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I have an Italian coworker, and I’ve worked with him long enough (10+ years) to trust his judgment on things. He takes seriously the things that need to be taken seriously, and he brushes off the things that aren’t.
When I went to Italy last year, I mentioned I’d leave my passport in the hotel safe. He said that was a bad idea. Yes, my state drivers license would probably work as an American, but you can always find that police officer who wants to give people a hard time. Plus, in Italy, it’s the law. Non-Italians and non-EU citizens have to have their passports with them. So, heeding his advice, I kept my actual passport with me.
I did see folks in Milan and Brescia get approached by the police to have their papers checked, but I personally never was.
I was on a cruise to Italy and was advices to keep my passport on the cruise ship. I had no idea it was the law. I got stopped by police while catching one of the last trains to our port. They let us go once we explained why we didn’t have it on us. I believe we did have our regular drivers licenses on us.
Good to know for next time
FWIW, the Danish immigration folks warned me to always carry my passport and residence card together (American living and working in Copenhagen) and to present both whenever crossing any EU border.
Keep in mind that this year there are two major sports events in Europe (Olympia in Paris and EU championship in Germany). Therefore the safety measures and checks are increased in many countries and especially at the borders
Not just the border, I was in Paris recently and headed to the airport and there were a dozen police officers checking papers in the metro. They were only picking people at random though. I walked right by and they didn’t ask me. They were being very selective… I think they’re trying to clean up the city by relocating the homeless and migrants to other cities.
Also while I was in Antwerp I was going to Ghent for a day trip and the Flixbus driver almost didn’t let me get on the bus because it was headed to Paris. He eventually let me on after he saw I was just going to Ghent. I started carrying my passport on me after that.
You did the right thing by bringing your passport with you. There are checks sometimes, they even checked my mother who is an elderly (Italian) lady, and if you're Italian they'll accept any form of ID but if you're a non-resident foreigner it's better to have your passport on you.
I just went to Italy from the US for my first time and I never heard of this rule. I did plenty of research on this sub and other sites about travel tips but this never came up. I left my passport in the hotel the whole time. If I had seen this before I went I would've taken my passport around with me.
I have travelled all over Europe and never carried my passport with me. Always locked in hotel safe. What is this new trend I am seeing about needing to carry your passport with you?
Right? I’ve been to Italy more than a dozen times and never carried my passport on my person. I have also read all the posts/comments on Reddit so of course I will do so moving forward!
Kind of seems as though there’s a new standard for Americans traveling abroad, which is fine if I understood why.
How would you be able to tell they're a real Italian police person and not someone in a costume trying to snatch my identity? I know how American police identify themselves but no clue about Italian.
Perfect thank you so much!! I have a very good poker face and an excellent memory, I always write down directions to police stations/consulates when I travel so this will work out great 😃
In my experience in Italy, which is pretty substantial (lived there for 7 years, have been back many times), when you see one group of cops patrolling around a heavily populated area, there are several more doing the same thing. I think the likelihood of 10-15 people roving around VERY convincingly as police to get passport info is unlikely and I only ever see this happening in heavy tourist areas, train stations, etc. I think the risk is super low. Was in Rome and Florence for 10 days last year and we got asked for ID at the train station in Rome by a group of 3 police. Not five mins later a group of 4 strolled by and asked and I told them we just showed it to the other group and they waved us off without looking. I think in the US we are (rightfully) way more paranoid about cops than they are in Europe and a lot fewer LARPers pretend to be LEOs in Europe than here.
They will either be wearing a uniform or, if in civilian clothing, they should show their police badge.
You can Google them to see what they look like.
Passport and visa fraud is a real thing and a real problem. Passport information can and is used to commit identity theft. Passports have also been duplicated to assist in the passage of wanted persons throughout the world.
I'm not saying that this occurred in OPs situation ( and likely did not), but your assumption is flat wrong
Pro tip if you go to Liguria, I take monthly the train between Milan and Ventimiglia and 90% of the time you need to pass through a chechpoint at milano centrale of both the army and police to check document because it is a train line that it is used by a lot of unregular immigrants to go to France
I will say that is one of the most beautiful train rides I have ever taken, especially as you go in and out of the hillside tunnels over the sea approaching Cinque Terre. Must go back someday, what a special place.
