I read everywhere that the hotel collects your passport upon arrival. How long do they keep it (or what is reasonable)? We want to check in, then venture out again, but I don't want to go out without my passport. What is the procedure Thanks
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17238 posts
It varies. Many places will ask to see you passport and copy the number and other information while you wait, and hand it back right then. Others will want to speed up the check-in process and will hold it behind the desk until they have a chance to copy it. If that is the case at your hotel, you really don't need to worry about going out without your passport. Just pick it up at the desk when you return from your walk.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
1317 posts
All of my hotels have copied it during check in and returned it to me almost immediately. If they are very busy, they might hold it longer but I think that's not so common these days. I'm pretty sure they would copy and return it right away if you asked. You can always unpack and explore the hotel while you wait.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
All hotels report their visitors to the police. Decades ago, they did keep your passport overnight so that they had time to report the information during the night. With today's computers, most will enter the information they need from your passport during checkin and then hand the passport back to you. I'm sure that there may be a few places that will hold on to your passport a bit longer but we have never experienced this.