Carry your passport in Czech Republic!

How did you pay it? Cash on the spot, mail-in, post office?

Cash on the spot..they gave us a receipt(s) good for one day only.

Interesting as all get out. Now tell us the whole story. People next to you: locals or tourists, were they checked (no pun intended) too, did they have passports, where were yours, miles away or in suitcase? This is the damndest thing I've ever heard of. I get parking tickets and such, but usually have to pay them at a post office or something. This sounds like something in a bad movie about the south, cop with sunglasses and big cigar lining his pockets. This is going to be a great thread.

Steve,...wondering about the connection between your answer and the question?

Here are the facts...

1) The police check was 5 minutes outside of the Praha train station (nowhere near the German border)

2) There were a few Czech stops before reaching the German border so again this dispoves the theory that this was a border check - this was NOT a border check.

3) There were German police once we crossed borders but we were not checked.

4) We were told by a young German (who was on the train with us) that the Czech police also do passport checks on the streets of Praha... he also said that we would not likely face a German check (even crossing borders) as they (the Germans) were "bored".

I thought the Czech Republic was in the Schengen zone...surrounded by bordering states Slovakia, Poland, Germany, and Austria?

Yes it is Schengen... therefore should not be subject to border check.. it is all part of the EU.

But a general question is has anyone in any other EU country ever been approached and asked for their passport?

Seemed a bit obvious as the low amount of the fine ($16 US) meant that we would just fork it over and be on our way.

Not me, ever. And that goes back to the mid 50's when Spain was a dictatorship and such. Sounds like two cops were on their way home from work and wanted money for a couple of beers or something. You probably looked like a non-local. Again, where were your passports, actually?

I'm sure it seemed sketchy as all get out, but I don't doubt it could happen. You're eventually crossing the border between Germany and CZ on that route, so they might have just been doing routine checks, early in the route though it may seem.

And yes, I've been checked within the Schengen zone several times. I heard them call it "Personenkontrolle" last time it happened to me (crossing Schengen-to-Schengen borders). I read up on it last time and it sounds like it is common.

Found this: "If you are an EU citizen, you will no longer have to show your passport when crossing borders between Schengen Member States. However, the Schengen Member States have retained the right, on the basis of their national legislation, to carry out identity checks throughout their territory as part of police duties. The national legislation defines whether you should carry an identity card or a valid passport."

Hi Ed,

Since this was just a day trip to Dresden for the Christmas markets, the passports were safely tucked away in our hotel room safe. We had other ID as well as the photocopy of passport's data page but as the policeman said... "This is a problem...".

I thought we would be thrown into the "Czech Goulag" and my husband throught we would be fined $1000! So $16 was a big relief.

FYI - the police were nice enough... no harm done.

I wonder if the Czech Republic has a law, similar to many other countries, that you must carry a legal form of ID on you at all times, and produce it when asked by police? In most countries, the form used by locals is their national ID card, and for foreigners, the acceptable ID is their passport, not a copy. They might have zeroed in on you because you were tourist, hoping you weren't carrying your passports at that time....as someone else noted, looking for the easier marks to fill their quota.

From the European Commission website:

If you are an EU citizen, you will no longer have to show your passport when crossing borders between Schengen Member States. However, the Schengen Member States have retained the right, on the basis of their national legislation, to carry out identity checks throughout their territory as part of police duties. The national legislation defines whether you should carry an identity card or a valid passport.

I'm not sure if you are required to carry your passport at all times in the Czech Republic.

I've been told it also happens in NL near the tri-border region, though it has never happened to me. Story in this area (large non-EU population) is if your not carrying an identity card from an EU country, the Dutch police require a passport and will fine you if you don't have it. Again, no personal experience so I can't confirm.

Norm said:

Such on-the-spot fines are common in many countries, especially for tourists, whom the authorites suspect (usually correctly) will never pay the fine when they return home. The officers did issue a receipt.

But, Norm, isn't it easier to come here and simply assert that police in other countries are corrupt? It's such an easier explanation and really adds to this board's reputation as having thoughtful, experienced contributors - ;)

Driving into Spain from Bordeaux there were no checkpoints or passport checks at all it was as if we were driving from one US state into another. Driving into France from Barcelona there was a Spanish then a French entry station with passport checks and full searches of certain vehicles. So I guess it depends on the countries involved.

That spot on the E-15 is active quite regularly (going both ways); other times you just breeze right through. Sometimes it's selective stopping. I've often wondered what it was all about.

