Rome Hotel and Passports

[cruiseonly]

Just read on a site that when you register into a Rome Hotel they take your passport from you which is law, and then return when you are leaving.

 

Is this correct.

[tom_uk]

We were in Rome last week. When we registered we had to fill in a registration card on which we had to specify a 'proof of identity'. We listed our passports, and gave their number & date of issue. But we didn't have to hand the passports over.

 

That said, we are Brits so therefore EU citizens, etc. I don't know if it might be different for non-EU visitors.

[dbh62ark]

We've traveled extensively in Italy, and our experience is that the hotel staff takes our passports at check-in and then they are usually returned the next day. I take black & white copies with me to use for VAT tax refunds, and I have not had a store refuse to use that when I advise that my hotel has my passport. The hotel staff officials are required to register your information, and this system has been in place for at least 15 years so no worries. This system is the same throughout Italy and not just in Rome. We have not traveled to Italy yet this year though, so hopefully someone will post if the system has changed.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[swatts1]

We were in Venice, Florence and Rome in January. Each hotel took our passports and returned them in less than an hour. It was no big deal. If we had been uncomfortable leaving them with the desk we could have stood there and waited, but we chose to go on and get settled in the rooms and then send someone back downstairs to retrieve our passports.

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friends:

 

Yes there are laws throughout Europe that require you to show an identity document upon checking in a hotel. However, there is no reason for the desk clerk not to do whatever he or she needs to do with the document in front of you and give it back instantly. If they tell you they will return your passport in a few hours or the next day, just politely, but firmly tell them you'd like it back now.

 

Just like you probably wouldn't leave your credit card with a perfect stranger for a few hours or overnight, I feel the same way about your passport. There is nothing the desk clerk needs to do with your passport that they can't do in one minute right in front of you.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[cruiseonly]

Thank you for all the info and advice.

[24butterfly]

Just read on a site that when you register into a Rome Hotel they take your passport from you which is law, and then return when you are leaving.

 

Is this correct.

 

NO. They ask to see it, take down some info and that's it. THey hand it back to you right then andt there.

[zaandam_2]

where i stayed in rome, they made a copy and returned it immediatly.

[Capsu78]

Ditto for me on 2 different trips... made a copy and handed it back. I have only stayed in the big chains, so would instant access to a copy machine at the front counter be an issue for smaller facilities? I dunno.

[rman738]

Last June our Rome hotel only copied the passport in front of us. We had it back in a few minutes while we waited. However, it is a good idea to make color copies of your passport in case your is lost or stolen. Think of what would happen if that happened to you prior to the cruise. You probably would be denied boarding. I usually take 2 copies and keep them separated.

[Capsu78]

Heres my tip gleaned from a CC post a year ago: I color photo copy the picture page, and the passport cover at a reduced size- about the size of my drivers license, then laminate at Kinkos. I made 4 for each in our family, and have them with our passports. When I travel , I then carry a set for the family, everyone has there own and we can choose to lock the original in the ships safe, or whatever the smart move is in that particular port. I have even presented it for ID a couple of times, and people say "cool"... not that I would try it going through actual customs. I just think it would be better than nothing if I had to show up at the US Embassy in need.

PS- You are actually not supposed to photocopy a passport, if you read the fine print, but "Skippy" down at Kinko's isn't the brightest crayon in the box.