Can a foreign hotel hold your passport?

The answer, in many places, is yes. Sometimes hotels may legally demand that you hand over your passport when you check in. In some countries, hotels may be required under local law to retain copies of guests' passport information, a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed with me.



People Also Ask

Anyone who is travelling to Spain has been warned not to leave their passport at the reception of their hotel when they check-in. In Spain, hotels are legally bound to register the passport details of the tourist when they arrive.

MORE DETAILS

In Italy, the hotels are required to register guests with the local authorities, which they do via your passport information. They will collect your passport when you check in, sometimes keeping it for 24 hours before returning it to you.

MORE DETAILS

Leave Your Passport at the Hotel Although your passport is required as an ID when travelling abroad, you don't really need to carry it around with you everywhere. Consider moving around the city with your driver's license instead, and leave your passport behind in the hotel safe.

MORE DETAILS

It is best that you leave it at the hotel`s safety deposit box rather than inside your room`s safe. If your hotel doesn`t have one, then you can keep it inside your hotel room. Look for a place in your hotel room where people wouldn`t think that it would be there, like under the TV or at the edge of the carpet.

MORE DETAILS

It is part of the way things are done in Italy. The hotel has to report your details to the police. If the front desk is busy, they will want to hold the passport for a short time until they can take the details. There is no risk: many thousands of passports are handled this way every day.

MORE DETAILS

It is part of the way things are done in Italy. The hotel has to report your details to the police. If the front desk is busy, they will want to hold the passport for a short time until they can take the details. There is no risk: many thousands of passports are handled this way every day.

MORE DETAILS

Border crossings Spain has FOUR European land borders. Two are with Schengen countries (France and Portugal), so routine immigration and customs checks do not take place on crossing the border - see the Schengen Agreement section below for more information.

MORE DETAILS

Leave Your Passport at the Hotel Although your passport is required as an ID when travelling abroad, you don't really need to carry it around with you everywhere. Consider moving around the city with your driver's license instead, and leave your passport behind in the hotel safe.

MORE DETAILS

Most accommodations have in-room safes or lockers these days. If you dont' feel safe using your in-room safe, feel free to ask the staff at the front desk of your hotel to keep their eyes on it. At the end of the day there's really no 100% safe way to keep your passport form being stolen.

MORE DETAILS

As veterans in the hospitality industry, we understand that this basic request might be unfamiliar for many travelers. But rest assured, we're happy to clarify that this is perfectly normal and required by law. Yes, even locals have to present our IDs at hotels, B&Bs, and other accommodations both in Italy and abroad.

MORE DETAILS

Yes, you have to carry your passport in Italy. Italian law requires that anyone in a public area must carry an identity document issued by their national government. According to the law of DLGS, 25 July 1998, N. 286, you are always required to carry with you the original passport in Italy.

MORE DETAILS

You may also be able to present your booking receipt, confirmation email, or a digital ID — whatever you have to prove your identity. If you've reported your lost ID to the police, you can provide them with a copy of the incident report or the report number.

MORE DETAILS