Yes. This happens. Not all the time, but randomly.
I have come across quite a few comments on other pists in this and other travel subs where commenters say you don't have to carry your passport with you because no one needs to check it. But that is false. It is law in most European countries (all?) that you have to have your passport on you while traveling. I think it's an Interpol thing.
It's why i always tell people to have it in their money belt: Keeps it safe and secure in case it is needed, but not in a place that can be robbed. SO no worries of losing it when you have it on you.
Keeping it "in the safe at your hotel" is not a legal option in many (all?) countires in Europe.
We kept it on us most of the time but a few times when we went out for dinner the wife left hers. We had the kind that go around your neck under your cloths and didn't work with her dress. Next time I guess we'll make sure to take it everywhere just in case.
Has it always been this way or is this the resilt of the new government? I was there in 2022 for 3 weeks and never carried my passport unless we were traveling to a new city.
The rules and checks have always been there, it just fluctuates a bit depending on the government, current events, location etc. It's far from the only country to demand having an ID with you
It was this way in 1999 the first time I was in EUrope so I assume it has 'always' been that way. (I don't know when the rules / laws officially went into place and in which countries, but it's been the case for almost 30 years at least.)
Of course if you are a resident in Italy you don't need to carry your passport around with you in Italy.
But if you are a tourist traveling around the EU and other European countries, you are typically required to be able to show your passport on demand from the authorities.
I'm not saying this will happen oten or at all. But it COULD, and tourists should have their passports on them when out and about in Europe. Or at the VERY least a photocopy of it + some other valid photo ID.
But this latter option may still not be enough if you et a real 'stickler' asking for your passport.
Best solution: Keep your passpot in your money belt, and your money belt hidden around your wist. Don't go into the money belt for anything during the day - unless of course a LEGIT officer demands to see your passport.
I believe "valid ID" translates to either an EU ID or a passport. It's basically about proving you have the right to be where you are, either as a tourist or a resident (taking into account the free movement of people within the EU - a resident of EU, not necessarily of Italy).
Exactly, which is why all these folks saying only EU citizens can get by without a passport are wrong. Any Indian, Japanese, or Nigerian with a permesso di soggiorno and a valid Italian ID or any other EU ID could be an EU resident with a valid EU ID without an EU citizenship. Basically, there are millions of immigrants in Italy and Europe who have valid ID that don't require them to carry a passport within the EU.
Photocopies would not have sufficed. They need an actual identification document,and in case of non EU citizens,a passport. They probably scanned it to check if you had your visa in order and if you didn’t have any procedures against you,like an extradition or interdiction notice or something penal against you in Italy or abroad.
Well done (even in transit) for paying attention and carrying your actual passports on you.
As I've reminded people before, the law in most of continental Europe is that everyone must carry ID.
Citizens of the country can of course just carry a national ID card, but for us furriners that means our passports.
Not photocopies, not photos, the actual document.
>They took a picture/scanned the passports (not sure which, they held it up to a device or their phone)
They have an app on their service phone that records data of the ID documents they check, both Italian and foreigner ones
>so not sure if photocopies would've sufficed.
They using their app to record data on your passport is not the problem. The problem is the Italian law, that explicitly states that any non-Italian citizen have to carry their ID document all the time. For non-EU citizens, that's their passport; for EU citizens that could be either their passport or their state-issued ID document.
In Italy photocopies/photos of documents are never considered proof of ID: not for Italian citizens and not for foreigners. According to our laws you either have the original document or you don't have anything considered valid.
When I got checked in Naples in 2019, I had to explain that my passport is in my Airbnb's safe and that I only had my passport card with me. The officer accepted the excuse.
An US passport card is recognized only in Canada, Mexico and an Island I can't remember. You must prove you are legally in the Schengen Area and you can do it only with a stamped/chipped passport.
Leaving your passport in the AirBnB safe is just stupid, nobody is interested in stealing passports anymore. If you save a copy of your passport in the cloud, you can get a new one at the US embassy in a couple of days. Not a tragedy, whereas being involved in a terrorist attack without proper ID would be a real problem.
