Safety in Spain for travellers: pickpockets, scams and what to do if you are robbed

Is Spain a safe destination?

Yes, on the whole. As of 17 October 2026, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no travel risk warning (危険情報) in force for Spain on its overseas safety website.

What does happen is petty theft. According to the same ministry, almost all the incidents involving Japanese travellers known to the Embassy in Madrid and the Consulate General in Barcelona are thefts of this kind: on public transport and in stations, at monuments and tourist sites, in hotel lobbies, and in bars and restaurants. It is not about any particular neighbourhood: it happens where there are crowds and attention is elsewhere.

The basic idea is simple: carry only what you need, split it up and, if someone distracts you, check your belongings first.

The most common tricks

These are the methods described by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its page on Spain. Almost all share one thing: one person distracts you while another acts.

• The distraction. A bump, a question, a map held in front of your face or coins dropped on the ground. While you look, someone else takes the wallet from your bag or pocket.
• The stain on your clothes. Someone tells you there is ketchup, ice cream or some liquid on your clothes, sometimes offers to clean it, and meanwhile your bag or wallet disappears.
• The help with your suitcase. On station stairs, several people offer to carry your luggage up and empty your pockets while they do. The ministry also warns about people who appear to help when an escalator suddenly stops.
• The unattended bag. In restaurants, cafés, hotel lobbies, stations and airports, thieves take whatever is on the floor or on the next chair. Be especially careful when checking in or out of a hotel and at buffet breakfasts.
• The bag snatch. On quiet streets someone grabs a bag, sometimes from a motorbike. Carry your bag in front of you and on the side away from the road.
• The card swap at the airport. Someone says in Japanese or English that they have missed their flight to Japan, have no card, and asks you to pay at a machine in exchange for cash. While repeating the payment, they swap your card for a similar one. Do not accept requests like this: if they insist, go to the airline staff or the airport police.
• The cash machine. The National Police warn that thieves may distract you while you withdraw money in order to take it. Cover the keypad and do not accept help.
• If you drive: the fake flat tyre. Someone tells you that you have a flat tyre and, when you stop, steals from the car. Do not stop straight away: drive on to a safe place, and always lock the car when you get out.

How to carry your passport, money and phone

• Your passport stays with you. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs points out that in Spain foreigners must always carry an identity document, and for a tourist that means the passport. Keep it in a zipped inside pocket or a pouch under your clothes, never in a back pocket or the outer pocket of a backpack. Also keep a photo of the data page on your phone and in the cloud: if you lose it, it will save time.
• Split your money and cards. Do not carry much cash or keep it all in one place. One card in your wallet and another kept separately is a good habit.
• Keep your wallet out of sight. Have small amounts ready to pay and avoid counting notes in the street.
• Phone in your hand or put away. Do not leave it on a café table or in a back pocket. Turn on the screen lock and the find-my-phone feature before you travel.
• No travel plans on social media. The National Police recommend not posting your holiday plans while you are away.
• Stay calm with the police. If an officer asks for your ID, show it calmly. The Japanese ministry warns that arguing with the police in Spain can have serious consequences, even over minor matters.

Pavement cafés, bars and restaurants

Pavement cafés are one of the great pleasures of Andalusia, and also the easiest place to lose concentration.

• Keep your bag on your lap or in sight, not hanging on the back of your chair or on the floor behind you.
• If you put it on the floor, loop a leg or the strap through the handle.
• Do not leave your phone, wallet or sunglasses on the edge of the table, especially at tables next to the street.
• If someone comes over to show you a piece of paper, a map or something for sale and puts it on the table, move your things before you look.
• At the hotel buffet breakfast, do not leave your bag on the chair while you fetch food.

On public transport and in crowds

The National Police advise keeping your bag closed and in front of you on public transport and using your front pockets. The same goes for backpacks: on the metro, the bus or in a queue, wear it on your front.

