Carry passport, a copy, or DL while in Spain?

Copies are not proof of anything. Carry your passport in a secure place like a neck pouch, secure pocket attached to belt, etc.

Always carry your passport with you.

I carry my passport along with a credit card in neck wallet. I keep a small amount of cash elsewhere. Your passport is the actual proof that you are allowed to be in the country.

I know this question comes up often. The US State Dept includes the following advice for Spain:

Avoid carrying your passport unless needed for travel, especially in tourist areas. Instead, carry a copy or photo of your passport's bio page.

Consider leaving your passport in a secure place, like a hotel safe. You will need your passport to check in to any hotel in Spain, and you may need it for trains.

My assumption is that they deal with more problems of tourists losing their passport/getting pickpocketed than they do US citizens getting in trouble with the police for not having their passport on their person.

Two different schools of thought depending on whom you ask.

Officially all EU countries require you have a national ID, which for non EU citizens is a passport.

However if I’m walking around town I would leave the passport in the hotel safe, and carry only a copy and the DL, not officially what the law says, but I prefer it to the risk of losing the passport or getting it stolen, because replacing a passport at the U.S. Consulate is a hassle if there is no U.S. consulate in the city you are in (or if it is closed, like on Sundays and holidays). US diplomatic missions (Embassies and Consulate) in Spain are located in Madrid and Barcelona, with consular agencies also in Seville, Malaga, Valencia, Mallorca, Las Palmas (Canaries).

You will likely be asked for a passport if traveling by train, therefore carry it with you on day trips away from your base city. When you carry your passport, keep it securely in an under garment pouch separately from your purse or wallet. Pickpocketing of tourists is common, so you don’t want to lose your important documents along with your money in the event you are the victim of theft.

Perhaps I am unusual but I have visited more than 70 countries and not for a moment would I consider carrying my passport around. If the police want to see it they can give me a lift back to my hotel to see it. Anyone else can whistle.

The law in Spain clearly says everyone must carry national ID and not a copy. For a tourist this means a passport. Interestingly, while the American government websites suggests a copy and keeping your passport at your hotel, the Canadian government websites advises that you have your actual passport on you at all times and a copy kept in a secure location. I guess it's up to you to decide how comfortable you are not following the law. It's been 30 years since I've been asked by police at home to show my driver's license so I guess I shouldn't worry about carrying that either.

And there's my solution: leave your passport at your accommodations and use your Global Entry ID card. The card includes not only your photo, full name, but also date of birth (think senior discounts for those of a certain+ age). Can anyone point to a significant initial interaction with authorities in which this ID is insufficient?

The law in Spain clearly says everyone must carry national ID and not a copy. For a tourist this means a passport

Government issued photo identification includes driving licence so that’s fine. I would bet my house that of the half a million Brit’s currently on a Spanish beach around 3 of them are carrying their passport.

It’s for this specific reason, I opted for a passport card and carry it, but never my passport, on my person. In 25+ visits to various countries in Europe, I have never been asked for my passport other than while registering in a hotel.

We always take copies of our passports and our real drivers’ licenses when we travel in other countries. We leave the real passports locked in our luggage in our hotel room. We have copies of our drivers’ licenses as well. Your real drivers licenses may be used for entry to museums and historic sites.

And there's my solution: leave your passport at your accommodations
and use your Global Entry ID card. The card includes not only your
photo, full name, but also date of birth (think senior discounts for
those of a certain+ age). Can anyone point to a significant initial
interaction with authorities in which this ID is insufficient?

It doesn't show that you have the right to be in Spain.

The question is --- Type 1 or type 2 error? Better to have it and not need it or need it and not have it. In 40 plus years of European travel we have been asked unexpected by authorities for our passport. Glad we had it each time. I am sure the officer would have been glad to drive me back to the hotel so could get it from the safe. Carry it -- it is not a big deal.

PS Pickpocketing is an over rated concern IF you use some reasonable precautions. In our 40 years of travel I am not sure if I have ever seen a pickpocket -- there were a couple of times - maybe - but nothing serious.

My calculation is that a Global Entry card is a solid form of ID that may be cross referenced with passport data held by authorities confirming my legal entry. Am I wrong? If my passport is lost, the hassle replacing it seems FAR greater as embassies and consulates are sometimes far away from my locations. Are appointments to meet staff always available without delay? In decades of travel and having lived in Europe for a time, I've never been asked for my passport when it resides safely in my accommodations.