And, I did not mean to imply (maybe I did) that cops were corrupt. Just in a lot of years in poking around europe, never saw on the spot fines. Seemed strange. Now, in Canada on the other hand........

For what it's worth, I've been on ICE trains from Holland into Germany, and at the border the German federal police boarded the train and checked everyones passport/IDs. So I guess random checks do occur within the Schengen Zone.

The idea of the checks didn't interest me as much as the idea of cash payments to the fuzz on the spot. It still sounds like pocket-liners.

Such on-the-spot fines are common in many countries, especially for tourists, whom the authorites suspect (usually correctly) will never pay the fine when they return home. The officers did issue a receipt.

Nope, Ed....no on the spot fines here...and they won't even toss you in jail until you can pay, as happens in some US states....unless, of course, you've been a very, very bad boy!!

Jill,

My experience on getting checked at a border crossing is not exactly like yours on a train. In July of this year, I was a passenger in a car driven by a friend of mine, a German, going from Berlin to Kustrin an der Oder. Although I had been told prior that at the German-Polish border crossing a passport check would not take place, I still brought along my passport, hoping for the contrary.

When we got to the Oder River crossing at Kustrin, there were no border officials of either country--I was disappointed--nobody was around. You saw the signs in Polish and German; my friend just drove straight into town, spent a few hours there in Poland and drove back into Germany. On the way back again at the border crossing no one was around for a passport check.

That's pretty funny in a way and at least the fine was low -- I went to the Czech Republic about a year and a half ago and never had to show my passport to anyone. I biked from Salzburg to Prague, and actually cycled through an old border crossing (now unmanned). It was actually easier to go from Austria to the Czech Republic than to go from Oregon to California. :)

We have crossed many European borders since the EU has been in existence - including alot of train trips and have never been asked for passports or ID.

I wonder if it is more Eastern Europe-centric of an issue?

Maybe there should be a universal ID card (like the EU ID card) that could be accepted in lieu of a passport. If you lose your passport while abroad; you are really screwed.

But then again, the paranoid right-wingers don't even want a national ID card within the states... there needs to be a better way.

Maybe in regards to the Czech Rep. this is no longer relevant: In the summer of 2001 I made a day trip from Nurnberg to Pilsen (after that the train went on to Prague). At the Czech-German crossing, both boarded to do the passport check, two Czechs and two Germans; in the car I was the Czechs were first to check--naturally I had it on me--but they did not stamp it, neither did the Germans. Both just looked at it.

In the summer of 2005, I took the train from Berlin to Poznan (Posen), where I had to transfer to Torun (Thorn). At the border both the Germans and the Poles checked my passport and both stamped it. The Poles did it upon entry and the Germans a few days later upon my returning to Germany.
This past July no such luck in getting my passport stamped as I posted above. As I was told, neither the Poles nor the Germans do their Passkontrolle anymore at the crossing.

Yippee! It finally came back to the top so I can ask one more stupid question. What happens with this cash-on-the-spot business if you're between ATMs and pretty much cash-destitute? Do they march you in manacles to the money machine, send you to the hoosegow for life, or what?

Maybe I'm too cynical, but it sounds like a money-generating operation to me. And it sounds like an experience that I had in the Czech Republic.

We were driving through the countryside, and inadvertently ended up on a road (the signs were unclear) that (unbeknownst to us at the time) led to a restricted traffic zone, in a town, that we were not authorized to enter. While on the legal part of the road, we passed a police car. It slowly followed us as we continued to drive, and continued to follow us as we drove through the restricted zone. By the time we reached the restricted zone, we had no choice but to go straight on (it was a one-way road, so I couldn't just turn around).

The cop pulled us over as we exited the restricted zone. He pulled out a handy laminated card that showed that I had drived in a restricted zone, and said it was against the law and I had to pay a fine - I don't remember the amount. I had told my husband to stay in the car, and played the dumb female American. After a few minutes, he said "today only" if I paid the fine, it would only be half the amount. I had read in situations like this, insist to be taken to the police station - that way, you'll know if it's an actual offense, and if you'd actually be fined. But once the amount was lowered, our time was worth more than our money (the fine), so we paid the cash (which we had on us). He gave us a receipt.

I viewed it as a total setup - he could have easily pulled me over BEFORE I entered the restricted zone, when I had an opportunity to turn onto another road. You live and learn...