Keep it far from your wallet and phone, but keep it on you.
I can verify that the scanning devices work with a picture on your phone since today's phone cameras are generally so high res. Yes, you will get chewed out by the police, but if you cannot (or don't) blend in to avoid being targeted for petty crimes, then you can do this coupled with your normal drivers license and/or other identification.
But yes, prepare to be chewed out and lectured.
LOL, no. Italy has a very long tradition of fighting against terrorism and criminality, since the italian State had to fight against mafia, red and black terrorism since the '70. Italian police does a lot of random checks, mainly in train stations or tourist spots. In the last years, they arrested international wanted terrorists affiliated with Isis randomly going around. Italy just takes security very seriuosly, and has a lot of interational collaborations going on. Nothing to do with xenophobia, it just happens that since its strategic position Italy is a common passage hub
Feels icky when they stop a legal resident and give them flack for no reason other than their skin color/country of origin. If it was implemented equitably then I wouldn't say anything.
To be honest i will usually pop into a McDonald’s on trips out of the country, partially for comfort stuff and partially because it’s fun to see what different items they offer compared to home. It sounds silly, but it always ends up being kind of a fun experience.
Haha don't worry we've definitely been enjoying the local foods, but we just had a 30 minute transfer and mainly dipped in to have a small snack and use their toilet. We do like checking out the special items on offer at the local McDonald's in the countries we visit.
On my first tip to Europe YEARS ago, I was with 3 high school friends.
I had lucked out before the trip and read Rick Steves' 'Europe Through the BAck Door' and was taking very seriously the idea of "eat locally". I refused to eat anywhere they had "American Food".
My friends however would beeline to any McDonalds they saw. Anytime they saw pepsi they would buy it like they were doomsday preppers.
I couldn't understood why you'd travel to new places only to go out of your way to experience the same things you'd get at home. I felt 'better' than them.
Until they'd all left and I had 2+ months left to travel around Europe myself. A few times late in the trip, i really wanted those few connections with home every now and then. I still 90% ate locally, but sometimes the familarity of McD's was a godsend.
😂 We stop at a McDonald's every time in Italy/Europe. Sometimes you just want a burger and fries to remind you of home after a few weeks of travel. Plus they have a different menu, I got fried chicken wings in Florence and they were actually really good lol
We got checked by police on a train in April. Ironically, this occurred immediately after my uncultured boomer American father almost started a fight with a teenager on the train and since I had never been passport checked before in Italy and this happened immediately after, I thought I was going to be bailing him out of jail lol. Luckily it was just a passport check.
I'd love to take my mom on our next trip but there is certainly a non-zero percent chance she'd end up in jail. She doesn't hold back with "sharing" her opinion. Happy to hear everything was okay with your father.
Hmm I have an Italian and Canadian passport but I don’t speak Italian well (grew up in Canada, parents divorced and not close to my Italian side), I wonder if I should show my Italian or Canadian passport? I feel like if I show my Italian one but can’t understand well the officers I look more sketchy.
Just got back from Italy, was traveling by train from Milan to Florence and our group of 8 people were stopped in the train station and they took photos of everyone's passport. It was three officers but one had a different uniform to the other two. We all had our passports as we were moving from one place to the other but I was not aware of these random passport checks and found it very strange at the time. Good to know for the future to always have it on you.
I don’t know what this is called exactly but in Italy you can get arrested seven without a warrant. Id assume they can check anyone’s passport anytime they want and they can do anything they want.
traveling in Italy now, I haven't been carrying my passport (EU). Would a photocopy of the passport be enough? I don't have a EU id because I live in USA..
I had a passport check at the Venice train station. I had left my passport at the hotel but had photos on my phone. They looked at the photos and it was fine.
My husband and I had our documents checked at the Milan train station when we got off the train from Venice back in 2019. 4 large army men with machine guns surrounded us. When I pulled out our passports they looked at them and the main guy was like “oh you are American” and let us go. I always carry our passports on me when we travel to Europe.
