Spanish travellers are being urged to follow four key rules while on holiday. The new advisory comes from Spain’s Ministry of the Interior, which encourages holidaymakers to keep these four rules in mind before and during their travels. By taking these precautions, officials say travellers can enjoy a safer and more relaxed experience.
Taking to X, the ministry wrote: “Are you travelling? May your vacation be top-notch and not a scare”. They then asked people to:
- Watch your luggage
- Lock your suitcases
- Separate money and cards
- Be careful with bags and pockets in crowds
In a separate warning on the GOV.UK website, the UK Foreign Office said: “You must provide photo ID if asked by a police officer. This includes the Guardia Civil and national, regional and local police forces. The police have the right to hold you at a police station until they have confirmed your identity.
“Ignoring direct requests of a police officer can be considered as ‘disobedience’, which is a criminal offence. Hotels, tourist accommodation and car rental companies have a legal duty to register passport and other details of tourists who check in or collect a vehicle.”
They advise that when checking into your accommodation, you should wait until hotel staff have either recorded your passport details or made a copy. Never leave your passport at the front desk to collect later, they say. You might also be required to show identification when using a credit or debit card for purchases. Some stores may accept a driver’s licence or a passport copy, but others may insist on seeing your original passport.
Holidaymakers or those on business should also note that Spain follows Schengen area rules. This means your passport must:
- have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive – if you renewed your passport before 1 October 2018, it may have a date of issue that is more than 10 years ago
- have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area (the expiry date does not need to be within 10 years of the date of issue)
Check with your travel provider to ensure your passport and any other travel documents meet all necessary requirements and remeber to renew your passport if required. The UK Foreign Office warns that you could be denied entry if your documents are invalid or if you try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.