LvSun

Do some hotels outside the US keep your passport for 24 hours?

I just read this question on another travel site - the poster was traveling to Cuba. The replies she got was that this is common practice throughout the world. It was recommended she take photocopies of her passport to leave with the hotel.

Is this common practice? My travels outside the US have been limited to several Caribbean islands, Mexico, and Belize. I don't think we have even had hotels ask to even see our passport, let alone keep it.

Should I start carrying photocopies of our passports with us when we travel?

MarionCK

Well, Cuba is an entirely different ballgame. If you are a US citizen, you aren't going there. I'll keep my political opinions about that stupidity to myself...sort of ;-)

But I will state EMPHATICALLY, do not surrender your passport to anyone in any country.Never, never, never !

Marion

kerikeri

it is very common for hotels to ask for your passport upon check in. i usually ask them if they just need the number and they say yes and i tell them the number. on occasion they need to xerox the passport in which case, yes for 10 seconds i relinquish my passport and they bring it back. when i leave i take the copy they made with me.
many governments worldwide require them to keep these details for their reporting for whatever reason.
refusing this routine event generally creates a bad vibe right off the bat. it's like refusing to put on the paper dress at the dr.'s office...this is just what they do.
i agree you need to safeguard your passport but they don;t need to keep it these days, a xerox or the details should suffice.
i have experienced this in: europe, asia, africa, australia/new zealand south pacific, india, all over the world basically.
kerikeri

Canuck_at_Canada_eh

Having travelled extensively within Cuba, I will say this about the whole passport question.

The Cuban registration process is quite straightforward, but they have to copy down the basic information from you passport (Name, address, nationality, etc, passport number) and when a bus of 50 guests arrives from the airport they want to get people checked in as quick as possible. So they sometimes (not always) ask for the passports so that they can complete their registration forms later. It gets you in and registered quicker that way. I've NEVER had a problem in just giving them a photocopy of the main info page and keeping my passport with me. It allows them to do their job and keeps me from leaving my passport.

Overall, nothing at all to worry about. It's a country I very much enjoy with wonderful warm and friendly people. Too bad they are seen as the "boogie man" by the USA. Such a silly situation.

Steve

MKE

There was no need to leave my passport in either Germany or Austria this past October. Last year, however, my passport was kept overnight in Italy. Since then, I've travelled with several copies of my pasport on my person and in my luggage. Where practical, I leave the passport in my hotel room safe and use the copy for ID purposes if asked.

Carrybean

I had a Cuban friend who was one of the last allowed to leave under Castro's regime who might disagree with the so-called "silly situation." The soldier at the entrance to the plane took her shoes (she was 8 years old at the time.) She arrived in the USA barefoot. She went on to personally know 2 US presidents.

Cuba will never see my passport no matter if the laws change but to each his own.

caribtraveler

Years ago, a hotel in Brussels wanted to keep my passport overnight. I went to another hotel.

Statia

This is fairly common in Italy in order to register you as a visitor to the city. I have never stayed in a hotel in Italy, but our apartment landlords always request a copy of our passports on arrival. I also hear many people state that hotel desk clerks keep them for the first 24 hours in order to make necessary documentation for submission to the authorities.

xplors

we stayed in cuba in 2001, and had to leave our passports at the front desk, overnight. all of the guests did.

we have also travelled, extensively, in the caribbean, mexico, london and paris. this was never requested anywhere else.

when we were in cuba, we didnt ask why they needed them overnight, but i had read on message boards that this would be the case. it was no biggie - we got them back first thing the next morning. maybe now i'd be a little more curious, and asky why. i thought this happens (or at least happened, back then) in all hotels in cuba.

liza

I surrendered my passport to a hotel in Italy as a 17 year old and without going into great detail, had a very bad, life changing experience largely because I couldn't just run away without that passport.

Caution.

suze

Well, it is the law in Italy.

embily123

every single hotel will do it in Vietnam

Santa

So will a photo copy satisfy the front desk?

Statia

Usually...I've done it in Italy. You might want to inquire with the hotel first to be sure.

chinook67

Sure this happens and sometimes for much more than 24 hours. It depends on the particular country. When I've travelled in Russia, your hotel holds the passport for your entire stay. It is registered with the police. If you don't hand over your passport you're not staying at the hotel. In fact, you cannot check into a Russian hotel unless the city you are trying to stay in is listed on your visa. Of course, small places will sometimes take you for an additional "fee" but who knows what trouble you can run into. I always carry a photo copy of my passport just in case I need to make a trip to the embassy!

Odin

"you cannot check into a Russian hotel unless the city you are trying to stay in is listed on your visa."

Russian cities are no longer mentioned on visas. Russian hotels also do not always hold on to your passport for the entire stay, only long enough to register your details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then you can have your passport back. They give you a receipt for your passport.

Vera

Marion: If you NEVER surrender your passport, you'll have to stay away from several places, including the boat from Greece to Turkey for Epidaurus. Unless they have recently changed operation, the Greeks take the passport overnight at the port in Samos. I think because they want you to spend some money in Samos, the island you are sailing from, before you spend more in Turkey.

LvSun

Just got back from Bonaire and Aruba (Hyatt) - both places took a look at our passports but did not keep them or make copies.

LvSun

Here is a good one though:
Friends went next door to the Hyatt on Aruba to rent snorkel gear for the day (cost about $22). The rental place told them they had to hold our friends credit card until they returned the equipment. So of course, they said forget it.