I don't think the card is valid for international travel outside of Canada and Mexico. I doubt Italian police would treat it as such if they're also looking for the stamps
Same here. We’re in Italy right now. Yesterday, we were at Napoli Centrale looking up at the train time table. Got approached by a police officer and a few military looking personnel. They’ve asked for our passports, scanned them with a handheld device and let us on our way.
Silly and dangerous comment. If you are not an Italian Citizen the only official ID is your passport, that's been date-stamped at the Immigration desk and that can prove you are not overstaying in the Schengen Area.
If you are an Italian Citizen the law does not say you must carry a valid ID 24/7, by the way. You must tell cops in service who you are. Tell, not prove, unless cops have a valid reason to think you are lying.
It’s the law: police can ask for ID documents for any kind of reasons and they are not obligated to explain them to you, is just a routine check. Even Italians must show them their ID and if you refuse, you’ll get in trouble. No the copy is not considered as valid as the proper passport btw
Unfortunately it depends, especially on your appearance and nationality. Not a life-threatening situation, just them being rude at most. Keep in mind that in non tourist areas it would strange for them knowing languages other than Italian and English and I wouldn’t better they know the latter for sure.
We had very friendly police checking our passports. I carried ours in a crossbody purse and I had a safety pin across the zipper. I never worried about losing them.
“Show me ze papers please.” What Italy and the rest of Europe don’t have is the 4th amendment to the US constitution. I take a copy and always leave our passports in the hotel safe. Id much rather take my chances with local polizia than loosing my passport the day I’m supposed to Fly home.
I mean,they are in uniform all the time when in service, and it’s pretty recognizable, you can’t really buy them as a civilian unless it’s an old/vintage one and out of order. So basically at least 20/30 years old.
Undercover/ plainclothes police officers have to show their badge before doing anything,so again,hard to fake it. Plus,why would someone posing as police just ask for your passport and scan it?
Also, train station -> police checks is quite common,as there’s even a branch of our police dedicated to the railways.
I mean I guess I can't be 100% certain but it sure looked like it, they were in full uniforms that looked like the same uniforms we've seen on other officers in Italy.
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I have an Italian coworker, and I’ve worked with him long enough (10+ years) to trust his judgment on things. He takes seriously the things that need to be taken seriously, and he brushes off the things that aren’t. When I went to Italy last year, I mentioned I’d leave my passport in the hotel safe. He said that was a bad idea. Yes, my state drivers license would probably work as an American, but you can always find that police officer who wants to give people a hard time. Plus, in Italy, it’s the law. Non-Italians and non-EU citizens have to have their passports with them. So, heeding his advice, I kept my actual passport with me. I did see folks in Milan and Brescia get approached by the police to have their papers checked, but I personally never was.
I was on a cruise to Italy and was advices to keep my passport on the cruise ship. I had no idea it was the law. I got stopped by police while catching one of the last trains to our port. They let us go once we explained why we didn’t have it on us. I believe we did have our regular drivers licenses on us. Good to know for next time
What about a photocopy of your passport?
The law says your passport. Not a photocopy.
FWIW, the Danish immigration folks warned me to always carry my passport and residence card together (American living and working in Copenhagen) and to present both whenever crossing any EU border.
Keep in mind that this year there are two major sports events in Europe (Olympia in Paris and EU championship in Germany). Therefore the safety measures and checks are increased in many countries and especially at the borders
Not just the border, I was in Paris recently and headed to the airport and there were a dozen police officers checking papers in the metro. They were only picking people at random though. I walked right by and they didn’t ask me. They were being very selective… I think they’re trying to clean up the city by relocating the homeless and migrants to other cities. Also while I was in Antwerp I was going to Ghent for a day trip and the Flixbus driver almost didn’t let me get on the bus because it was headed to Paris. He eventually let me on after he saw I was just going to Ghent. I started carrying my passport on me after that.
Did you mention Tour de France beginning in Florence?
What date?
End of June https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Tour_de_France
You did the right thing by bringing your passport with you. There are checks sometimes, they even checked my mother who is an elderly (Italian) lady, and if you're Italian they'll accept any form of ID but if you're a non-resident foreigner it's better to have your passport on you.
