Hello again -
My husband and I heading to London in 3 weeks. We've obtained our ETAs = Yay!
Upon doing so, I suddenly recalled being advised to carry our passports with us at all times when we were in Italy, last year. Now it has me wondering if the same rule applies while visiting the UK.
Would be grateful for clarification.
Thanks!
WL
No, there is no legal requirement to carry your passport in the UK.
However, I always have it in my money belt should it be needed or if something should happen to me and I need to be identified.
I’ve never carried mine on a daily basis while I was there, and don’t think I ever needed it.
There's no requirement (yet) to show any form of ID on request in the UK. You may need it if changing any money in a bank, otherwise just leave it in your hotel safe.
Not UK specifically, but I have often found a photocopy of my passport to be just as useful as the real one for tourism purposes. A hotel desk or a government building might demand the original, but for (example) audioguide security, I actually found that the audioguide desk preferred not being responsible for the actual passport. YMMV.
Thanks, everyone, for sharing your experiences.
Tim - I hadn't considered the part with audioguide desks. Thanks for the heads up!
WL
I always carry mine in case something happens that prevents me from being able to retrieve it from the hotel safe. I keep it in a passport holder, tucked beneath my pants, fastened on my belt.
"A hotel desk or a government building might demand the original"
Just to clarify re the above (although not applicable in the case of US citizens), it's worth noting for future readers that Commonwealth citizens are not required to provide ID on hotel checkin as they are not classed as "aliens" under UK law.
Even non Commonwealth / Irish citizens do not legally have to show their passports at hotels but just provide their numbers and places of issue.
