With this summer set to be one of the busiest the travel industry has seen in years, millions of Brits are expected to head to Spain this year.
The European nation is a key destination for UK tourists. ABTA, the UK’s largest travel association, named Spain the most popular destination for tourists in 2022 - with some 29.3% of people surveyed saying they planned to visit the country this year.
With many travellers also set to rent a car during their holiday, a new rule could see people hit with fines. The Telegraph reports the Spanish government is demanding Britain hands over access to its vehicle owner database so it can chase up holidaymakers with fines if they depart the country.
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People could potentially return home with fines waiting in their letterbox.
Negotiations have accelerated after Madrid last week refused to extend interim rules allowing British long-term residents of Spain to drive in the country with their UK licences, leaving thousands of people in rural parts of the country stranded.
María José Aparicio of Spain's DGT driver and vehicle licensing authority told the paper “we never wanted to upset British residents”. She added: “The plan is that once they have been able to apply for the swap, hopefully in a few weeks, they can start driving again while the application is processed.”
While progress appears to be being made on this side of the deal, Spanish authorities are complaining the British Government is acting too slowly when it comes to the exchanging of driver databases. The UK is “dragging its feet”, claimed Ms Aparacio.
Spain’s demand for the establishment of an automated database to deliver fines is understood to be key in ongoing negotiations. The country sees the onus as being on Britain to move the talks forward due to it having left the Brussels bloc.
Ms Aparicio said: “This situation was provoked by Britain leaving the EU. We expect a bit more of an effort to reach a deal."
UK Government sources, however, told the Telegraph no other country had made this demand. They added a system was already in place allowing Spanish authorities to request driver information on a case-by-case basis.
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