This is one of those questions for which there will never be consensus. Depending on the country, and my perceived risk, I may or may not carry my passport. I know of quite a few people that needed to go thru the hassle of replacing passports either because it was stolen via pickpocket or lost. I have never heard of anyone that experienced an issue because they didn't have a passport with them. I always carry my passport when "in transit" between cities or on day trips. We were asked for passports this past February when we were at the Rome Termini train station.

We chose to carry our passports in some of the larger cities in Italy and in Istanbul.

I know many that have been pickpocketed. Rick Steves was pickpocketed. I had an attempt on a train at the Milan train station. Pick pocketing is not an isolated occurrence.

We are always asked for passports when checking into accommodations. I don't know what one does if theirs has been lost or stolen.

I do carry my drivers' license, and I also have photos of my passport on my cell phone. I do know that a passport card, drivers' license, global entry card, or copies of any of those items are technically not proof of citizenship. People need to make their own choices based on their own habits and perceived risk.

If you are going to the Alhambra and have prepurchased tickets (YOU SHOULD) you likely will need your passport in order to match it to your ticket.

I never carry my passport with me during excursions. I carry a copy.

I carry expired DL's to have DOB.

I have a pair of "passport" socks. There is a zipper above the ankle with a pouch for the passport.

I participate in the STEP program and I always carry a copy of my accommodations card, booking.com reservation, something that shows where I am staying for contact purposes or more logically if I get lost.

If you are going to the Alhambra and have prepurchased tickets (YOU SHOULD) you likely will need your passport in order to match it to your ticket.

We visited the Alhambra in June and you definitely needed your actual passport. At different times you had to scan the passport at a machine to gain entry to different areas (in addition to your ticket). A photo wouldn’t have sufficed.

My calculation is that a Global Entry card is a solid form of ID that
may be cross referenced with passport data held by authorities
confirming my legal entry.

Maybe, once EES is up and running. But the only way to see what stamps are in your passport is to look in your actual passport.

Be it Spain or any other country in Europe, I have the passport on me.

This trip I was particularly lucky in being controlled twice (a first on any trip) in France, the first time on 13 July ( I can see why) when returning from a day excursion in Northern France from Arras to Paris Nord. As all the passengers were heading towards the main area of Nord, I am stopped by a very nice French woman with the label "Douane" on her shirt and asked me for the Passport and was surprised too that I spoke English. This was like a checkpoint, I saw her colleague stop other guy.

The second incident is more perplexing, singled out again on the train going from Metz to Paris Est. He started talking in French before seeing the US passport. Upon see that , he still did not switch over to English, continued talking in slow deliberate French.

I kept it that way and was able to manage with the language issue. Again, he was Douane, very polite, even displayed a bit humour after I said I was retired and what profession had been. One question came after another., maybe 6 in total. (surprising when it's not a border crossing? ) He never used English with me, all in French.

Bottom line...have that passport on you, otherwise upon being checked " they " don't know the date of your entry in Schengen, plus why should "they" believe your story anyway?

Carry it -- it is not a big deal.

I'm with Frank on this one. I don't understand the huge concern. I've been traveling internationally just four months shy of 50 years and I always carry my passport while abroad. I don't use a money belt, but it is in a small crossbody bag that doesn't leave my body when out and about. This is the same way I treat my crossbody bag when at home. I feel more confident with it staying safe with me rather than in my hotel room or safe (I never use the safe). I do keep back up financials in my room. I'd rather not have to return to my hotel in an emergency to get my passport, but rather be able to turn on a dime. Just me. It's a small chance that someone would steal my passport as it would not be a benign encounter. Should this happen, I have bigger concerns. Besides, it's not hard to get it replaced in most areas that I travel to or through. However, I have an urban mentality. For those who keep their purses/bags wide open in their shopping carts...YMMV. LOL

Government issued photo identification includes driving licence so
that’s fine.

In the US and Canada, a driver's license is issued by the State or Province and is not a National ID. I can't speak for all North American DL's but mine does not indicate my nationality or even what country I'm from.

In over 50+ years of traveling in Europe since 1971, this trip was the only one where being asked to produce it was done internally, ie, not at a border crossing , such form Germany /Poland or France/Germany. Prior to the encounters above, I had never been asked in any country, willy-nilly, not even by the commie Czechs in Prague or the commie East Germans in East Berlin

Therefore I had better have it on me when out and about on the train say , Metz to Paris, Lyon to Strasbourg , Maubeuge to Paris, etc, etc.

On the question "what can they do do you if caught w/o the passport?" I would rather forego the encounter.

No copies either. It's your choice if you are willing to experience that and be sweated by a barrage of questions, to which your answers may not even be credible , ie why should you be believed?