With so many rules, restrictions, and bans coming into place for those visiting Spain this year, it's starting to feel a little like the Spanish might not like us Brits coming to visit them.
First, they want us to bring extra documents when entering the country, then they bring in a new drinking ban, and you know how much us Brits love drinking. And finally, they tell us we're not allowed to have a wee in the sea (although I'm not sure who's policing that, or how they're doing so).
But now, even if you've got into the country with your extra documents and evaded the 'wee police', the Spanish government has introduced a new set of rules for any of you looking to soak up the sun on their beaches.
What are the new rules to travel to Spain?
When booking your accommodation, or a rental car in Spain, you are now required by law to provide more information than before. This isn't optional, and refusal to do so will see you being refused your booking.
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All information collected by hotel owners, private rental providers, campsites, and car hire companies will now be passed onto the Spanish Ministry of Interior in order to improve the country's national security.
Before you will be allowed to book your accommodation, or rent a vehicle, you will now need to provide the following:
- Gender
- Nationality
- Date of birth
- Home address
- Landline phone number
- Mobile phone number
- Payment details and method
- Relationship to any children in the travelling party under the age of 14.
Much of this information you will need to provide to be able to book accommodation anyway, so the changes shouldn't cause too much of a headache.
Why has this law come in to place?
With the amount of new restrictions and laws coming into place just to visit Spain, you might be wondering if the Spanish just hate us. The short answer is, yeah, it seems they do (even Brits living in Spain do).
The country has recently been subjected to anti-tourism protests from residents who live in tourist hotspots.
This has led to Spain putting new regulations on short-term holiday rentals to ease housing shortages, putting in fines to ensure tourists behave while visiting the country, and they even have laws coming into effect soon to make sure we bugger off back home.
Other rules when flying to Spain
Before you travel to Spain, it's important to make sure that you've got all the required documents in place, or you could end up being turned away.
One area where Brits seem to trip up is when checking their passport. It's important to make sure that your passports was issued less than 10 years before the date of your arrival in Spain.
You also need to make sure to check the expiry date on your passport too. While you might think it's OK up until the date of expiry, since leaving the EU, Brits now need to make sure their passports are valid for at least three months after the day you’re leaving Spain.
Kegan Marquez