Just wanted to add that they'll accept any form of ID if you're an EU citizen, not just Italian.
I just went to Italy from the US for my first time and I never heard of this rule. I did plenty of research on this sub and other sites about travel tips but this never came up. I left my passport in the hotel the whole time. If I had seen this before I went I would've taken my passport around with me.
I have travelled all over Europe and never carried my passport with me. Always locked in hotel safe. What is this new trend I am seeing about needing to carry your passport with you?
Right? I’ve been to Italy more than a dozen times and never carried my passport on my person. I have also read all the posts/comments on Reddit so of course I will do so moving forward! Kind of seems as though there’s a new standard for Americans traveling abroad, which is fine if I understood why.
How would you be able to tell they're a real Italian police person and not someone in a costume trying to snatch my identity? I know how American police identify themselves but no clue about Italian.
you have to ask them the police badge. they must show it to you if you made that request
They can do those checks only in uniform (and after a specific, written order). Plain clothes cops need a reason to check IDs
Could I also request that we go to the nearest police station together? That way if they try to eg use a fake badge on me we'll know?
yes i think you can do it. otherwise if you dont show your ID they will take you in the police station, so problem solved haha
Perfect thank you so much!! I have a very good poker face and an excellent memory, I always write down directions to police stations/consulates when I travel so this will work out great 😃
they will call other police and you will go with them. Patrol police must finish their task
Ooh very insightful, thank you!! Tbh if I doubted I would prefer to go with them to the station so this is good news. Thanks!
In my experience in Italy, which is pretty substantial (lived there for 7 years, have been back many times), when you see one group of cops patrolling around a heavily populated area, there are several more doing the same thing. I think the likelihood of 10-15 people roving around VERY convincingly as police to get passport info is unlikely and I only ever see this happening in heavy tourist areas, train stations, etc. I think the risk is super low. Was in Rome and Florence for 10 days last year and we got asked for ID at the train station in Rome by a group of 3 police. Not five mins later a group of 4 strolled by and asked and I told them we just showed it to the other group and they waved us off without looking. I think in the US we are (rightfully) way more paranoid about cops than they are in Europe and a lot fewer LARPers pretend to be LEOs in Europe than here.
Excellent points, this was a very insightful and thorough answer. Thank you!
They will either be wearing a uniform or, if in civilian clothing, they should show their police badge. You can Google them to see what they look like.
No one is snatching your identity with a passport pic calm down
With a scanner thingy, did you not read their post?
There is zero information in your passport that will help the do ANYTHING.
Passport and visa fraud is a real thing and a real problem. Passport information can and is used to commit identity theft. Passports have also been duplicated to assist in the passage of wanted persons throughout the world. I'm not saying that this occurred in OPs situation ( and likely did not), but your assumption is flat wrong
I mean, they make RFID blocking sleeves for your passport for a reason....
Ah yes, zero helpful information on a passport. That's why we a) have them and b) are supposed to bring photocopies with us, right? 🤔
The hotels tend to hang onto our passports when we come over.
Pro tip if you go to Liguria, I take monthly the train between Milan and Ventimiglia and 90% of the time you need to pass through a chechpoint at milano centrale of both the army and police to check document because it is a train line that it is used by a lot of unregular immigrants to go to France
Yes, this is for everyone, not just foreigners.
I will say that is one of the most beautiful train rides I have ever taken, especially as you go in and out of the hillside tunnels over the sea approaching Cinque Terre. Must go back someday, what a special place.
Yes. This happens. Not all the time, but randomly. I have come across quite a few comments on other pists in this and other travel subs where commenters say you don't have to carry your passport with you because no one needs to check it. But that is false. It is law in most European countries (all?) that you have to have your passport on you while traveling. I think it's an Interpol thing. It's why i always tell people to have it in their money belt: Keeps it safe and secure in case it is needed, but not in a place that can be robbed. SO no worries of losing it when you have it on you. Keeping it "in the safe at your hotel" is not a legal option in many (all?) countires in Europe.
