New data requirements for visiting Spain?

[NorthernLass]

I haven’t seen this anywhere else:

https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/spain/experiences/news/spain-enacted-a-new-law-that-has-major-implications-for-travelers

I’m not sure I’d be happy about providing bank details. If this is correct then I’m inclined to suspect that the Spanish government is interested in potential tax evaders as well as terrorists!

[AndrewT]

New one on me as well, although it’s not difficult to open a spare unused bank account if you don’t already have one (just in case they subsequently do any validation).

PS Those of us overseas can chat amongst ourselves until the UK wakes up 😀

[NorthernLass]

Indeed. Just on the beach watching the sunset before dinner!

I was already thinking I would be giving my “other” account details if asked!

[ChrisBCN]

I think that earlier link may be wrong about needing banking details, I have not heard that mentioned on any other news source. An article from earlier in the week from a more accurate news source –

https://www.catalannews.com/society-science/item/spain-enforces-controversial-law-requiring-hotels-to-collect-additional-customer-information

[NorthernLass]

Thanks, yes, it’s probably more likely they’ll be collecting payment details rather than just banking info.

I’ve no idea how hotels etc are supposed to verify all this stuff though 🤷‍♀️

[John]

I guess hotels will be required to ask for a payment card and copy down the details, even if prepaid or you pay with cash or points. Until now it has been rare for hotels in Spain to ask me for a payment card on check in.

[Not Long Now...]

Currently in the Canaries and our 3 residences so far all sent email links to check in on line in advance. Picture of ID document and home address required, but nothing about bank details. Staff not overly impressed with longer times required for visitors to fill in forms if not done in advance…

[JDB]

Not Long Now… wrote:

Currently in the Canaries and our 3 residences so far all sent email links to check in on line in advance. Picture of ID document and home address required, but nothing about bank details. Staff not overly impressed with longer times required for visitors to fill in forms if not done in advance…

Yes, I don’t think any of this is as new as suggested but is now apparently being enforced. We were required to provide all this data for each occupant, for two rental apartments in Spain last Christmas. They both used the same app – checkinscan. It’s being regularly collected in lots of countries whether overtly or not.

[freckles]

Checked into BAH hotel in Tenerife yesterday – just provided the normal passport, name address, phone no and email address. No card details etc.

Coming through immigration i was however sent to the machines that collect your biometric details, so I’m now fingerprinted and mug shotted.

[NorthernLass]

Having thought about it, we weren’t asked for anything extra in Malaga in February, but were presented with a short form to fill in address/email/phone in Vigo in September but assumed that was because it was an apartment rental where the owners were off-site.

We’ll see what happens at VLC in February.

[Misty]

I think it has been on the statute books for sometime, some sort of royal decree, but the government platform it has to be uploaded to couldn’t cope, probably due to the huge volume with Spain being such a large and touristic country. It seems to have officially come into force on 1st December this year, maybe so that it can bed-in during the quieter winter months.

It must be a real faff for the reception staff to have to upload all this onto a system at check-in, with a line of guests in front of them, who just want to get to their rooms.

[NorthernLass]

Spanish bureaucracy is generally a nightmare!

I’m sure there’ll be a few outraged DM headlines after the first queues 😂

[JDB]

Misty wrote:

I think it has been on the statute books for sometime, some sort of royal decree, but the government platform it has to be uploaded to couldn’t cope, probably due to the huge volume with Spain being such a large and touristic country. It seems to have officially come into force on 1st December this year, maybe so that it can bed-in during the quieter winter months.

It must be a real faff for the reception staff to have to upload all this onto a system at check-in, with a line of guests in front of them, who just want to get to their rooms.

In those countries where providing this information to the authorities – eg France, Italy, Switzerland and many countries around the world, it’s integrated into check-in systems so there’s no extra work involved. Many hotels (and professional rental providers) in Spain have been complying for years so it’s only resistant outliers now experiencing issues.

[JDB]

NorthernLass wrote:

Spanish bureaucracy is generally a nightmare!

I’m sure there’ll be a few outraged DM headlines after the first queues 😂

I think few people in the UK appreciate how relatively unbureaucratic we are here. Most Napoleonic / civil code countries are similar in extraordinary levels of bureaucracy – Spain is quite bad, but try Italy or France or best of all Argentina that was taught by the French.

[Misty]

JDB wrote:

Misty wrote:

I think it has been on the statute books for sometime, some sort of royal decree, but the government platform it has to be uploaded to couldn’t cope, probably due to the huge volume with Spain being such a large and touristic country. It seems to have officially come into force on 1st December this year, maybe so that it can bed-in during the quieter winter months.

It must be a real faff for the reception staff to have to upload all this onto a system at check-in, with a line of guests in front of them, who just want to get to their rooms.

In those countries where providing this information to the authorities – eg France, Italy, Switzerland and many countries around the world, it’s integrated into check-in systems so there’s no extra work involved. Many hotels (and professional rental providers) in Spain have been complying for years so it’s only resistant outliers now experiencing issues.

My understanding is that whilst most of this information is currently collected at hotels and other accommodations. It has been kept locally, and not nationally.

Now it has to be put into a national government system where it will be kept for a period of 3 years.

Visitors to Spain (and also Spanish residents who holiday in Spain) are naturally worried about any data breaches, as the new system will include peoples bank details, so a hackers delight.

Not sure if this link will work, but this blogger who admittedly blogs specifically on Majorca has information on her channel, which she updates regularly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBhwmTS2jeg

[JDB]

There seems to a lot of misinformation surrounding this. The Royal Decree 933/2021 which finally came into effect last week is in the link below.

The traveller isn’t required to provide their bank details, but the lodging provider is required to provide details of the contract/booking which includes how it received payment. If that included payment by bank transfer, the bank details available to the lodging provider will be supplied to the Interior Ministry, but if you paid by credit card the Ministry will get those details rather than bank details. As noted by @Misty above, that information has been collected for years by local authorities but not by central government. Airlines have also for many years supplied such data routinely to local and international agencies.

There’s really nothing very new as far as traveller is concerned. It’s all been happening behind the scenes for a long time. Made for excitable Daily Mail headlines I guess.

In Spain, this is partly to keep track of tourism but also to clamp down on informal lodgings including ones try to evade local restrictions and tax evaders.

https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2021-17461

[Misty]

@JDB your link is so much more impressive than mine, Talking of misinformation, I had a look on TripAdvisor where quite a few folk seem to be blaming it on Brexit !