Upgraded!

I've been told many a time that when traveling abroad it's best to keep my passport with me at all times, should I need to show it to authorities for some reason, so that's what I've always done (particularly in countries where English isn't the predominant language and "explaining" is hard). However I recently received a passport card and am wondering whether that's sufficient to carry with me?

I prefer to leave my passport in my hotel room safe, and it's nice to have something that fits in my regular wallet, but I'm curious whether that's considered acceptable ID by foreign authorities if asked on the street (not at customs/immigration)? Any experiences, actual or anecdotal? My concern is either that people wouldn't know what it actually was or the rule would simply be that a passport must be carried at all times. Thanks.

FlyingHoustonian

I think The answer is "it depends".

There are many stories on here of people accepting it in Europe and North America. I have used it before myself once or twice in Europe and it was fine and once in Saudi Arabia. Before I had European ID and I lived in the Netherlands and Germany we were supposed to carry our passport anytime we were outside the country of residence. The Dutch were fairly strict about this actually, at least in Limburg where I lived and then visited daily on my drives to work. I was lucky I had more than one passport so I always carried one (this was before PPcard) but I digress.

If you are stopped you can always say your passport was kept by the hotel or something to that effect and show the PPcard.

I had official and tourist passports but you can get a second tourist passport, normally valid for two years and then carry one while the other is in the hotel.

cordelli

Leave your passport in your hotel safe unless you need it for something. Carry a copy of the information page, and if needed to produce the passport, you can tell them it's at your hotel.

Most authorities in other countries have never seen a US passport card, so it won't mean that much to them. There's probably a better chance they would accept your driver's license.

Always Flyin

Problem is that the passport card or a copy of the passport info page doesn't show your visa and/or entry stamp so they can't determine if you are in the country legally or not.

Same thing with the second passport (which is not all that easy to get anymore). Unless you entered the country on it, they would assume you have no visa and didn't enter the country legally.

Really depends on the country. In Mozambique, for example, stopping foreigners without their actual passport on the street is a big money earner for the police on the streets, who are willing to accept a payment in lieu of arresting you.

Upgraded!

My next foreign travels will be the UK and France, so a visa isn't required per se; my passport just proves that I entered legally and haven't overstayed (I know I get 6 mos in the UK, based on what the stamp says, not sure if France is the same). I used to just carry my license until when I went to Russia and made sure to have my passport at all times, after which I just started carrying it out of habit in foreign countries. I'd prefer to just swap the DL in my wallet out with the PP card but sounds like that's not the best idea.

WilcoRoger

In the UK one is not required to carry any ID - so if you have your passport card, it's already over the requirements.

In France, you won't be stopped on the street for random ID-checks. The passport card is probably good to prove WHO you are (but not for immigration related issues)

I think it's definitely a good idea to have some ID on you - you won't end up John Doe if hit by a car... OTO I once had a medical evacuation from Moscow and it was a major p.i.a to recover my passport from the hotel safe with me bein in the hospital.

ESpen36

Last weekend, I was in Costa Rica, and I left my passport book in the hotel safe and carried my passport card instead. As you know, virtually all credit card transactions in Costa Rica require ID, and I showed my passport card. Worked every time.

JDiver

Yes, this. In most places in the world, not every single place.

GUWonder

Probably not, when it comes to that last sentence above, except when it comes to matters of driving.

Except when it comes to matters of driving, I am finding that beyond North America the US passport cards have a far better chance of being accepted than driving licenses issued by some state or territory that is part of the US.

Photo ID that reads "United States of America" / "United States Department of State" come across as more official/authentic/valid to more people than a driving license with a name like Connecticut, Rhode Island, Iowa, Idaho, or some other state/territory in the US -- excepting matters of driving.

There are times when carrying the passport makes sense. US citizens of non-European ethnic appearance in Italy are far more likely (than US citizens of European ethnic appearances) to get harassed for actual presentation of the actual passport while even at tourist sites; and that harassment is from those with law enforcement type powers. The photocopy may or may not stop the harassment, but having the passport works far more reliably than a photocopy with a claim that the passport is at the hotel.

Dovster

The problem in carrying your passport with you is that you just might lose it. My son, in fact, had both his American and Israeli passports with him when we were in Prague and left his small briefcase in a taxi (with the two passports inside).

This was on a Friday morning and he had until 2 pm, when the Consulate closes, to get a new Israeli passport for his flight home that evening. The American Consulate, whose website says that it is available for emergency purposes 24/7, did not answer its phone all day. This was a problem as he had entered the Czech Republic on his American passport and was supposed to leave on it.

He was finally given permission to leave on the temporary Israeli passport he had been issued but would not have been allowed on a flight to any country except Israel.

As for me, I keep my passport locked up in my hotel safe unless I am crossing any borders (even within the EU). The few times I was stopped, my Israseli driver's license was sufficient.

ESpen36

EXACTLY RIGHT! I've never once had my passport card questioned overseas. But when I use it with TSA domestically, the officers always are intrigued and ask about it!

We in the USA are highly unusual in that the vast majority of people carry only a driver license on their person most of the time, as the sold form of identification. Why? Because we do not have a federally-issued national identity card. By contrast, most countries around the world, both developed and developing countries, have mandatory national photo IDs issued by federal agencies to everyone over 18. (These federal IDs are sometimes called a cédula or carnet in Spanish-speaking countries).

So, in most countries, people have come to accept the fact that they must present identification for many/most transactions on a day-to-day basis. In fact, in countries like Venezuela, you must show your ID or at least recite your national identity number even when making purchases in CASH (so that the transaction can be traced and linked to you). People accept it as part of life. In the USA, there are some very vocal opponents to this kind of thing--mostly from the ACLU camp. So, it hasn't caught on, and currently the only kind of federally-issued ID available to the average U.S. citizen or U.S. national is the passport card/book, issued only upon request and upon payment of fees. Currently, I think somewhere around 20% of the eligible population has applied successfully for a passport card/book.

I would support a national ID, and more frequent use of routine ID checking, as a means of reducing the amount of fraud in retail transactions, but I will hold short of discussing it further here given that we have some very vocal civil libertarians on FT and I wouldn't want this thread to go OT and have to be closed.

Upgraded!

This would have been my gut instinct. If nothing else, there's at least someone local (US embassy/consulate) authorities can call to verify its authenticity. I think you're more likely to convince a cop on the streets of Paris to call the US embassy than the California DMV (particularly with the time differences).

Often1

Some countries require that you have your passport physically on your person. It's dangerous & risky to play games with the rules. Yes, sooner or later the Consulate will get it straightened out -- but do you really want to spend 8 hours in custody waiting for that?

cbn42

Yes, but if they just say "passport", will a passport card qualify?

Always Flyin

See post #4.