For those who’re approaching vacation to Spain this yr or travelling inside the nation, it is value holding in thoughts that inns usually are not allowed to scan, {photograph} or photocopy your passport or different ID.
The Spanish Information Safety Company (AEPD) has despatched a reminder to inns that they don’t seem to be authorised to make or request copies of passports and ID playing cards from their company.
The notification was additionally despatched to Spain’s Inside Ministry and the Confederation of Corporations warning that copies can pose a threat to folks’s privateness.
A 2021 decree states that inns and different vacationer lodging should gather sure items knowledge from company resembling title, passport or ID quantity, deal with and date of beginning.
Many of those are present in passports and ID playing cards and the company has seen that many inns merely take a replica of those to get all the data without delay, as a substitute of asking company to fill out every element themselves.
Whereas this would possibly save time for each the lodge and the visitor, it additionally violates the precept of information minimisation.
Which means these kind of journey paperwork comprise a lot extra info than is required by legislation.
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Pictures, expiration date and fogeys’ names for instance usually are not essential to verify right into a lodge, however by photocopying a passport, inns routinely has all these as nicely.
This in flip will increase a threat of id theft, with lodge employees probably capable of pay money for these info and promote it on to others on the black market.
Based on the Spanish Information Safety Company, the ID playing cards usually are not a sound technique of complying with the regulation, and sending a replica of paperwork doesn’t permit for correct verification of the id of the particular person sending it.
AEPD advises that to authenticate the information offered in particular person, a visible verification of the doc is sufficient.
If achieved on-line, digital certificates can be utilized as a type of authentication, however as these are normally solely held by folks in Spain, they don’t seem to be helpful for purchasers coming from overseas.
Due to this fact, the company additionally means that codes may very well be despatched to the buyer’s telephone or electronic mail to confirm them.
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One of many greatest points is that in the beginning of December 2024, the Spanish authorities introduced that inns and different tour businesses, in addition to automobile rental corporations, must collate much more private knowledge from their prospects.
Royal Decree 933/2021, now requires round 18 additional items of data from travellers, bringing it to a complete of 42 separate particulars wanted when registering vacationers in Spain.
It is a lot of data to ask from vacationers at check-in after a protracted flight and even to ask over e-mail. This goes a great distance in explaining why many simply determine to photocopy or ask for footage of passports or ID playing cards as a substitute.
