Carrying Passports

[Travelanni]

Maybe these were some leftover DDR practices. When my wife had to renew her American passport a few years ago, the process was that she had to mail in her old passport (with her German residence permit) and received her new passport a few weeks later in the mail. She called the Bürgeramt to ask if it would be a problem not to have a passport for a few weeks and was told not to worry.

 

In case police needs to establish a person's identity and that person has no form of ID whatsoever, police could take that person to a police station for identification though. Therefore it might be wise to carry some form of ID, such as a driver's licence, that is easier to replace and not so critical for the trip home.

 

Thanks for the good idea, just one problem - I don't drive, so no drivers licence! However, I am in the fortunate position of having dual nationality and therefore two passports. So I carry the British (EU) passport while at home here in Germany and leave the Australian passport in a safe place to be used when I go to visit my family in Australia.

Anni

[spbstan]

I am surprised by the resistance to carrying a passport, and not wanting to carry the only ID which is valid outside your country is interesting. Nothing in your wallet serves as ID unless those needing to identify you are just being lax in their duties. Yes, in many places you can get by but luckily you had no accidents or questions from authorities, because your drivers license, national health care id, credit card or anything else is useless.

If you got lost or needed medical attention as an undocumented person, will usually be treated as an illegal entry until you prove your identity. That can delay medical treatment.

Here in St Petersburg, when someone loses their passport(by far the highest proportion are found or recovered in a few days) means you do not board the ship until your identity is positively assured. An American citizen can get a new passport for travel purposes within 5-36 hours(provided the responsible, sponsoring tour operator has a relationship with the consulate) as long as there is amble clues for the consulate to go by as to who you are. Other nationalities such as Canadian require traveling to Moscow and seeking assistance there, a 1 to 2 week process . Experienced travelers do not question this and carry their passport when a guest in another country, cruisers are not probably used to this common sense basic foreign travel need.

Each port call in St Petersburg usually has a few lost passports, 1 death, a couple pickpocket victims and several with health problems that requires medical attention off the ship. Even some pretty minor issues can cause the ship's doctor to refuse boarding until a qualified medical professional has certified the patient as stable and non-communicable.

Not having a passport with a visa in it is the main problem in each of these cases. In the cases of citizens from countries which do not have a consulate in St Petersburg, the sponsoring tour operator has to accompany them to the city with the consulate and stay with them until a passport or travel document is created. If the overstay is due to illness, an emergency visa is applied for by the tour operator.

A prudent traveler takes care of these problems before they happen and does not dare fate to make an example of them.

[Travelanni]

I am surprised by the resistance to carrying a passport, and not wanting to carry the only ID which is valid outside your country is interesting. Nothing in your wallet serves as ID unless those needing to identify you are just being lax in their duties. Yes, in many places you can get by but luckily you had no accidents or questions from authorities, because your drivers license, national health care id, credit card or anything else is useless.

If you got lost or needed medical attention as an undocumented person, will usually be treated as an illegal entry until you prove your identity. That can delay medical treatment.

Here in St Petersburg, when someone loses their passport(by far the highest proportion are found or recovered in a few days) means you do not board the ship until your identity is positively assured. An American citizen can get a new passport for travel purposes within 5-36 hours(provided the responsible, sponsoring tour operator has a relationship with the consulate) as long as there is amble clues for the consulate to go by as to who you are. Other nationalities such as Canadian require traveling to Moscow and seeking assistance there, a 1 to 2 week process . Experienced travelers do not question this and carry their passport when a guest in another country, cruisers are not probably used to this common sense basic foreign travel need.

Each port call in St Petersburg usually has a few lost passports, 1 death, a couple pickpocket victims and several with health problems that requires medical attention off the ship. Even some pretty minor issues can cause the ship's doctor to refuse boarding until a qualified medical professional has certified the patient as stable and non-communicable.

Not having a passport with a visa in it is the main problem in each of these cases. In the cases of citizens from countries which do not have a consulate in St Petersburg, the sponsoring tour operator has to accompany them to the city with the consulate and stay with them until a passport or travel document is created. If the overstay is due to illness, an emergency visa is applied for by the tour operator.

A prudent traveler takes care of these problems before they happen and does not dare fate to make an example of them.

 

I have read this post with great interest as should everyone travelling to SPB (and anywhere else for that matter).

A couple of points which apply anywhere stand out.

Quote "I am surprised by the resistance to carrying a passport, and not wanting to carry the only ID which is valid outside your country is interesting."

Yes, before you all jump on me, I know that other forms of ID are usually acceptable, especially in Europe, but it only takes one extra officious person to demand your passport as the only acceptable ID of a foreign national in their country as they have every right to do.