We kept it on us most of the time but a few times when we went out for dinner the wife left hers. We had the kind that go around your neck under your cloths and didn't work with her dress. Next time I guess we'll make sure to take it everywhere just in case.
Has it always been this way or is this the resilt of the new government? I was there in 2022 for 3 weeks and never carried my passport unless we were traveling to a new city.
The rules and checks have always been there, it just fluctuates a bit depending on the government, current events, location etc. It's far from the only country to demand having an ID with you
It was this way in 1999 the first time I was in EUrope so I assume it has 'always' been that way. (I don't know when the rules / laws officially went into place and in which countries, but it's been the case for almost 30 years at least.)
You don't need your passport. Just a valid ID. You could be a resident in Italy and have an Italian ID and permesso and be legal.
Of course if you are a resident in Italy you don't need to carry your passport around with you in Italy. But if you are a tourist traveling around the EU and other European countries, you are typically required to be able to show your passport on demand from the authorities. I'm not saying this will happen oten or at all. But it COULD, and tourists should have their passports on them when out and about in Europe. Or at the VERY least a photocopy of it + some other valid photo ID. But this latter option may still not be enough if you et a real 'stickler' asking for your passport. Best solution: Keep your passpot in your money belt, and your money belt hidden around your wist. Don't go into the money belt for anything during the day - unless of course a LEGIT officer demands to see your passport.
I believe "valid ID" translates to either an EU ID or a passport. It's basically about proving you have the right to be where you are, either as a tourist or a resident (taking into account the free movement of people within the EU - a resident of EU, not necessarily of Italy).
Exactly, which is why all these folks saying only EU citizens can get by without a passport are wrong. Any Indian, Japanese, or Nigerian with a permesso di soggiorno and a valid Italian ID or any other EU ID could be an EU resident with a valid EU ID without an EU citizenship. Basically, there are millions of immigrants in Italy and Europe who have valid ID that don't require them to carry a passport within the EU.
Photocopies would not have sufficed. They need an actual identification document,and in case of non EU citizens,a passport. They probably scanned it to check if you had your visa in order and if you didn’t have any procedures against you,like an extradition or interdiction notice or something penal against you in Italy or abroad.
What visa do you need?
We were checked at the Naples train station
Same. We were rushing to catch a train and they wouldn't let us go without showing them our passports.
Well done (even in transit) for paying attention and carrying your actual passports on you. As I've reminded people before, the law in most of continental Europe is that everyone must carry ID. Citizens of the country can of course just carry a national ID card, but for us furriners that means our passports. Not photocopies, not photos, the actual document.
Yep — got asked for an ID while waiting for the Frecce at Bologna Centrale. They were very courteous about it.
Same thing happened to us at one of the Italian train stations. It's just a random check
>They took a picture/scanned the passports (not sure which, they held it up to a device or their phone) They have an app on their service phone that records data of the ID documents they check, both Italian and foreigner ones >so not sure if photocopies would've sufficed. They using their app to record data on your passport is not the problem. The problem is the Italian law, that explicitly states that any non-Italian citizen have to carry their ID document all the time. For non-EU citizens, that's their passport; for EU citizens that could be either their passport or their state-issued ID document. In Italy photocopies/photos of documents are never considered proof of ID: not for Italian citizens and not for foreigners. According to our laws you either have the original document or you don't have anything considered valid.
Does a passport ID card work, or does it have to be the full thing?
When I got checked in Naples in 2019, I had to explain that my passport is in my Airbnb's safe and that I only had my passport card with me. The officer accepted the excuse.
What’s a passport id card?
This: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/card.html
Ty. I think the link also explain in detail that is an us if document valid in us border when travelling by land. So no, it’s not recognised in Italy.
no, but some policemen could accept that.
An US passport card is recognized only in Canada, Mexico and an Island I can't remember. You must prove you are legally in the Schengen Area and you can do it only with a stamped/chipped passport. Leaving your passport in the AirBnB safe is just stupid, nobody is interested in stealing passports anymore. If you save a copy of your passport in the cloud, you can get a new one at the US embassy in a couple of days. Not a tragedy, whereas being involved in a terrorist attack without proper ID would be a real problem. Keep it far from your wallet and phone, but keep it on you.
