kerouac

It is not a legal requirement to carry a national identity card in France. I knows dozens of French who don't have an official identity card -- either it expired 20 years ago, or they lost it, or whatever. In fact, it became so common for people not to have identity cards that they were finally made free a few years ago, to get rid of an excuse that people used for not having one.
The actual legal requirement is to be able to prove your identity, and normally you have 48 hours to do so.
In terms of tourists carrying passports, the only reason I can imagine for this is if they are planning on doing bank transactions on a particular day. Those of us who travel to wilder countries always keep a few photocopies of a passport handy -- such things can come in handy in 3rd world countries. In France, no.

HermesGlobeTrotter

What kind of hotels are you staying in that you are afraid the staff is rummaging through your room safe? I have never had anything touched in my room safe with my hundreds of trips all over the world. Leave your passport in the safe.

I would like to take a poll. How many people have had items stolen from their hotel room safe?????????

How many people have had their purse, luggage, or backpack stolen or rummaged through?????????????????????????

I bet the latter will be at a higher number.

Balenciaga

bailey6325

HermesGlobeTrotter - the point is to keep your passport in a moneybelt. I don't think anyone is recommending that you keep your passport in a purse or backpack. Your passport is much safer in a moneybelt than anywhere else, including the hotel safe.

Luisah

I carry a photocopy of my passport and have used it when filling out forms in shops for the VAT refund. I keep my passport in the hotel safe or locked in my suitcase and have never, ever, had anything taken from a hotel safe.

Of seven or more European countries I've traveled in, Italy is the only country that I remember needing to show the passport to check into a hotel. I've never been asked for identification on the street, and unless asked by a uniformed policeman, I'd be very wary of turning over my passport to someone on the street.

You may need the information for shopping in Paris if you're going to apply for the VAT refund (or for a discount) but a photocopy is sufficient.

logos999

>But the [...] german, [...]law clearly states 'you have to carry a valid ID all the time'.

No, wrong. The law states, that you need to posess a valid ID OR a passport. That's all. If you can't identify yourself, you may be asked to get the papers from the hotel or go to the police ststion with them.

Mimar

HermesGlobetrotter, I have read recently several reports of items stolen from hotel room safes. While I haven't had this experience myself, I believe these reports. Obviously, many people have had no problem leaving valuables in a room safe. So it's up to the individual to take the chance or not. The general consensus is the hotel safe is "safe."

suze

I always carry mine. It just seems prudent imo to have it on my person, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Jean

I'm with Suze. The way the world is turning these days (as I listen to CNN in the background while online), if I want to get outta Dodge on a moment's notice, I have what I need with me: passport, credit card, money, shoes. Everything else I'm willing to sacrifice for safety/security.

My grandfather told stories of escaping from Munich after WWII began. He had to scrounge gasoline and leave all behind as he scrambled to get to the Swiss border. He eventually made his way to Calais and handed over the keys of his car to a stranger because he could only get to England by passenger ferry.

RufusTFirefly

Well, I guess if one or two people here have never had anything stolen from a hotel safe, it must never have happened to anyone.

annhig

I don't remember reading any postings about things being stolen from a hotel room, [except one unlucky guy who i seem to remember was staying a flea-pit somewhere in whatused to be known as Eastern europe] whereas loads have been dipped on trains, buses, streets. I particualrly don't remember reading about anything being stolen froma hotel safe, either in a room or at reception. The only time I have been asked for a passport within a foreign country is on checking into a hotel, and then not always.
I think the safest place is in a hotel safe; but we all have to make our own decision. I certainly wouldn't carry it juist in case some official wanted to see it - who's to know that they're a valid official?

kerouac

Of course, I have had a passport stolen from me twice while I had it with me -- once in Los Angeles and once in Johannesburg, so that makes up for the two people who haven't had a passport stolen from the hotel. It was so much fun in LA (on Thanksgiving weekend) and in Johannesburg (on a Sunday) when I had to catch a flight the very next day to go home.

