Passports (probably has been asked before)

I carry a copy on me and never the original unless I am going to the airport. This has worked for me for at least 9 years in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria. This includes my current trip in Italy. Even checking into accommodation a copy has always worked just fine.

After all my decades of travelling I still have to meet the official who want to see a passport. Just make a copy and leave the original at the hotel.

My daughters keep a copy on their phone

I carry mine in a money belt along with an American Express card and the bulk of my money. We are typically away from the hotel for the entire day. If anything disrupts travel, I have options and I can even get home, if necessary.

tonfromleiden probably has an official identity card that all Europeans are required to carry.

The ONLY ID that is accepted for Americans in Europe is an actual passport. The likelhood of being asked for it might be small, but it should be on your person.

The state department websites for each country usually tell you the requirement for that country. About 3 years ago i did some research and the only country in Western Europe that I could confirm required you to carry the passport of Belgium. All of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe also required you to carry it. But that was 3 years ago. I would recheck, things may have changed.

tonfromleiden probably has an official identity card that all Europeans are required to carry
My only ID is a passport. I never have the original on me, only a copy in my wallet.

"official identity card that all Europeans are required to carry."

No, not all since it depends on the individual country's laws and some don't have ID laws.. Also, a law requiring people to have ID isn't the same as one requiring you to have the ID in your possession nor for the police to be authorised to check ("papers, please"), without due cause.

"After all my decades of travelling I still have to meet the official who want to see a passport. Just make a copy and leave the original at the hotel." Same experience for this American.

Have lived here for 31 years and have never carried my passport except when traveling over borders. I also don't drive a car, but if I did, then I would want to carry it with me. Until 15 years ago, I also didn't have any other form of ID other than my bank card and my ins. card. (married a retired Army guy, and now have a military ID)

In Germany, you just need to have access to your passport, i.e. the police would go with you to your hotel room to see it. I never misbehave, so this isn't something I would expect to happen to me.

When in other countries, I put my passport, tickets, etc. in the hotel safe.

The ONLY ID that is accepted for Americans in Europe is an actual passport.

I am unsure on the "actual passport" element of the statement, as I don't know if a photo or scan of the main identity page would suffice (though I believe it would and if the police were interested enough in you, they could always accompany you back to your hotel to give you an opportunity to produce the actual document).

My main comment is on the "ONLY ID" part (all caps? please). That statement would probably be accurate only for Americans who are not resident in an EU nation (and possibly not American military personnel stationed in the EU as long as they have their military ID with them). For those Americans residing in an EU nation, the resident permit card would suffice (such as in France, one's carte de séjour, which also may serve as a European Blue Card allowing one to legally work).

Now, with the recent reinstatement of passport checks for travel between EU nations, I would think it wise for even those who have a valid resident permit from one EU nation to take their passports with them when going from their home EU nation to another. We did on a recent trip to Ireland, for example.

A few years ago we didn't however, due to an forgetfulness, when we decided to drive our car from Lyon to spend a weekend in Geneva. We had grown accustomed to tooling around France with only our cartes de séjour.

As we approached the Swiss border crossing I saw officials waving cars over and I puckered up as soon as realized we had left our passports in Lyon, given that Switzerland is not part of the EU. With considerable dread, I pulled over as directed, expecting the worst. Thankfully, all they wanted was 40 CHF for the vignette. No passport check or anything. Whew.

We were very law-abiding visitors for the rest of that trip in Geneva. None of the usual French jaywalking no matter what other people were doing. Strictly German with respect to walking to a crosswalk and waiting for the light to change. We wanted to draw zero attention to ourselves.

As you can see, people have different opinions. I do what sandybwb does. If there is some sort of emergency or event that requires a swift departure I prefer to have my passport with me. I keep it in a neck wallet style money belt, worn over one shoulder and under my arm, the strap safety pinned to my bra strap. It is a soft fabric and I never notice I'm wearing it.

Now, with the recent reinstatement of passport checks for travel between EU nations,

That is fake news, they have not been re-instated. During the illegal immigrant waves a few years ago, police ID checks were done on some major routes on some borders for some northbound travellers (notice all the "some"'s). This consisted of police giving everybody a glance, and asking for ID only for those who looked like they were travelling with all their worldly possessions. Anybody who looked like a local out for the day, or a tourist was ignored. Back roads and local public transport was ignored, no way is there enough manpower to check everybody and non-locals would not be using those routes.

But of course you do need to carry your passport in case you get an ID check anywhere (too far from your hotel room to go back). And, if a transport ticket has your name on it, you need to show ID as well.

Switzerland has customs checks at the border, it is not in the EU. They mostly ignore private travellers, they are there for commercial vehicles carrying goods.

I crossed the Swiss-German border twice today. Nobody got on to check the ~100 people on board in either direction - as normal.

Lived in Europe for a total of 12 years. I have never carried my passport or any official identity document on me. Those stay at home.

Traveled to just about every European country as well. Except at Schengen borders and checking into hotels, I have NEVER been randomly asked to show my passport to an authority.

My not-Austrian/European -looking friends and colleagues, however, get asked to show identity documents a couple of times each month.

Should you carry it or not, how about a color copy or a copy on your cell phone? I have no idea. I tend to just follow the law when i can figure it out. That make decisions a lot easier. But its not easy to figure out.