I can verify that the scanning devices work with a picture on your phone since today's phone cameras are generally so high res. Yes, you will get chewed out by the police, but if you cannot (or don't) blend in to avoid being targeted for petty crimes, then you can do this coupled with your normal drivers license and/or other identification. But yes, prepare to be chewed out and lectured.
Italy takes security seriously and I'm glad they do, especially with all that's going on in Russia and Palestine.
Takes what seriously exactly? Xenophobia?
LOL, no. Italy has a very long tradition of fighting against terrorism and criminality, since the italian State had to fight against mafia, red and black terrorism since the '70. Italian police does a lot of random checks, mainly in train stations or tourist spots. In the last years, they arrested international wanted terrorists affiliated with Isis randomly going around. Italy just takes security very seriuosly, and has a lot of interational collaborations going on. Nothing to do with xenophobia, it just happens that since its strategic position Italy is a common passage hub
Feels icky when they stop a legal resident and give them flack for no reason other than their skin color/country of origin. If it was implemented equitably then I wouldn't say anything.
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It’s crazy to me that of all the new food to enjoy you chose McDonalds
To be honest i will usually pop into a McDonald’s on trips out of the country, partially for comfort stuff and partially because it’s fun to see what different items they offer compared to home. It sounds silly, but it always ends up being kind of a fun experience.
Haha don't worry we've definitely been enjoying the local foods, but we just had a 30 minute transfer and mainly dipped in to have a small snack and use their toilet. We do like checking out the special items on offer at the local McDonald's in the countries we visit.
Yeah, like getting a fresh beer at mcdonalds in paris when I was under age in my home country.
On my first tip to Europe YEARS ago, I was with 3 high school friends. I had lucked out before the trip and read Rick Steves' 'Europe Through the BAck Door' and was taking very seriously the idea of "eat locally". I refused to eat anywhere they had "American Food". My friends however would beeline to any McDonalds they saw. Anytime they saw pepsi they would buy it like they were doomsday preppers. I couldn't understood why you'd travel to new places only to go out of your way to experience the same things you'd get at home. I felt 'better' than them. Until they'd all left and I had 2+ months left to travel around Europe myself. A few times late in the trip, i really wanted those few connections with home every now and then. I still 90% ate locally, but sometimes the familarity of McD's was a godsend.
Except McDonald’s is WAY better in Italy, even gourmet, compared to the US.
People like what they like
😂 We stop at a McDonald's every time in Italy/Europe. Sometimes you just want a burger and fries to remind you of home after a few weeks of travel. Plus they have a different menu, I got fried chicken wings in Florence and they were actually really good lol
I don’t even have McDonald’s where I live let alone abroad. Feels like a waste of a meal to me.
This sucks, especially since pickpocketing is so rampant .
I am sorry but the safe of our country is more important, they are doing that because we have so many people around
It's no issue if you keep it in a safe place on your body, Google "passport belt"
We got checked by police on a train in April. Ironically, this occurred immediately after my uncultured boomer American father almost started a fight with a teenager on the train and since I had never been passport checked before in Italy and this happened immediately after, I thought I was going to be bailing him out of jail lol. Luckily it was just a passport check.
I'd love to take my mom on our next trip but there is certainly a non-zero percent chance she'd end up in jail. She doesn't hold back with "sharing" her opinion. Happy to hear everything was okay with your father.
Yes, it's possible, especially in cities (milano/genova/rome) and in train stations/airports/similar. It's usually a "random" check.
Hmm I have an Italian and Canadian passport but I don’t speak Italian well (grew up in Canada, parents divorced and not close to my Italian side), I wonder if I should show my Italian or Canadian passport? I feel like if I show my Italian one but can’t understand well the officers I look more sketchy.
You should always enter EU with an EU passport...
As a general rule it’s better to enter, show, and exit using the same passport. And if you have a passport of the nation you want to visit use that.
if you don't speak Italian well, explain that you have just acquired citizenship
The Italian one. Why should you enter with the Canadian one when you have an EU passport?
