13 Feb, 2025 @ 13:04
1 min read

Can hotels in Spain photocopy your ID? All you need to know after tourist wins legal battle

Costa Blanca hotels record their best-ever start to a year boosted by foreign holidaymakers

A HOTEL in Cantabria has been fined €1,500 for turning a customer away after they refused to photocopy their ID.

They were handed down the judgement by the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) after a guest refused to let the hotel scan and photocopy their identity document. 

The client had reserved the room through booking.com and tried to complete the check in online but stopped when they were asked for a picture of both sides of their identification.

When they arrived, the hotel requested a photocopy and scan of the document, which the guest refused saying it was an excessive measure. 

Photo: Cordon Press

Instead, they offered to write down their details and pass them to the reception so they could check the booking. 

The hotel refused and their booking was subsequently cancelled. 

Afterwards, the client complained to the Cantabrian tourism ministry and the AEPD, which ruled in their favour. 

They ruled asking for a photocopy of ID is ‘excessive’ and the hotel has no need for some information listed on the card, such as a photo of the client. 

According to article 5.1c of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) personal data should be ‘adequate, appropriate and limited to what is necessary for the ends specified.’ 

While the hotel claimed the ID photocopy was necessary to check the client’s details, the AEPD concluded only some details were necessary. 

These include: name, second name, ID number, supporting document number, type of document, nationality and date of birth. 

The hotel paid the fine, which was reduced by 20%, handing over a total of €1,200.

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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