Passport copy

Where are you traveling?

I'm more comfortable with my passport in my money belt but I know there are differing opinions. I kind of think of it this way...if you were stopped by a policeman in your home location, would they be satisfied with a photocopy of your drivers license?

In Rick Steves "Europe Through the Back Door" book, which I think everyone should read - he says to take a photo of it with your phone and have paper copies with you - but to leave your PassPort in a safe in the hotel. That is what we always do.

I think you should do what you feel comfortable with. Hotel safes aren't exactly safe, so I usually keep mine with me because I am more comfortable with that. There is no wrong answer here, just your preference.

I agree with Carol.

I carry mine in a neck wallet along with credit card and major money. My wife had a photocopy in Athens and couldn't get into a site that I could enter with my original. But that was kind of an outlier as sightseeing goes. I'd say do whatever you're comfortable with.

I also carry a photocopy of my wife's passport, and she has one of mine, in case either disappears.

I've had a few occasions (museums wanting a passport as security for an audio guide and hotels needing a passport for registration) when a photocopy of my passport was not accepted. I now carry mine around with me all the time. It's just too much hassle to have to go back to my hotel to retrieve it--aside from the fact that the law in most (maybe all) European countries requires you to have it with you. Now, my trips are very long, which allows a lot more time for something to go wrong. It's much less likely that a person on a 2-week trip would run into a problem. Just understand that risk, while quite small, is not zero.

Great idea to make a photocopy and carry my original and his copy.

How do you get a passport card?

How do you get a passport card?

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/card.html

I think you should do what you feel comfortable with. Hotel safes aren't exactly safe, so I usually keep mine with me because I am more comfortable with that. There is no wrong answer here, just your preference.

If the country you are visiting has a requirement to 'carry official ID', carrying some sort of copy could be a 'wrong answer'.

Carrying a passport is generally a requirement. Try using a photo copy of a driver's license when you are stopped by your local police for speeding. It generally won't suffice.

If you're worried about losing the passport or having it stolen from your person, suggest that you make color copies of the document. Then, if you are traveling with someone else, give them a copy of your passport to keep in their money belt, and keep another copy in your luggage in the hotel. Keep the original yourself and maybe keep a color copy of your companion's passport in your money belt so you each have a copy of the other's identification.

It's relatively easy to have a passport replaced if you have a color copy for the embassy.

I’d highly recommend carrying your actual passport, especially if traveling on trains. When traveling from Switzerland to Germany this past Sept, my sister and bro in law were questioned by the German police on the train. When my sister handed the police copies of their passports, they wanted to know where the originals were. Luckily, we knew to have those on us in addition to the copies.

If you’re worried about losing them or having them stolen, keep them in a money belt. That’s where we keep ours.

I carried a photocopy in my wallet back in what now feels like the Stone Age. Now I have images on my phone and in my cloud email— I leave the passport in the hotel safe.

I do carry my U.S. drivers license, and I’ve never had a problem using that as a “deposit” for audio guides.

Thanks for everyones input.

I feel comfortable leaving the passport at the hotel. But, at least having the color copy of them at the hotel would make me more comfortable taking them. We are both in our 70's, and have never been in a situation of high alert watching our every move, so I am concerned about loosing them or having them stolen. We do thave the RS around the neck holders, but not sure how comfortable they would be. In most cases I need to take care of all the documents and I hate to have them all in one place.
We will be traveling in Vienna and then several stops in both Croatia and Slovenia. No time on a train, and every plane trip, or car trip for that matter, will have all of our things including passports. Austria will be the only stop where the museum issue may come in question, so there we may opt for the color photo copy/ or the passport card and have the originals with us. I think I'll check with the venues closer to the departure and see what they require.

My passport is in my moneybelt at all times. I've always said that in an emergency, with my passport and a credit card, I can get just about anywhere.

I never carry my passport on me while we are wandering around during the day. I have a photo on my phone and do keep a paper copy on me. I don't use hotel safes for anything, and rather just lock the passport up in my luggage in the hotel room.

Note that passport cards have a limited scope and are not valid for international travel including Europe. Just curious, do you then take the passport card and your regular passport with you?

My passport is in my moneybelt at all times. I've always said that in an emergency, with my passport and a credit card, I can get just about anywhere.

The mindset of Frank II makes a lot of sense. There have been cases in which natural disasters have prevented a timely return to the hotel. There have also been a few hotel fires. Demonstrations and riots, although rare, have also made a returns to the hotels "iffy" at best.