Keep these precautions in mind especially in crowded places, for example:

• Stations and airports, such as Sevilla-Santa Justa or Málaga María Zambrano, when getting on and off with luggage and on stairs. Flying in? Our Seville airport guide explains how to get to the centre.
• Queues and entrances at monuments, such as the Royal Alcázar in Seville, the Alhambra in Granada or the Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba.
• Shopping streets and festivals: Calle Larios in Malaga, the processions of Holy Week in Seville or the April Fair, where people stand very close together.

On trains and buses, keep an eye on your suitcase and any bag on the luggage rack. If you are suddenly surrounded by several people on a platform or in a doorway, hold on to your bag and step away.

What to do if you are robbed

1. In an emergency, or if the theft is happening now, call 112 (emergencies, all of Spain) or 091 (National Police).

2. Block your cards. Call your bank or card issuer, or block them in their app. Keep those numbers written down somewhere other than your wallet. If your phone was taken, change the passwords for your email and accounts from another device.

3. Report it to the police. You will need the police report to apply for a new passport, and your insurer may ask for it. There are three ways:

• At a National Police station. You can find the nearest one with the station finder.
• Online, through the Virtual Complaints Office, available in Spanish, English, French and German. At the end you get a reference number, and you must sign the report at the police station you chose within 72 hours: without that signature it is not valid. It cannot be used if there was violence or intimidation, if you know the perpetrator or there were witnesses, if you are under 18, or if the crime is happening at that moment.
• By phone, on 902 102 112, the reporting line for foreign tourists. The Andalusian regional government says it is answered in English, French, German and Italian. You will also have to sign the report at a police station afterwards.

Always keep a copy of the report.

4. Get help in your language at a SATE. The Foreign Tourist Assistance Service (SATE) is a National Police office with interpreters, set up for tourists who have been victims of a crime. As well as the police report, it helps with consular procedures, cancelling cards and contacting family. The National Police have SATE offices in Madrid, Malaga, Marbella, Estepona, Benalmádena, Benidorm, Gandía, Manacor, Playa de Palma, Ibiza, Mahón, Seville and Granada. In Andalusia:

Addresses as listed by the German Consulate in Malaga (July 2025). Call before you go to confirm opening hours and whether there is an interpreter for your language. Cordoba is not on the National Police SATE list: go to a police station.

For questions about safety on your trip (not for reporting crimes), the National Police have an email address, [email protected]. They also have a free app, AlertCops, for alerting the police to a crime or a risky situation, as a victim or a witness.

If you lose your Japanese passport

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives these steps:

1. Report the loss or theft to the local police where you are, without crossing any border.
2. Go to the Embassy or a Consulate of Japan to apply for a new passport or a travel document to return to Japan (帰国のための渡航書). Call first to ask what you need to bring.

Before leaving Japan, sign up for たびレジ (Tabireg), the ministry's service for trips of under three months: you receive safety alerts in Japanese and the Embassy can reach you if something happens.

If you are not from Japan, the process is similar: report it to the police, then contact your embassy or consulate.

Medical emergencies

The number for any emergency, medical ones included, is 112: it connects you to the police, the fire service and medical services.

• Travel insurance. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends travelling with insurance that has good medical cover, because treatment can be very expensive. Before you leave, check what your policy covers and save its assistance phone number.
• If you live in the European Union, bring your European Health Insurance Card. According to the European Commission, it works in the public health system, but not for private care or repatriation.
• Medicines. In Spain some medicines are only sold on prescription. Bring your usual medication with you.

Before you go out: keep these handy

• 112 (emergencies) and 091 (National Police).
• 902 102 112 (phone reports for foreign tourists).
• The phone numbers of your embassy, your insurer and your bank, written down somewhere other than your wallet.
• A photo of your passport and your insurance policy, on your phone and in the cloud.
• Mobile data to call, use maps or translate if you need help, for example with an eSIM.

And to enjoy your trip, the concerts, exhibitions and things to do each day are on the Seville events calendar.