Passport card

Yes, but it's a US ID, and therefore is not considered a valid ID in Italy since you cannot use it to get into the country. Legally you should be carrying your passport.

I believe their definition of an official ID is one with your picture on it. Does the passport card have your picture on it?

Yes, it has my picture but it has a different number than my passport. I had to send in all my information to get my passport and passport card at the same time.

Technically you’re supposed to be carrying the passport. It’s hard to imagine a scenario if you’re not crossing a border that not having it at the ready would cause a huge problem. Carrying the card around in casual circumstances like this is what I use it for. I was at one tourist site where lacking other ID I had to leave my passport at the ticket desk, and did not enjoy the feeling.

I had read non EU residents must carry passport but EU residents need to carry a government issued ID that has your picture on it like a drivers license.

Here we go. Yes, I carry. No, I don't. I have never understood the extended discussion about the simple act of carrying a passport. I carry mine in the shower. Cannot be too careful as to when you might be asked to produce it. Seriously, I carry it all the time in either a secure shirt pocket or a hidden pants pocket and sometimes the money belt depending on where we are going.. Much like I always carry by driver license in the US. Actually the passport contains less information than your drivers license. The passport card is worthless beyond US border crossing. The last thing I check out the door is having my passport.

The passport card won't be accepted. Carry the passport itself with you. I do. I didn't choose the passport card option.

It's not just about showing a photo of you. A passport identifies you as being in the country legally. Just because the US issues those cards as a convenience, it doesnt obligate other countries to accept them. You might get away with it, but it's not a substitute. Drivers Licenses as an official ID is a US thing since we don't have a national ID card.

You are required by law to carry your passport
I don’t get why this is such an issue for some
It is the most important thing you have while traveling abroad-why would you let it out of your sight?

Dozens of discussions
https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Passport+&utf8=%E2%9C%93

Here's the deal. You are required to carry your passport on you. You will see from past discussions that some people carry a photocopy and insist this is good enough. Some might try the Passport Card.

If you are stopped, and asked to show ID, and offer something besides the passport, it is up to the officer to accept it. Maybe he wil. If he doesn't, you will be taken to their station, questioned, probably fined, and then have to return with your passport. A true waste of time.

It seems there are so many people who have the attitude "I'm not going to follow the law and no one is going to make me."

Just carry the passport. I put mine in my moneybelt and forget about it. It's there if I need it.

BTW, the passport card is a courtesy allowing you to enter the US from land and sea borders. By air you need a passport. It's also a REAL ID that you will be required by TSA to have starting in May to go through US airport security.

It won't satisfy the law requirements. For that you need to carry the real passport.

However the risks of needing to show a passport are low, so it is up to you if you want to take that risk. If you do. make sure you have a photo of the real passport also. I don't know if nowadays the EU stamps US passports when you enter or if everything is done digitally, I must use my EU passport by law to enter the EU, so I don't even show my US passport at the border/immigration.

In any case, if you are willing to take that risk, I recommend that if you have the real passport with you if you drive, because random police checks of motorists (for any reason, not necessarily because of a traffic infraction) are extremely common. Also you should have a passport with you if you plan to take a short trip outside of the city where you are staying. For example if you are in Florence and plan to take a day trip to Siena, carry a passport with you. In case you really need a passport, one thing is to be just a 5 min walk from the hotel and retrieve it, another thing is to be a couple of hours away.

Roberto, related question since you have long established your responses as extremely credible. Would a passport card issued by another EU country (Ireland) suffice?

Just to follow up on Frank's point, "government officials" whoever they might be have quite a bit of latitude when enforcing laws and regulations. They will all have to accept a passport as official, anything else is up to their discretion, mood, training, etc. Why risk it?

And supposing you're hit by a bus and rushed to the hospital unable to speak, your passport informs everyone immediately to call the embassy.

@ Archimedes from Fairfax (maybe formerly from Syracuse)

Yes, if you are an Irish citizen you can travel to any EU country with either a passport or a passport card. You don't even need the full passport to enter Italy let alone walk around town. The passport card will do.

In CA the "Real ID" issued by the DMV goes into effect on 7 May 2025....finally. I received it exactly 2 weeks after I applied for it in Jan. at the DMV in SF.

If you fly domestically , you will have to produce that at check-in provided you don't want to carry your passport with you.

Carrying the passport out and about is a nuisance to be sure on hot days. Whether it's required of me, I do that anyway in Europe.

At the risk of going off the rails here let me note that an enhanced driver's license or passport are not the only acceptable form of identification for US domestic air travel. The US passport card, DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents, Permanent resident card, Border crossing card,
An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards and others will get you past TSA.

Put your passport in a small ziploc bag.
Wrap that in a slice of paper towel to absorb sweat or rain.
Put it in your underclothing moneybelt, with the pouch part in the small of your back.
You can’t even feel it.

Best to comply with the country’s laws when you are a visitor.

Depends on where you are and who is asking. Last time in Sicily we were asked to produce them in the Mazara del Vallo train station. We didn’t have them, but the police were happy to accept a Virginia driver’s license. It’s a crap shoot. Guess it depends upon how risk-adverse you are.

There are those reluctant to carry the passport when out and about in Europe, even when that sort of behaviour is in accordance with the local law. It's understandable. Whether I can agree with with this reluctance or resistance to having the passport on one's person is immaterial. The basic question is what are you afraid of? Why should the local authorities accept the Passport Card so that it's beneficial to you as a tourist?

Taking the usual precautions suffices. I do that and am not concerned now about getting picked or losing it, or whatever as a result of my own stupidity, etc, etc. It has never happened and not going to happen.

Admittedly, I used to be much more concerned, simply not worth the energy.

I actually understand the reluctance to carry your passport with you and rather keep it safe in the hotel safe. A Passport book is bulkier than a card and if you lose it or have it stolen overseas it’s a HUGE hassle. Some people might tell you that it takes you only a few hours to go to the US consulate and have it replaced. The problem is that US consulates are only in Rome, Naples, Florence and Milan, and if you are far from those locations it won’t be that easy or quick to have it replaced.

I don’t carry it with me. In the EU I can use my Italian Identity Card but I also didn’t carry it in Buenos Aires and Montevideo last month. I left the passport at the hotel, and carried a photo of my passport with my California drivers’ license and took a chance. If you plan to do the same, take photos of your real passport along with your passport ID card and driver’s license. I know it may not be what the law requires, but if a Policeman or Carabiniere asks for ID he’s not going to arrest you in handcuffs if you don’t have one, but can produce the photos and the one ID. The procedure would require him to take you to the police station and try to identify you and you immigration status, and that is way too much work for an Italian law enforcement officer, especially on a hot day, considering that the aforementioned ID you have is probably sufficient to convince the officer you are an American tourist visiting Italy and not an illegal alien arrived by boat to Lampedusa.