LoveItaly

As I have said before I either leave my passport in the hotel safe (not a room safe) or with friends. I carry a photocopy of my passport along with my CA drivers licensed on my person.

If travelling from one place to another of course I have my original passport with me.

So far I have never had a problem, but of course that does not mean I never will.

missypie

I had read so much about pickpockets in Italy that I left our passports in our apartment. We had reserved (and paid for) tickets to climb the Leaning Tower of Pisa but the lady insisted on seeing my passport before she would give us our tickets. After we begged, she looked at my husband's driver's license and relented.

adeben

I'd appreciate clarification on the main issue pertaining to the question raised in the original post: Several posters (including me) have reported having their passports stolen while they were carrying them. Has any poster had their passport stolen after leaving it in their hotel room?safe?

Maire

Haven't made up my mind if we'll keep original passports with us in money belt (rather than hotel), but I'm leaning that way. Like some other posters above, I like knowing I'll have it with me in case of an emergency.

However, I have also reduced and laminated our passports to have sturdy back-up copies which will be in a separate place than the originals.

ggreen

I dunno, I always carry my passport in an inner pocket in my purse; maybe because I'm a NYer, this is what is most comfortable/secure to me. My BF carries his in his front pocket. Backup copies inside our luggage (and at home in a file)... Never had a problem with the stuff I leave in the room safe.

When I was a student in Paris in the mid-80's, we were told to carry our Carte de S&eacute;jour with us at all times (albeit less bulky than passport), so the habit of having an official *national* ID just stuck. Until I read kerouac's post just now, I always thought that it was the French law to have national ID on your person. I remember being ID'ed and bags checked everywhere during the time I studied in Paris (because of the bombs and threats), though since I never tried handing over a US state ID, I can't say 100% that would not have been accepted... [Between you and me, I'd do anything those <i>flics</i> with machine guns ask! ]

On my most recent trip to Paris, the hotel required the passport of the person who's credit card they were taking for the room.

Travelnut

&quot;...Several posters (including me) have reported having their passports stolen while they were carrying them....&quot;

I wonder how many of them had the passport hidden in an under-the-clothing security pouch? I'll be bold and guess &quot;0&quot;.

MissZiegfeld

I always have mine on me, even when I'm home--never really thought about why. I guess in the back of my head I know there's a possibility that I could run into Donald Trump somewhere and he'll invite me on his private jet to Europe or something, with only a moments notice of course.

hey, ya never know.

adeben

Travelnut:
The original poster's question really asked (a) if he/she had to carry the passport with them at all times (to which the answer seems to be 'NO'), and (b) whether or not it was OK to leave it in the hotel safe. There have been cautionary tales that the passport MIGHT be stolen from the hotel, but no poster has stated that it actually happened to them. Let me extend my previous question further: Does any poster know of ANYONE whose passport was stolen from a hotel?

Girlspytravel

I can tell you this much-I ALWAYS leave my valuables, including my passport, in my hotel room safe. I've never heard of someone breaking into the individual password type safes (or any other hotel room safe, for that matter)-and have used safes all over Europe without worry. I don't stay in a hotel that does not have an individual room safe.

As far as the passport goes, I wouldn't THINK of taking my passport with me-once you have your wallet stolen (as I did in the Paris metro station Chatelet-you'll want to lessen your stress and anxiety and hassle by NOT having the passport taken as well-and all that entails-which of course, mine wasn't-it was back at the apartment safe and locked up.

Tudor, do yourself a favor, and leave it locked up in the safe, along with your credit cards (just take one with you) and other valuables. You'll feel a lot less worry as you trip about the city, without constantly worrying about pickpockets. You only need to have some govt. issued ID, such as a driver's license, or a state or federal ID, to use for identification in Paris, it is NOT required that you carry your passport around with you, by no means-I've never in all these years of traveling ever carried it with me-no problem whatsoever there.