You must carry your ID in Italy.
It’s often a matter of debate–and personal choice–whether to carry your passport when you’re out and about in another country or prefer to leave it in the hotel safe. But in some countries, it’s a legal requirement to always have a form of identification on you. And a new government warning is reminding travelers that Italy is one such country.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office has updated its travel advisory for Italy and is cautioning tourists on how to avoid trouble with Italian authorities. It recommends that travelers always carry a form of ID when visiting. “In most cases a copy of the photo page of your passport should be enough, but you may also be asked for a second form of photo ID. The police will normally ask for your full passport if you are stopped while driving.”
You should carry photos of your passport on your phone and keep printed copies while wandering cities. As a good practice, keep another original identification handy, and ensure you carry your original passport any time you’re driving.
The Foreign Office also alerted tourists to the particulars of public transit: Authorities may fine individuals if they don’t validate their tickets before starting their journeys. Validating generally requires you to scan the ticket or card on a machine in buses or metro stations. Failure to do so could result in fines between €100 and €500, though they may be reduced to €50 if you pay immediately.
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Italy has been doubling down on tourist behavior. Sitting on monument steps, dipping into the canals of Venice, defacing heritage, urinating in public, or splashing into a fountain can cost thousands of dollars. Last year, the government announced that it would issue fines up to $65,000 to anyone who vandalizes cultural sites and monuments.
If you’re wondering who would do such things, it happens far more often than you realize. Just this month, a woman was filmed kissing and grinding a 16th-century statue in Florence. If identified, she will be fined and may get banned from the city for life.
The U.S. Department of State doesn’t have these warnings on its website, but it makes it clear that any violations will follow you back home. “Fines are imposed if driving without the proper permits in historic downtown areas of cities and towns throughout Italy. Cameras photograph the license plates of cars illegally driving in parts of the city that require a permit. The fines imposed for these violations are forwarded to the driver’s home in the United States to request payment.”
It also explains that you should hire a lawyer in Italy if you wish to contest these fines.
More Warnings for Italy
Just like last year, Europe is baking right now. The Italian health ministry has issued red alerts for heatwaves this week. Cities including Rome, Bologna, Florence, and Palermo are on high alert with scorching temperatures in the 80s and 90s without much respite at night. Additional cities are expected to be added to the red alert list as the heat intensifies.
Those visiting Puglia or Sicily should also be cautious as the mercury is expected to rise up to 100 degrees in the region. Wildfires are also raging in Italy, Greece, and the Balkan countries (including Bulgaria and North Macedonia).
If you’re traveling to Europe this summer, make sure you stay hydrated and avoid the worst-affected areas.
Related: Sicily Is Turning Away Tourists This Summer