Your passport is your only valid ID when you are in Europe. Keep it with you. It's much better (at least $16 better) to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Lexma....why would he have pulled you over BEFORE you entered the restricted one? That's like the highway patrol flagging you down and telling you there's a speed trap ahead!
And Ed, they probably would've done what they do to foreigners in some U-S states....take you down to the station until you can pay the fine.

Hi Ed,

I can answer your question...because a semi-similar situation happened to me today.

Before I boarded my train in Napoli the stamp machine wasn't working, so my ticket was validated in pen by hand, as per the specified rules for such an event. But then, when the ticket-checker came by, it was suddenly "non bene" and I was slapped with a 50 Euro fine, even though my newfound Neopolitan and Roman friends were arguing against it in vigorous Italian(I do speak a fair deal of Italian but not fluently enough to argue my case properly). I looked into my wallet and did not have 50 Euros in cash. So, it was agreed that as soon as we arrived in Rome, I would go get the funds and report back to the same ticket agent. As soon as my train arrived in Rome, after disembarking the platform I saw the same employee waiting for me at the front of the train, he waited by the front car while I jogged embaressedly through Termini station to my nearest ATM, got a 50 note, hurried back while the train was still on the platform and he was awaiting me, the receipts were filled out and that was that. I don't know if this is a typical situation or not, the agent was none too happy about me not having the cash but I will say at least he offered me a solution to fix it; otherwise I would have had to get off the train from Naples in the middle of nowhere and been stranded.
Does anyone know what standard protocol is for when one does not have the cash to instantly pay the fine?

Hi Jill,

There seems to be some confusion here between an ID check and a passport check. Since this happened nowhere near the border, the Czech police were merely checking you for ID (to see if you are legally allowed to be in the country, etc.). These sort of checks have nothing to do with Schengen. Technically, one is supposed to carry ID in Germany and many other EU countries. As a foreigner, that is your passport, for a local that could be an ID card or driving licence.

In the UK, we don't have such a scheme and the police may not detain or fine you for having no ID, even after having committed a driving offence. This is currently under debate.

While not illegal, this sort of behaviour is just to extract a fine. In countries with corruption problems, so probably not the Czech Republic, but certainly Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Former Yugoslavia, etc. the police are looking for bribes.

Mark

Technically, one is supposed to carry ID in Germany ...

Only while crossing the federal border. Otherwise there is no obligation to carry ID in Germany.

... for a local that could be an ID card or driving licence.

German driving licenses don't expire and don't have addresses on them, so the German law doesn't accept them as "picture ID".

Regarding ID: I don't know about Czech laws, but in many European countries, foreigners and sometimes nationals as well as required to carry ID at all times. It is very common in Europe and perfectly legal in many countries for the police to require fines paid on the spot, when dealing with foreigners, as they cannot prosecute foreigners, once they are out of the country.

WHEN IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC CARRY YOUR PASSPORT WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES. PASS THIS MESSAGE ON.

On Wednesday 28 July 2010 I was traveling by bus from Karlovy Vary to Praque. As I was not planning to cross any national borders I did not have my British Passport with me.

The bus was pulled over at a road block. Czech police came on board and checked everyone's passport and,in the case of non-EU citizens, health insurance too. Those not having passports with them, about a quarter of the passengers, were fined 300kc (about 10 GBP) each and given receipts. It was quite obvious that the road block had been set up to trap unwary tourists and was a "nice little earner" for the Czech police.

I'm all for obeying local laws, but the need to carry identification in The Czech Republic isn't publicised at all. Even an English friend living in Praque wasn't aware of it. It's almost as though their hoping you'll inadvertantly break the law so they can fine you.

WHEN IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC CARY YOUR PASSPORT WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES. PASS THIS MESSAGE ON.

This is directly from the U.S. State Department's website (travel.state.gov) regarding the Czech Republic:

"Under Czech law, you must verify your identity by presenting a travel document, a residence permit card, or an identity card issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if asked by Czech police. If you are a tourist, this means that you are expected to carry your passport with you. We urge you to ensure the security of your passports while moving about to prevent incidents of pick-pocketing or theft."

Passport checks are probably a random and routine part of the job for the officers. And they are not confined to former Warsaw Pact countries. Conductors will sometimes ask for passports along with the tickets for confirmation on trains, and the conductor was accompanied by a border security officer once after our train crossed into Italy from Austria.

