Haze933

I was told that if staying in Italy that I must give a copy of my passport to the renter when I arrive and that it's an Italian law...can anyone confirm this process?

kybourbon

You don't need a copy. They will take your passport and record the info. Hotels do the same thing sometimes returning your passport the next day.

Dayenu

Usually they ask for original passports, not for copy, and yes, it's the law in Italy.

Last time, in a Venice hotel, I opened our passports, put the copies on the counter, let them compare to make sure those are the same, and said, I don't need the copies back. Only after that did they agree not to take our passports.

I think they must register all tourists with police, this is why they do it.

ellenem

In italy, foreign visitors are required to register their locations with the police. Hotels and apartments landlords are doing you a service by completing the paperwork for you. Otherwise, you would have to go to the police station each time you arrived in a city to complete the paperwork.

As mentioned, at a hotel one would usually hand your passport to the desk clerk. These days many hotels have a small copier at the desk and the clerk will make a quick copy and return your passport immediately. Another frequent situation: the clerk might take the passport and wait for a quieter moment to complete the paperwork. You'll receive the passport the next time you pass through the lobby or sometimes the next morning.

Your passport should NOT be held hostage from you for the duration of the stay.