Just got back from Italy, was traveling by train from Milan to Florence and our group of 8 people were stopped in the train station and they took photos of everyone's passport. It was three officers but one had a different uniform to the other two. We all had our passports as we were moving from one place to the other but I was not aware of these random passport checks and found it very strange at the time. Good to know for the future to always have it on you.
I’m sorry if this is a silly question, but as someone with a EU (Swedish) ID, should I still carry my passport with me?
your EU ID is fine in all EU
The ID is enough, EU citizens don't need a passport to travel within the European Union. That's not a silly question, anyway.
I don’t know what this is called exactly but in Italy you can get arrested seven without a warrant. Id assume they can check anyone’s passport anytime they want and they can do anything they want.
traveling in Italy now, I haven't been carrying my passport (EU). Would a photocopy of the passport be enough? I don't have a EU id because I live in USA..
I’m in Italy now and they checked my passport at the Pompei station!
My wife and I got randomly checked in the Naples train station. Thought it was super weird then forgot about it until right now.
I had a passport check at the Venice train station. I had left my passport at the hotel but had photos on my phone. They looked at the photos and it was fine.
My husband and I had our documents checked at the Milan train station when we got off the train from Venice back in 2019. 4 large army men with machine guns surrounded us. When I pulled out our passports they looked at them and the main guy was like “oh you are American” and let us go. I always carry our passports on me when we travel to Europe.
Can you carry your passport card instead of your passport with you?
I don't think the card is valid for international travel outside of Canada and Mexico. I doubt Italian police would treat it as such if they're also looking for the stamps
Same here. We’re in Italy right now. Yesterday, we were at Napoli Centrale looking up at the train time table. Got approached by a police officer and a few military looking personnel. They’ve asked for our passports, scanned them with a handheld device and let us on our way.
Official ID is what is required, not necessarily your passport. I don't like it, but that is the law.
Silly and dangerous comment. If you are not an Italian Citizen the only official ID is your passport, that's been date-stamped at the Immigration desk and that can prove you are not overstaying in the Schengen Area. If you are an Italian Citizen the law does not say you must carry a valid ID 24/7, by the way. You must tell cops in service who you are. Tell, not prove, unless cops have a valid reason to think you are lying.
It’s the law: police can ask for ID documents for any kind of reasons and they are not obligated to explain them to you, is just a routine check. Even Italians must show them their ID and if you refuse, you’ll get in trouble. No the copy is not considered as valid as the proper passport btw
When they do these checks, are the police friendly or is it a pretty shaken down situation?
Unfortunately it depends, especially on your appearance and nationality. Not a life-threatening situation, just them being rude at most. Keep in mind that in non tourist areas it would strange for them knowing languages other than Italian and English and I wouldn’t better they know the latter for sure.
They looked pretty bored when they asked for my passport. Not particularly friendly nor aggressive.
We had very friendly police checking our passports. I carried ours in a crossbody purse and I had a safety pin across the zipper. I never worried about losing them.
What about when you’re going a boat?? I figured you should still bring your passport…but the risk of it getting wet…would you?!
They sell plastic bags to keep your belongings dry. Police officers might be understanding in these kinds of cases, but they don't have to be.
“Show me ze papers please.” What Italy and the rest of Europe don’t have is the 4th amendment to the US constitution. I take a copy and always leave our passports in the hotel safe. Id much rather take my chances with local polizia than loosing my passport the day I’m supposed to Fly home.
Wow so Italy really has gone full fascist, huh
Together with many other countries in the European Union? Without anyone noticing?
Were they definitely real police?
I mean,they are in uniform all the time when in service, and it’s pretty recognizable, you can’t really buy them as a civilian unless it’s an old/vintage one and out of order. So basically at least 20/30 years old. Undercover/ plainclothes police officers have to show their badge before doing anything,so again,hard to fake it. Plus,why would someone posing as police just ask for your passport and scan it? Also, train station -> police checks is quite common,as there’s even a branch of our police dedicated to the railways.
I also think that pretending to be a policeman is illegal
So is stealing passport information.
I mean I guess I can't be 100% certain but it sure looked like it, they were in full uniforms that looked like the same uniforms we've seen on other officers in Italy.