Quote " Experienced travelers do not question this and carry their passport when a guest in another country, cruisers are not probably used to this common sense basic foreign travel need."

Not a criticism but a fact as cruisers can usually rely on the shipping company or tour operator to get them out of trouble. So, you can send back to the ship for your passport but meanwhile you will probably be held somewhere and waste your valuable shore-time. A resident would be given the option of presenting their passport at a police station within a given time but that choice is not likely to be given to a cruiser.

On the question of passport safety, in the last 10 years I have been ashore in 35 countries, on every continent, mostly travelling solo, always carrying my passport on my person, never letting it out of my sight and have never once feared for it's safety. Passports are usually lost by people who are silly enough to allow them out of their sight, go into dangerous areas and are mugged or become incapacitated by drink/drugs. I recently read an article about the further problem of people who 'lose' their passports on a regular basis, quite a lucrative source of income which the authorities are trying to stamp out but it seems that in most countries, as the law stands at present, a person who loses a passport cannot be denied a new one.

As has been said before, it is a matter of feeling comfortable with what you do. Each to his own but thanks Spbstan and Len. :) Its nice to know there are others who think as I do on this subject.

Happy cruising

Anni

Edited March 22, 2014 by Travelanni
spelling

[4774Papa]

Quote "I am surprised by the resistance to carrying a passport, and not wanting to carry the only ID which is valid outside your country is interesting."

 

 

In several US states, it is illegal to ask someone for identification when they go to vote. Some consider asking for an ID to be voter intimidation.

 

I don't agree with this thinking, but America is not a country were "your papers please,"

is ingrained in our DNA.

I lived in Germany for four years, loved the country and its people, but found a mentality there that surprised me. In Germany, there are rules about almost everything. Also, to an American standing at a red light at 10PM at night with no cars coming, he is going to walk across the street against the red signal. In Germany, that is a no no.

Of course, in a foreign country, you need to be careful to follow their rules, but the weigh the overall risk that your passport can be stolen. In cities like Rome, Barcelona or Athens, that is a huge risk.

If I go on a tour from a cruise ship, I believe there is a certain safety in staying with the group regarding dealing with the authorities.

[spbstan]

Anni, your post brings up a key point, risk of theft. If there is a purse snatched it is usually because it is left unattended for a few seconds. The type of street crime that follows tourists is usually the stealth, non-confrontational type where the victim is the easiest less risky target in the group. The theft is not known until later. But that sort of theft is often mixed in with other missing item causes such as misplacing items, forgetting a credit card at a cashier's station or letting a wallet fall out of a bag. Carrying the passport and carrying other items not essential are usually mixed up together and present a greater risk. If the passport is the only form of document by international treaty, that is used for identifying the person, it makes sense to not group it with the target of stealth theives, do not put it in a rear pocket or a purse. In fact, anyone who uses the rear pocket to store valuables is asking for problems and will eventually find it. If given the choice walk near a careless person who keeps their wallet in their bak pocket since they are so much more of a target than you are with no directly visible target. If you are 10% less attractive as a target than the person next to you, you are essentially 100% not targeted.

So, keep the passport away from what a pickpocket really wants: Cash and credit cards.....nothing else. The stories about passports being so valuable does not hold up in fact but is repeated so often, it becomes true for most people.

Look at what you take off the ship. Do you really need any of it? The only things you NEED is the passport, your tour ticket which is your visa, some loose tip or restroom money, a credit or debit card.....nothing else. All the difficult to replace items in a wallet or purse are a hassle to replace, maybe the photos are impossible to replace, insurance card if traveling in a country that does not have a cross coverage agreement(the EU does with Russia so carrying your national health card is advised), and leave everything else in your cabin. There is no upside to having it, only downside risk. By carrying one card in one zipped pocket and passport in a under-clothing pouch, and some pocket money in an easy to get-to pocket, you have essentially eliminated yourself as a target.

Passports get lost and stolen because they were connected to something(purse with money or cards) the thieves wanted. The proof they are not desired as a target themselves it that consulates retrieve them everyday. According to the US consulate in SPb, 3/4 of reported "stolen" passports are turned in within a week to 10 days. They are found on the street, in trash, and the most common single place, restroom stalls. It is very easy to not be a target.

All that said, street crime is very low in all Baltic ports but with 8000-12000 people in port each day, some are going to loose something of value and that is what you read about, not the 11,999 who did not have a problem.

