The Guardia Civil presented yesterday, Thursday, 6th August, at the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport, a tool that allows foreign citizens to file a complaint electronically by identifying themselves with the digital certificate of their own country, without needing to obtain a Spanish one. The initiative, promoted by the Alicante Command and the Cyber Command of the General Directorate of the Guardia Civil, has been announced in the middle of the summer campaign and at the largest entry point for tourists in the province of Alicante.
The Deputy Government Delegate in Alicante, Manuel Pineda, emphasised its usefulness for those who find themselves far from home. Wherever they are, they can access this tool online and calmly write down what has happened to them, relieving the anxiety of a very distressing situation, he noted.
The tool, managed by the Cyber Command, operates entirely online and is available in six languages, including German, French, Italian, and Portuguese, in addition to an automatic translator for more languages. The important thing is that they no longer have to go to the barracks, and without the language barrier,’ summarised Sergeant Esther Suárez of the Cyber Command.
Electronic reporting has been operational for Spaniards and residents since 4th July, 2025, and any foreign resident could already use it if they obtained a Spanish digital certificate from the National Mint and Stamp Factory. The new feature being introduced now is that a citizen of the European Union and the United Kingdom can identify themselves directly with their own country certificate, under the European eIDAS regulation, without any prior procedures in Spain.
The system does not cover every incident. Its use is limited to crimes such as theft, damage, online fraud, vehicle theft, and theft of items from inside vehicles. In addition, it covers two administrative procedures: reporting the loss or location of documents. Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Darder, head of operations for the Alicante Command, has insisted that the key is agility for a tourist who only stays a few days in the province of Alicante.
The data handled by the Cyber Command, whose system operates from the INCIBE headquarters in León, reflects the reception of the channel on a national scale: until 30th July, an average of 187 complaints per day have been registered, with nearly 6,000 crimes processed in July alone. Furthermore, over half of the cases involved scams and fraud, accounting for 58.9% of the incidents processed. According to the Command, the tool has enabled the blocking and recovery of a total of 6,574,109 euro.
The presentation is part of the Guardia Civil Safe Tourism Plan. We want to provide comfort to tourists visiting Spain and contribute to strengthening the sector, the Guardia Civil explained.
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