Passport question

[Monkeyleg]

I just got my first passport. I've read that you should make a copy of the main information page to carry with you while walking about in another country, and leave the original passport in the hotel safe. Is this true?

[Hawkmoon]

Yes.

[De Selby]

I just got my first passport. I've read that you should make a copy of the main information page to carry with you while walking about in another country, and leave the original passport in the hotel safe. Is this true?

Depends on where you go.  Some countries require you to have it.  Others the hotel safe is less safe than your person. 

[Blakenzy]

I think that the copy is only meant to assist you in dealing with the nearest US Embassy in the event of losing the actual passport. I don't think it will be of use when being required by locals to present a valid ID.

[charby]

I went to Europe in 2001, only times I needed to show my passport was when I was boarding to leave the US, when I arrived in Europe, at border crossings, when I left Europe to board the plane and when I arrived back in the US. I went to three different countries.

[MillCreek]

I scanned my passport and saved it to my Google Drive.  I figure if it is lost or stolen, the nearest US Embassy will have a computer that I can use to download it for them to process the temporary replacement.

[dogmush]

I also scan mine, and keep it on the net.

I carry the real thing when traveling.  Yeah it might get stolen, but if I end up needing to show a passport overseas, then a scan ain't going to cut it.

And as was mentioned, many places in the world, a hotel safe is less secure then on your person.

[cordex]

Last time I was in Italy I remember hotels requiring us to leave the passports during check in for police registration and as security. You could usually get it back after they registered you if you asked though.

We kept paper copies with us and had digital copies available.

[French G.]

I kept mine secure on my person since losing it would ruin a vacation at the least. Only showed it entering and leaving the airport in Copenhagen. I was surprised, even a ferry ride or flight to/from Norway and Denmark they didn't care who you were. Russia cared. Mean old customs ladies.

[cordex]

I kept mine secure on my person since losing it would ruin a vacation at the least. Only showed it entering and leaving the airport in Copenhagen. I was surprised, even a ferry ride or flight to/from Norway and Denmark they didn't care who you were. Russia cared. Mean old customs ladies.

It is funny the difference between going through customs in Europe vs customs in the US. In Europe we had our passports stamped and then walked out onto the street.  Coming back to the US we waited for an hour or so in line, filled out forms, were quizzed by customs agents, had our bags pawed through and finally were allowed to go through security again.

But at least I know I'm free.

[Ben]

I've always carried mine on my person. Pre-cloud, I would keep a copy of pertinent info either on me separate from the passport or in a hotel room, depending on my itinerary. I would also leave a copy with someone back home, so worst case scenario, I could make a phone call to get the passport number, etc. With the Interwebz, scanned copy is most efficient and safe.

I don't trust any hotel safe. At an upscale hotel, I might be more inclined to leave a camera or whatever in one, but otherwise I'd rather take stuff with me. In either case, a passport is small and easy to carry on you. If you're worried about pickpockets, get one of the passport wallets you can hang around your neck. You can keep money and stuff in it too. I used one back when I did the backpacking through Europe and sleeping on trains thing in my youth, where I was more exposed to potential thieves.

The only place I ever had my passport taken from me was Yugoslavia. The story is somewhere around here. Otherwise I only ever needed it at some border crossings and some hotels.

[HankB]

I've been to Japan, Taiwan, West Germany (before unification), Germany (after unification), England, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

I only recall needing my passport when entering or leaving a country; some countries required a visa as well.  (In Germany they didn't even look at it - I just held it up and they waved me through.)

I had a small laminated wallet card with passport information - my company's travel department told me that it wasn't a substitute for an actual passport, but if that got lost it would help me get a new one at any US embassy.

[French G.]

It is funny the difference between going through customs in Europe vs customs in the US. In Europe we had our passports stamped and then walked out onto the street.  Coming back to the US we waited for an hour or so in line, filled out forms, were quizzed by customs agents, had our bags pawed through and finally were allowed to go through security again.

But at least I know I'm free.

