.
As of Monday, 2 December 2024, hotels and tourist accommodation providers, who already gather information on the people staying with them, have to gather the following details from all clients aged 14 and above:
- Full name
- Gender
- Nationality
- Passport number
- Date of birth
- Home address
- Landline phone number (if you have one)
- Mobile phone number
- Email address
- Details of how the client paid
In addition, adults travelling with under-14-year-olds will have to define their relationship with the minors.
Simon Calder, writing in the Independent, has guessed that some providers will ask visitors to fill out paper forms on or prior to arrival, which could cause delays when checking in. Car rental firms are also being required to gather the same information for every driver on a contract.
The onus is on the businesses to get the information right. While penalties will be applied to providers who fail to obey the new rules, there are currently no sanctions laid out for guests who do not provide the right details.
Consumer groups may criticise the rules for being heavy handed, but with EU entry-exit and Etias systems looming, travellers are going to have to get accustomed to providing more data than they have in the past. Businesses will be bound by data protection laws and, Calder says, “it’s likely that the vast majority of hotels will delegate management of sensitive information to a specialised company, rather than keeping your credit card details on a USB stick in the back office.”
