Travellers heading to property in Spain could find some simple steps help to protect them against losing their passport.

According to travel add-ons provider Holiday Extras, as many Britons misplace their passport each year as report it stolen while on holiday.

Each group accounts for around two per cent of people, with a further one per cent having their documentation stolen in a burglary at home.

With one in 20 people at risk of not having their identification with them when they need it, the firm has some simple advice to help deal with the loss of the document.

For instance, travellers are told to note down their passport number, to give to authorities if it is misplaced.

Two photocopies of the document should be made, with one left at home and the other stored separately from the passport at the destination, Holiday Extras suggests.

Britons heading to property in Spain may be particularly wise to heed the advice, as the Foreign & Commonwealth Office warns that authorities in the country can detain visitors who are unable to produce a passport, until their identity is proven through alternative means.

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