Does anyone know if passport is needed during high speed train travel? Only planning on taking trains within Spain
Also assuming I don't need to it for visiting these major sites but just wanted to double check
I have used extensive rail travel in Italy, France, Germany and Switzerland and have never been asked to provide a passport or any type of identification. When visiting sites and renting an audio guide, I have often had to surrender an I.D. I’ve used my US driver license or passport but never for entry. I now carry a US passport card with me instead of the actual passport and now use that.
Awesome, thanks for the insight!
We needed to show our passports for the Royal Alcazar Sevilla, travel date Feb 2024. I don't think a copy or driver's license would have been accepted at that location.
Ah okay, glad I asked. Will be sure to have it for that, thanks!
Yes many of the top tourist sites in Spain require official national ID, (in my case a Spanish DNI) and in most Americans' case a passport (or even passport card) is the closest thing to a national ID card. Driver's License does not cut it
Normally, I don't like to carry the original passport, just a photocopy and my driver's license. But in Spain, we brought the original passport in a money belt when visiting sites. I can't remember which ones we had to pull it out for, but the reason I remember the Royal Alcazar was that it was the first attraction we visited and I was a bit surprised. The rest was a mixture of needing it or not.
Did the Alhambra require it? Im trying to remember.
Thank you everyone. I generally don't carry it around either, but will plan to for this trip just in case.
Did the Alhambra require it?
Yes. They didn't even look at the entry tickets, but just scanned the passport for entry. Probably since you have to provide your passport information just to buy the tickets, scanning the passport brings up all the information they need.
Just saying, if you are boarding a high speed train, that means you must be traveling outside the city, it is only prudent to have your passport on you whether they ask for it or not. Leaving your passport in the room is fine if your just wandering around the town close to your room, but once you start traveling further, best to have it.
You will need your passport, at least the number, for buying train tickets, ordering a Bolt or Uber, checking into hotels, and for some sights.
I have been asked to show identification -- I showed my passport -- when boarding a Renfe high-speed train in Spain, from Málaga to Madrid. High-speed tickets are for a specific individual (like airplane tickets) and it's in Renfe's conditions of carriage that you can be requested to show an ID.
March 2024 - Royal Alcazar Sevilla - had to show passport as did Gail, above.
I was surprised to see everyone in the queue with passport out at the ready, but we were all definitely asked to show it unless in the guided tour groups.
Cathedral de Seville, Mezquita Cordoba - no
Prado - I showed my passport for a "senior" price. Otherwise, I don't think necessary.
Alhambra - I don't remember (like Barbara above - glad I'm not alone!). I think it must have been scanned at the entrance to the Nasrid Palace - I would be prepared. Check the first question and answer from the official website:
https://alhambragranada-tickets.org/en/frequently-asked-questions-faqs/#:~:text=1%2D%20What%20documentation%20do%20I,original%20physical%20passport%20with%20you.
Thank you for all your replies and insight this has been very helpful!
For the person saying it's prudent to have them on high speed trains - I was more so asking since I'm doing a couple day trips (Cordoba, Toledo, and Segovia) so wasn't sure if I should be bringing it for that. To be safe I'll just bring it everywhere.
Foreign nationals in Spain are legally required to carry identity documents, often issued by their country of citizenship. That is your passport, unless you are a citizen/resident of an EU country and have a national ID instead. (No driver's licenses.)
https://www.spanishsolutions.net/legal-issues-in-spain/carrying-id-in-spain/
Edited, as an attempt to clarify.
We just came back from Spain less than 2 weeks ago. We did not need to show our passports on the high speed trains. However, we did need to show it at the Prado and I had to show it to see the Royal Chambers in the Alcazar but not when I first entered the grounds. We did not need it for the Catedral de Sevilla.
We haven't had this discussion in a while --- to carry or not to carry. I don't know why it is such a big deal. I carry my passport everywhere - even to the shower. Got to keep it clean. Carry it -- it is the only thing that proves you are not an illegal alien.
I think in the past it has been recommended to not carry your passport with you at all times and to carry a copy of it on your person and keep the passport in the hotel safe. This is what we have done on all our trips to Spain (the last one was in 2019). But it looks like we're going to need our passports for both the Alhambra and El Prado. So we'll likely carry them on those two days and obviously our travel days but we feel better keeping our passports in the hotel safe. To each their own I guess.
I vaguely recall that in 2019 I was asked for my passport at the booth in Córdoba before boarding the train. I was on a senior discount ticket.
Renfe's regulations are here:
https://www.renfe.com/es/en/regulations
The thing is, we see ourselves as tourists in Spain just on vacation. But the Spanish authorities don't know who we are. We could be there illegally for all they know. Or, imagine if there's an accident and you're not carrying identification. It just doesn't make sense not to.
.....in the past it has been recommended to not carry your passport with you at all times and to carry a copy of it on your person and keep the passport in the hotel safe. ... I don't think that has ever been a recommendation. I think the recommendation was to have a copy to show to the US consulate should you need a replacement. A copy can be an easy fake and has no official value. The new passport format cannot be copied so that become a mute point over time. We don't drive cars using a copy of our driver's license. You are probably carrying your driver license and it has more information on it than your passport. If you think leaving the passport in the hotel safe is a a better practices, then do so. Only you will be affected if you need your passport and don't have it.
You need an ID card or passport. They need to know for security reasons that the person traveling is the one with the name on the ticket. The tickets are nominative. If you are a citizen of the European Union, only your ID card is enough. If you are from abroad you need your passport.
In the rest of the places I don't think you need a passport.
In Spain, national ID is required at some of the places (and driver license is a state ID, not a national ID).
But in Italy, foreigners are required to have national ID with them ALL the time in public.
That's why paying 3 USD per year to get Passport Card is very good investment. You can leave your passport in safe at hotel and carry Passport card with you
Does anyone know if passport is needed
"Needed" or required by law?
I'm thinking this must be where I got the suggestion to not carry your passport while touring a city and to carry a copy instead.
Keep track of your passport at all times, including on flights and other modes of transportation. There have been reports of passports being stolen on planes en route to Spain. Do not leave bags unattended. Keep them in sight and avoid placing passports, cash, cell phones, or other valuables in the outer pockets of backpacks or purses on tables or floors, grounds in public places. Do not leave bags slung over the backs of chairs, on hotel or store counters, on top of your suitcase or travel bag, or out of your physical control in hotel lobbies, car rental locations, train stations, restaurants, and other public places. Avoid carrying your passport unless needed for travel, especially in tourist areas. Instead, carry a photocopy or photo of your passport’s biographical information page and consider leaving your passport in a secure location, such as a hotel safe. Your passport will be required to check in into any hotel in Spain and may be required for trains or tourist sites.
Under Safety and Security here:
