subject: Staying legal on the Costa del Sol [print this page] Staying legal on the Costa del Sol Staying legal on the Costa del Sol
When you are out and about in Spain there are a few things that you should be aware of in order to avoid an unnecessary embarrassment or fines from the police. Most of the rules are commonsense but there are a few that you might not know about so please read on.
ID You should always have some type of photo identity on you at all times in Spain such as your passport or even your photo card driving license. If you are involved in an incident or the police suspect you for something the first thin they will ask for is you ID do try and make a point of having it on you at all times.
Paying by Credit or Debit Card Spain has not really insisted on the whole chip and pin way of paying. If your card does have one of the chips you might be asked to enter your pin number but many cards in Spain are still just the hologram type so the older swipe method is still widely used. In either case you will be asked for ID and again this will need to be some type of photo ID such as your passport or driving license photo card. The shops, even the supermarkets may refuse to serve you without it so please make sure you have some type of ID on you when you go shopping.
Restaurants don't tend to ask for ID when paying by card but it is worth having something on you to avoid any embarrassment should they ask.
Crossing the Road Believe it or not Spain has a jay walking type law and although virtually nobody adheres to it, try and cross the road at designated areas and only when the light allow or there is a zebra crossing.
Smoking Although smoking restrictions were strictly enforced when it was first brought in a few years ago most establishments lapsed and went back to smoking areas however, in July of 2010 this is about to change with a strict ban in an public areas where there are likely to be non smokers.
