Spain is the latest country to ask tourists to provide more personal details when visiting. The European hotspot has enacted new laws which mean that accommodation providers and car rental services will now need to collect more information from their customers.
Starting from the 2nd of December, guests checking into their accommodation will need to share their name, sex, nationality, passport number, date of birth, home address, and landline phone number as well as mobile phone, email address, number of people travelling, their relationship to them and the details of any children under the age of 14.
Travellers renting a car in Spain will need to share their driving license, payment information and GPS data. The law has been introduced to improve Spain’s national security. The information will be shared by the hotel or car rental service provider with the government. As well as international tourists, Spanish residents will need to provide the information if they stay away or rent a vehicle.
Spain is the second most popular tourist destination in the world with a total of 85.1 million tourists visiting the country in 2023. Australians can currently stay for up to 90 days on a 180-day period without a visa.
According to the BBC, the start date of the new rules, officially named as the Royal Decree 933/2021 – was pushed back from 1 October to give the industry more time to prepare.
Eligible businesses will need to register with the Ministry of the Interior and report the information daily or risk fines of €100 and €30,000 ($160 – $48,000).
The Ministry of the Interior said the rules were “justified for the general interest for the security of citizens against the threat of terrorism and other serious offences committed by criminal organisations”.
However, the Confederation of Spanish Hoteliers and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT) said it was concerned about the impact on businesses and is considering legal action against the rules.
Spain is just the latest country to reacquire tourists to share more information. The UK has just introduced the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) which is essentially its answer to the American ESTA. Meanwhile, Japan is also said to be introducing a similar system.