Another time, while driving into Germany from Luxembourg, I was among drivers pulled over at random at a police roadblock. In both cases, I had my passport with me, the officer checked it quickly and politely handed it back to me.

Just as I carry my driver's license all the time at home, I carry my passport with me all the time when traveling. You never know when you might need it.

I had a very nasty experience on a czech train a couple of years ago. I was traveling with my dog east from the Bavarian Forest region, going to Klatovy, and I purchased my czech ticket at the border. My dog is a little miniature Dachshund, and I always purchase an extra ticket for him on European trains whenever neccessary and don't try to cheat the system at all. So we got on the train and after a while the conductor came around to check our tickets, and began seriously yelling at me (in Czech) about something. I gave her all the tickets I had - round trip for the two of us - but she kept yelling at me like a KGB agent making an arrest, and as it turned out, I needed to have a muzzle on my dog - my 13 pound mini-dachshund. Since I had no muzzle, she threatened to put us off the train in the middle of nowhere! A couple sitting behind us finally stepped up to translate her harangue. The conductor bustled off, and never came back with ALL OUR TICKETS! So upon getting to Klatovy, I had to search this god-forsaken armpit of a Czech town ( my enjoyment of our day trip was quite ruined) for a pet store to buy a muzzle for Schatzie, finally found one, and then I had to re-purchase our return tickets to the German border. I wasted about 30.00 euro, and an entire day wandering around this ugly post-communist town. Ironically, on the return trip Schatzie fell asleep without the muzzle on, and no one cared or even checked.

Interestingly the booklet "Information Booklet for Foreign Nationals Czech Republic" which can be found here:-

http://www.cizinci.cz/files/clanky/413/ANGLICKY_prirucka.pdf

makes no mention of the need to carry a pasport or indeed any other identity document in The Czech Republic.

The British Foreign Office website says "You should carry a COPY of your passport data page (including any visa pages) with you at all times for identification purposes." However the Czech Police weren't accepting copies, only originals.

No tourist guide book I've seen makes a mention of the need to carry a passport with you in The Czech Republic, but they are quite specific about the need to do so in other countries such as The Russian Federation.

I get the impression that the Czech Police think the country should still be an Eastern Bloc State and long for the good old days.

I am of the school which says leave your passport somewhere safe, carry a copy of it with you and risk being stopped and having to pay a fine. That's certainly what I did in Russia. If the passport is stolen it can take a week or more to get another, you may have to travel to a capital city hundreds of miles away to collect it, you'll have to pay accomodation costs while you wait and you may have to buy a new airlineticket home at considerable expense.

It is my understanding that, at least in Switzerland, one must always carry ones passport - not just for crossing borders. I have never been stopped or asked for it and only discovered this law or regulation after my first vistit. The next time I made sure I had it with me.

As for "on-the-spot-fines". You have them in the US too. I was stopped for speeding (guilty as charged!)in Montana several years ago and was required to pay the officer a penalty. Technically, it was a bail bond, but what was the point of returning to Montana at my expense to plead not guilty for the $50 it cost me? I did not have the cash, so the officer drove me to a grocery store to change travellers checks, which he would not accept. Yes, it was several years ago, befor ATMs, etc were widely available.

I am currently in Prague, and I have one comment: the money belt you put on in the morning, (just like your underwear), should contain your passport. Rick is right, you know!!! I am teasing and mean to harm but it really is a simple thing to do when you travel. It has brought peace of mind to know that my passport, debit card, and visa are right there everyday.
As for the police, when I was entering Germany from Bologna on a train about 3 weeks ago, the police came on board the train at the German border and asked a man for his passport. They quizzed him a little bit and then continued through the car and didn't talk to any other passengers. I thought it was odd.

I go to Czech Republic every year with my Czech husband & I can tell you that corruption is a big issue from top government right down to the person who takes your money at the public toilet. It helps not to make a target of yourself by making sure you have on you things like passport, valid tickets, never pay in big bills for purchases/meals (try to pay with as close to exact as possible), and always pay in exact change for small expenses. Folks really have to watch themselves when traveling there. It sounds like these "officers" were trying to make fast money off of you that went directly into their pockets. They know that you will not do anything with the "receipt" and they fix their reporting on their side. And I could just bet that if you had said you would pay at the office and would like to see their badge number and name they would not have "fined" you. Before the "s" agreement kicked in for Czech border crossing, they did ask everyone for their papers, but were strict about it only with non-Czechs. I remember once when we where taking a train from Berlin to Prague my husband didn't have his Czech passport ready for them. He was digging around in is backpack and they just moved on. He finally found it and caught up with the inspectors as they were almost ready to go to another train car. They said "thanks but not necessary"...they knew he was Czech and they were looking at foreigners. They were busy with some asian passengers at the end of the car that didn't have their paperwork ready for them and I can tell you the reaction was not the same as it was with my husband.

I recall two recent passport checks that applied to everyone on my train after crossing borders…one was from Austria to Italy at first stop in Italy & another was entering Switzerland from Italy. It’s probably happened more often, but these are the two routes that come to mind at the moment. BTW, the checks weren’t random. I’ve never been checked when crossing borders while driving, and I’ve never had a hotel keep my passport. I’ve had some (not many) hotels reference my passport for paperwork purposes when checking in, but they’ve always just handed it right back. I always have my passport with me on my person.

John from England--Thanks for the warning on the CZ and having the passport on your person. Very clever of the Czech police to pull over a bus loaded with unsuspecting tourists and catch 25% of them without their passports...just like an ambush. I took a day trip from Vienna to Budapest on 22 May 2010 (couldn't spare any more time); the Hungarians checked the passport only once. Last summer I was a passenger in a car with a German friend driving just across the Oder into Poland at Kuestrin an der Oder. No Polish officials were even present at the border crossing to check passports, just as my friend had said, and this was on a week-day.

A couple of points here. I would never attempt to cross a NATIONAL border even within the EU without having my passport on me. There are always passport checks when entering the UK unless you do so from The Republic of Ireland and there may be checks at other borders too. Identity checks within a country are a different matter, but within the EU the Czech Republic is the only country I've ever experienced them in.

Gangs of muggers like those found on the Moscow and St Petersburgh Metros are well aware that tourists carry money, passports, debit cards etc. in money belts and will steal the entire belt by cutting the strap if necessary. I would suggest keeping another debit card,some cash and a metro/bus/tram ticket in your shoes. It wouldn't be much fun being stuck on the outskirts of a big city at night where no one speaks your language and you can't afford the fare back to your hotel

The "carry your passport or leave it at the hotel" debate is a long one with adherents on both sides. But the simple truth is that a passport is the only valid form of ID when traveling in a foreign country. While the chances of needing that ID are very slim, they do exist. Of course, the chance that you might get pick-pocketed and lose your passport exists too. I guess it comes down to risk and which you prefer.

PS - Border checks do occur. Several of the overnight trains I've been on recently still had them, though usually the conductor keeps your passport overnight to avoid disturbing you. Such checks tend to be targeted at certain individuals though - racial profiling is alive and well in much of Europe.

I recall having to park my car, and ride in the back of a police car to some small town Ohio court house to pay a $20 traffic ticket. This was pre ATM days, I avoided a night in the slammer by 80 cents. Pay or stay.

I've just a had a carefull look at the three 100Kc receipts I was given for my 300Kc fine. They were printed in the last century.

This certainly doesn't surprise me. In Russia, you are required to carry ID on you, and the police do random checks both on foreigners and Russian citizens. As some have said, most of the time, they will offer to take a bribe (a lesser amount than the formal fine, which they keep and don't report the incident).

My question is -- should I make my boyfriend, who is a U.S. citizen, purchase travel health insurance in case we get stopped at one of these checks? I had to buy a policy becauce I needed it for my visa, but I don't think he's planning on purchasing any to save money :-/

John--Anything for a buck...well, in their case, for a krone.

Are we to give them the benefit of the doubt that in their zeal to impose a fine on foreigners, presumably Americans and British, that their officialdom did not notice expired receipts?
I think not...they're aiming to line their pockets!!

Anna...."should I make my boyfriend, who is a U.S. citizen, purchase travel health insurance in case we get stopped at one of these checks?"
No...you should make your boyfriend purchase travel health insurance because it's the smart thing to do. One injury or illness, and he might be paying it off for years and years. Make sure it includes evacuation back to the U.S. as well.
Believe me, you don't want to be "penny wise, pound foolish."

I'll be in the Czech Republic for 7 days in September
but I carry my passport with me everywhere while out of the country, so I don't too many problems (not of the identification variety, anyhow). I'm more afraid
that my looks will stand out!

Last year I was on a train going to Amsterdam from Antwerpen. There was a border control checking and asking every passenger for ID, they didn't ask for a passport specifically. I just showed my passport.