I flew back from Copenhagen on a Scandinavian Airlines flight and came into Dulles. I felt so bad for all the foreigners traveling with me. They get off the plane, or not really because we got herded into one of Dulles famous terminal bus things or whatever they are. 40 minutes later we get to the terminal, near hour to clear customs. The place is a 95 degree swamp, the illiterate airport and customs workers didn't speak english much better than the tourists and I knew once they made it into DC everything would be over-priced just like back in europe. And then they would go home and tell everyone how terrible America is.

[Viking]

I kept mine secure on my person since losing it would ruin a vacation at the least. Only showed it entering and leaving the airport in Copenhagen. I was surprised, even a ferry ride or flight to/from Norway and Denmark they didn't care who you were. Russia cared. Mean old customs ladies.

This was quite recently, yes? Both Denmark & Norway are part of the Schengen agreement, so no internal checkpoints under normal circumstances. Also, all the Nordic countries have had a passport union since the 1950s, but I'm not sure if that applies to tourists as well.
Edit to add: it doesn't. But Schengen applies to everyone who is legally in any Schengen area country.

[dogmush]

Europe seems like once you get in they don't really care. (although that might be changing soon).  I did have to show a Passport board a ferry from Scotland to Dublin, and as I recall again on the train to Belfast but I might be misremembering the train.  The ferry sticks in my head.

When I traveled in Africa, pretty much every official interaction (Changing countries, internal roadblocks, even in one case entering a national park) they wanted to see a passport.

Cambodia wanted to see a passport for an internal flight. (Phnom Penh to Siem Reap).

Pretty much every hotel I've checked into overseas wants to at least look at your passport on check in.

I was in Moscow in '94, and every traffic cop that heard my accent wanted to see a passport.

So it varies a lot depending on where you are at.

[Viking]

Europe seems like once you get in they don't really care. (although that might be changing soon).  I did have to show a Passport board a ferry from Scotland to Dublin, and as I recall again on the train to Belfast but I might be misremembering the train.  The ferry sticks in my head.

When I traveled in Africa, pretty much every official interaction (Changing countries, internal roadblocks, even in one case entering a national park) they wanted to see a passport.

Cambodia wanted to see a passport for an internal flight. (Phnom Penh to Siem Reap).

Pretty much every hotel I've checked into overseas wants to at least look at your passport on check in.

I was in Moscow in '94, and every traffic cop that heard my accent wanted to see a passport.

So it varies a lot depending on where you are at.

The United Kingdom is not part of the Schengen Agreement, same with Ireland.

[Hawkmoon]

Europe seems like once you get in they don't really care. (although that might be changing soon).  I did have to show a Passport board a ferry from Scotland to Dublin, and as I recall again on the train to Belfast but I might be misremembering the train.  The ferry sticks in my head.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all part of the United Kingdom. Ireland is not. So traveling from Scotland to Dublin (Ireland) and then to Belfast you went out of the UK into Ireland, and then from Ireland back into the UK.

[dogmush]

I know that.  I was mentioning that as an exception to the "Europe doesn't seem to care".

Viking says that the not caring about passport agreement wasn't signed by the UK.  And since the Irish never agree to anything we can assume it wasn't signed by them as well.

[Scout26]

I was in Germany when Europe went "Borderless"  You only had to show your passport wen to entered or exited Europe.   Crossing borders from one country to another didn't matter.

Although when traveling in Europe even before they went borderless, driving with USAREUR plates on the car we pretty much got waved through each customs/Zoll station.  I do remember intentionally stopping at the customs/border post the first time we went to France, simply because the ex- wanted her passport stamped.  Going on ITT bus-trips to different countries, the tour guide would collect the passports of people that wanted the various country stamps to have them done en masse at the customs station rather than 30-60 people piling off and back onto the bus at each border crossing.   I don't recall ever having to show ID to cross a border, only to check into hotels.  Some wanted to hold my ex-'s passport.  That *expletive deleted*it didn't fly.

I traveled all over western Europe on nothing more then my US Army ID card.  (Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, England, Denmark, Sweden, East Germany, both Berlins, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Italy, Austria.)