Carry your passport with you when in Holland
 

A new national identity law in NL requires that you have an ID with you. As far as non-Dutch and non-EU citizens goes, that means your passport. A copy is not acceptable. See further info at:
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_...ou+prove+it%3F

The article does not talk about visitors. It seems to talk about people living there.

I'm not sure I would want to carry my passport on me while walking anyplace. I generally like to leave it in the hotel, and carry a copy.

I hope this will be clarified soon.

Very interesting info. I'm wondering about the visitor issue, as well. What about Dutch EU passport holders who don't reside in the country? I would assume whether or not you hold a Dutch passport would be irrelevant if you are just a visitor?

The same is true for Belgium; you have to be able to show ID when asked, wether you are Belgian or not.

"The article does not talk about visitors. It seems to talk about people living there."

It doesn't?

Then what part of the words "everyone over the age of 14 will be reqiired to carry identification" am I not understanding?

This is pretty typical. We must have our passport or residence permit with us at all times in Slovenia. I had a friend who was arrested b/c she didn't have it. Of course, it was an abuse of power and she was Jordanian.

It was the same way in Switzerland.

Cheers,
Jan

Jan, We in Belgium must also have our ID with us whenever we leave our house. Even children, from age 12!

Not even Eurozone civil authoritoes would be so dumb as to create a law requiring everyone to carry ID and then exempt foreigners.

It's dead easy. If you're walking round Holland, you must carry ID - either an ID card for most people, or a passport if you come from a country that doesn't belong to Europe's conventions on mutual ID card recognition.

Now whether the Dutch police will react in quite the same way to a white Englishman or Australian who's left their passport in the hotel as they will to a possibly illegal Moroccan immigrant with the same excuse remains to be seen.

But Europe's more civilised countries have a nasty habit of ostentatiously being seen to be non-racist these days. And I've no intention of finding out the hard way.

Jed's likes or dislikes in this matter are quite irrelevant. If Jed wants to stay out of a Dutch police station, he'd better learn to obey his host country's laws.

Most continental European countries seem to have this law on the books. It would be nice, though, if they prominently displayed such a notice at the train station or airport so that everyone knew this.

In theory, there could be a slight problem when you have to submit your passport to the hotel (like in Italy) and then they take your time returning it to you. In theory, you could then be held in the hotel until they give it back if you want to follow this strictly. But I didn't have a problem, as they always gave the passport back to me when I was ready to go out again.

I am also curious of the legal situation if you are in one of these Eurozone countries and your passport is stolen (or even lost). What legal penalties could you suffer in the intervening time it takes you to get the new passport?

This is fascinating. In the many, many, many hours I have spent reading messages on this message board, and in the many, many, many guide books I have read in the past several years, I have somehow managed to miss this requirement. If it is true that most of continental Europe requires one to carry a passport, I must have been violating the law in several countries. I feel extremely fortunate never to have been challenged on this. I always assumed it was all right to leave my passport in the hotel or apartment. I am really curious about whether this is a requirement in France, where I am headed next, or in Greece, where I am headed after that. Or in Italy, Denmark, or the UK (and yes, I know this isn't on the continent), where I traveled last year.

Someone posted a few weeks ago about her significant other having a problem when he didn't have his passport in Paris, and had inadvertently paid too little fare on the metro. He was going to be arrested for the lack of passport, but they finally let him go. Maybe you could find that post.

There's actually a practical reason for not exempting foreign nationals from such a requirement. If they were exempted, any domestic national stopped without official ID could simply claim to be a foreign national. And in the absence of an official ID, how could this be proven or disproven on the spot?

This is an interesting thread.

Regarding Italy. I have often had hotels keep my passport until the next morning as they fill out the report for the local PD late at night.

Also, I would imagine that a good percent of us are breaking the law when in Europe as it seems to me when there have been discussions here regarding what one should carry around with them during their sightseeing etc. most travelers here have responded by saying that they carry a photocopy of the passport with them.

I sure do not know, but would imagine that a traveler who is not making a big problem but was asked for the ID or passport and then produced a photocopy of their passport along with the information the original was at the safe at the hotel would probably not have a problem.

However, if such a law is on the books in all of Europe then of course the Police would have an "excuse" to maybe drag one down to the police department. That would sure be a side sighseeing tour non of us would want ::)

When I am in Italy with my Italian friends they always safekeep my original passport for me (I always have a photocopy with me). They are business people etc. Good upstanding citizens LOL. Maybe Italy's laws are different than the NL?

I don't understand why some responses are nasty and cynical when they are uncalled for. Civility, where are you when we need you?

Perhaps those who don't like to carry their passports are feeling a bit 'tetchy' about it..?

What I find most interesting about this conversation is that hotels in Italy hold your passport overnight. I have not been to Europe for almost 4-years now but I never had a hotel hold my passport longer that the time it took to register and get a key. Is this something new to Europe or just in Italy (holding passport)?

How interesting! I lived in the communist former Soviet Union for 37 years, and can't recall a single day when I'd be required to carry a passport with me! This was the only form of ID for adults over 16.

Of course there were instances when a passport was required, like starting a new job, moving into a new apartment - so it would get stamped. But to carry it around? Ahhh, the possibility of even more control over the general population missed by the regime!

I'm stunned by some of these answers.
For 15 years, I've been taking trips to Europe. It has never even entered my mind that I should carry a copy of the passport and leave the original at the hotel. Yes, occasionally the hotel wants to retain the passport for a little while. But they return it promptly. Also, on the overnight train, the conductor will retain the passport. But these are the only two instances when I am without it.
That little booklet is just too essential to leave my hands for long whether or not there is a law. It is always with me in a hidden place.

The article doesn't talk about visitors, it is written for expats and residents, so you can't excerpt certain phrases from it and say it applies to other populations.

Now I expect it does refer to foreigners, of course, because it says the point is that police may ask for ID for crimes and such things. If you don't have your passport and you are doing something questionable or illegal, they can put you in the pokey until you can prove your identity. That doesn't seem so unusual for me.

I don't always carry my passport with me, and I have used my driver's license for ID when asked in France. It is an official govt. ID with photo and it was always accepted. I wasn't arrested or being questioned by police, however.

I don't think this is that big a deal given it mainly applies to those doing something questionable and even then, that article says it is unlikely someone would be fined for not having their passport on them if they could produce it--unless they really were trying to get them for something else.

WillTravel, I remember that thread, but I thought the fellow was subject to arrest because he didn't have the money to pay the fine when he got off the metro or RER without a ticket for the proper zone. It was then that they asked for his passport. That did make me think about carrying a passport, but only because it would help out in a scrape. If it is actually legally required, I would like to know that.