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!
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
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.
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.
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.
.....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:
Does anyone know if Washington State Enhanced Drivers Licenses (and similar States) work in Spain for the Passport requirement when visiting certain attractions? It holds my status information when crossing into Canada etc, wondering if it will work in Spain for these requirements? I'd rather not have to hold all 4 of my family's passports while touring around the Cities...
The enhanced drivers license will not take the place of a passport in Spain. It is only effective as REAL ID for TSA and for border crossings with Canada.
Not sure how burdensome it is to carry four passports. Is there just one adult that carries all four passports or can the passports be split between 2 different people. We had to show our passports along with the tickets when we visited a lot of sites. Also if you are purchasing train tickets online you have to provide passport numbers for each passenger. The Renfe high speed rail system we had to have our passports scanned.
Better to have the passports and not need them than vice versa.
In Spain in 2023, we were asked to show identification twice at Atocha railway station in Madrid when boarding high speed trains. Everyone was being asked. Locals seemed to be showing a plastic card about the size of a credit card and we just showed our passports.
To clarify:
Broadly speaking...
In SPAIN, the law states one needs to carry a "valid form of ID" at all times. Period. This applies equally to residents and non-residents. The police can ask you to produce it at any time anywhere. If you don't carry it with you, and depending on the circumstances and why you were asked to produce it, you might be taken to the Police station until your ID has been proven. The only valid forms accepted for non-EU citizens are the national ID card -if your country has one recognized abroad- or the passport. Photocopies are not a "valid form of ID". For US citizens, your state driving licenses are not valid forms of ID. Remember that British are no longer EU citizens.
I said broadly speaking... cause that's what the law states.
Then there's reality...
Only if you are embroiled in an "incident" -you know what I mean!- the Police will ask you to produce your ID. Also, if there has been a major incident in the area and you happen to be there (ie a shooting, a terror attack, when you seem to match the ID of a potential culprit of a crime that happened nearby, etc.). For the vast majority of us (locals and visitors), we will very unlikely have to produce our IDs ever.
No one else (private business, etc) can legally ask you to produce your ID, only the Police. Having said that, some businesses and other government institutions (ie City Hall) may ask you to prove you are who you claim to be by producing a "form of ID" when, for example, taking advantage of a discount for a ticket to a museum or a train. This is not necessarily a rule, some may ask others may not. Also, if you're paying with an old credit card (nowadays in Europe we all have pin&chip cards), you may be asked to prove ID by showing your passport or national ID. In these cases, a photocopy might be accepted -at the business's discretion. Some US-issued cards still don't adhere to international security standards and have no pin&chip. Check with your bank before travelling :) And claiming to be from this or that country bears no difference: all customers are treated equally in this respect.
So,
Understanding the headaches involved with losing one's passport when travelling, I always advise keeping it in the safe at the hotel and carrying a photocopy of it. In most cases, if you need to prove your ID, this will most likely suffice.
But one needs to be aware it might not and then, either you won't have that discount, or you won't be able to buy that item with a non pin&chip credit card.... or, if your beef is with the Police you might be asked to accompany them to the Police Station. Then someone will need to go to your hotel to pick up the passport and take it to the station.
I know we have this conversation every couple of months. It always ends the same. And I always wonder why is it so difficult to carry a passport? I always carry my driver license when I am home -- I know, -- it is smaller and thinner but I haven't lost it in 66 years of carrying it. The new format US passport will be a bit more difficult to carry because they are bulkier and stiffer. In our 50+ years of travel we have had to produce our passports three times in very unexpected situations with the police. We were glad to have them.