I realize you arent going to go to Hungary, but since its a common destination for me I though i would reconfirm what i read several years. ago. The US State Department website for Hungary use to be specific that it was legally required to carry your passport. Now it just says you should. A little more digging found these (and if you are interested in the law in your destination you could do some similar digging - shame, it should be clearly stated some place):

What documents do I need to carry around in Hungary?
Hungary joined the Schengen Area in late 2007 and consequently the country has tightened the security at its borders. Foreigners in Hungary are by law required to carry with them proper identity document and show it to the local authorities upon request.

Please make sure to carry your passport at all times: Police authorities can fine anyone up to 150.000 HUF for failing to show a valid passport (or in case of EEA citizens a national ID card).

and

Everyone is required to carry their passport or (for EU/EFTA/Monaco nationals) ID card. Not doing so can end you in trouble with the police. The police will be most pragmatic if a color copy of your passport is provided.

That is fake news, they have not been re-instated.

No, Chris F, that is not "fake news." What a sad and strange comment.

I have lived in France for several years, and it has been only in the past few years since recent terrorist attacks that passport checks at airports in France, when arriving from other EU nations, have occurred. It has nothing to do with immigrants, as you imply.

And I'm not talking about trains, which I assume you refer to, unless you're imagining border control agents who "got on" in the air, presumably with powerful, feathered wings.

People keep saying that the police will accompany you to get your passport if you don't have it on you. Has that in fact EVER happened to anyone? Not just what you have heard happens, but actually happened? This is the exact opposite of what I expect from the police. They are too busy to spend that amount of time.

There is a You Tube video of what happened to a Canadian visiting Georgia in the US who happened to leave her passport in her hotel room while out driving around. She did have her valid Canadian driver license with her and pictures and paper copies of the picture page from her passport and Nexus card. She was pulled over for speeding (she is not arguing that she wasn't) and the Sherriff deputy asked to see her passport. She showed the paper copy and the picture on her phone. She was arrested for not being able to properly identify herself and driving with a possibly fake license. It cost her nearly $1200.00 to bail herself out of jail and get her impounded vehicle released after someone brought her passport to her. This is what I expect to happen to me if the police ask for my passport and I don't have it on me. This is the type of police I run into.

From what I have read, you are required to own a passport, but not to have it with you at all times; on the other hand, police are not required to accept any other form of ID. So I would think in terms of practicality: If you "look like a tourist", police will probably not be interested in you; if they still want to see your ID, they can use common sense and your driver's license, together with the copy of the passport, might be accepted. However, if they are not satisfied, they can really inconvenience you (as in: drive you back to your hotel if that is nearby, or take you to the police station if the hotel is too far away). So it is up to you to assess how likely this is.

We are of the persuasion that it is better to have it (secured in a money belt) on our person and not need it than the other way around. In the unlikely (but always possible) event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake we experienced in Italy, or a terrorism attack, or political demonstrations (again in Italy) or rioting, one might not be able to return to the hotel. Someone on the forum once said that with his passport and credit cards he could go anywhere and cope with any unexpected disruption of plans even if it meant abandoning all the stuff at the hotel. Makes sense to us.

I agree with 'TC' above completely.
I carry a photocopy in a secure shirt pocket for 'ready/easy access' use. My passport is reserved in my money belt in the rare event it is required or an emergency occurs.

Mark - yes, I can confirm that police will follow up with you or come with you to collect passports in Austria. I work with immigrants and refugees here who get randomly stopped by the police routinely as they do not look Austrian. As no one carries around their passport, the police typically 1) walk with them to their homes and collect it there or 2) give a notice requiring that the individual present their passport at a certain location by a certain date. As all visitors are registered when arriving in Austria (either personally or through the hotel) the authorities know how to find you anyway.

We will be visiting Germany next month, and I read someplace (not sure where I read it) that visitors to Germany are required to carry passports on their persons at all times.

Don't worry, that's simply not true. The relevant law (§1 Personalausweisgesetz) says that you have to own an ID card or a passport but not that you have to carry along it all the time. And it makes no difference between German citizens and visitors from abroad.

It's different in other EU countries, e.g. in Italy. There foreigners (including EU citizens) can be fined up to € 2000 if they can not show proof of identity during a check.

Well, it sounds like a case of pick your poison. At least for Germany and other countries where ID is not required to be on your person.

• Leave it in your hotel room.
  
  You take the small risk of something happening at the hotel (fire,theft etc) or while you’re out and about (get out of dodge scenario).

• Keep it on you.
  
  You run the small risk of having it lost or stolen. Money belts can help lower the risk but it’s not zero.

So find what works for you and makes you comfortable.

FYI here’s a recent post regarding a lost hidden pocket. It was lost due to a belt buckle coming apart.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/hidden-pocket-a-cautionary-tale

"...the authorities know how to find you anyway." How very true! I have tourist written all over me. Any local could easily spot that out.

A staff guy at the small hotel in Frankfurt showed me how this is done since it was my second time staying with them. I didn't even have to fill out the form, ie the "Meldeschein." or show the US passport, even though I had taken it out already. I had asked why no "Meldeschein" at the second visit.