Contrary to popular belief, the "bad" neighborhoods are less of a risk than the dense tourist areas. Professional pickpockets travel with the season internationally and work in crowded areas where there are distracted people who are unfamiliar with their surroundings. Most of these port cities have no bad neighborhoods. St Petersburg does not but talking locals that always assume one further away is bad but their is good. The fact that most people own their homes free and clear, even if poor, they are desperate and often have a substantial net worth in the value of their apartment. Every district is a mix of all social classes and economic strata so the only "bad" neighborhood is where all the tourists happen to be. I have a lot of experience in taking care of problems for tourists and can pinpoint the vast majority of thefts to very narrowly defined 100 square meter plots, 3-4 of those confined spots account for almost all the pickpocket hits. Late at night is one of the safest for tourists, the skilled pick-pockets work mid-day.

[Alex71]

In place like Russia or the US, I would of course carry a passport with me. Several automotive executives were recently arrested in the US for not having a passport on them. http://autos.aol.com/article/car-executives-arrest-in-alabama-gets-national-attention/, so I would also put the States in the category of countries where I would not want to mess with the authorities.

 

In EU countries though, I would always leave the passport on the ship. In Germany, it is definitely not the law to carry a passport. The risk of losing the passport is greater than any of the risks described above and medical treatment will certainly not be denied because someone does not have a passport.

 

Per my earlier post, I would nevertheless recommend to bring a copy of the passport and another form of ID, that is easier to replace.

 

Regarding spbstan's post, of passports being the only internationally acceptable form of identification: my German ID card is an acceptable travel document for a whole host of countries including all EU countries, Switzerland, Turkey, Tunesia and others.

Edited March 22, 2014 by Alex71

[Travelanni]

In place like Russia or the US, I would of course carry a passport with me. Several automotive executives were recently arrested in the US for not having a passport on them. http://autos.aol.com/article/car-executives-arrest-in-alabama-gets-national-attention/, so I would also put the States in the category of countries where I would not want to mess with the authorities.

 

In EU countries though, I would always leave the passport on the ship. In Germany, it is definitely not the law to carry a passport. The risk of losing the passport is greater than any of the risks described above and medical treatment will certainly not be denied because someone does not have a passport.

 

Per my earlier post, I would nevertheless recommend to bring a copy of the passport and another form of ID, that is easier to replace.

 

Regarding spbstan's post, of passports being the only internationally acceptable form of identification: my German ID card is an acceptable travel document for a whole host of countries including all EU countries, Switzerland, Turkey, Tunesia and others.

 

I realise that the poster is speaking from the point of view of a German national in his own country but for the benefit of British nationals travelling in Germany I would like to quote the following extract from the www.gov.UK website

"A valid British passport must be held for entry to and exit from Germany as a visitor. There is no minimum passport validity requirement but you should ensure that your passport is valid for the duration of your visit.

There is an “Ausweispflicht“ in Germany. This means that you must carry proof of identity on you at all times. For British nationals, this is a valid original British passport. This is a legal requirement. Copies of passports cannot be carried."

For my own peace of mind I checked this with the British Embassy in Berlin and they confirmed the requirement. They also confirmed that the above applies to British nationals living in Germany.

I do not profess to know what the law says in relation to other than British nationals.

Anni

 

 

 

 

 

[spbstan]

Yes, Anni, that squares with my experience. I have visited 86 countries and only a few did not require some positive ID and ID when away from my own borders means passport, original passport, not a copy. Most countries were pretty lax until the rise of international terrorism made them all tighten up.

When I was traveling most, it was very different. You could by a ticket at the counter and walk onto the plane. That was when flying was more comfortable even in coach, with more room and more seat pitch, good food and vip treatment no matter what class you were traveling in. Now, I hate flying. I would much rather take the train which I do a lot in Russia and Europe.

[Travelanni]

I realise that the poster is speaking from the point of view of a German national in his own country but for the benefit of British nationals travelling in Germany I would like to quote the following extract from the www.gov.UK website

"A valid British passport must be held for entry to and exit from Germany as a visitor. There is no minimum passport validity requirement but you should ensure that your passport is valid for the duration of your visit.

There is an “Ausweispflicht“ in Germany. This means that you must carry proof of identity on you at all times. For British nationals, this is a valid original British passport. This is a legal requirement. Copies of passports cannot be carried."

For my own peace of mind I checked this with the British Embassy in Berlin and they confirmed the requirement. They also confirmed that the above applies to British nationals living in Germany.

I do not profess to know what the law says in relation to other than British nationals.

Anni

\

 

Re-reading this I realise that the underlined sentence is somewhat ambiguous.

It should read - They also confirmed that the above applies to both British nationals who are visitors and British nationals living in Germany alike.

Sorry about that.

Anni