Can I check into a European hotel without my passport? [duplicate]

Hotels in Europe seem to require (or at least want to see) your passport when you check in.

What happens if I cannot (or don't wish to) give this information? For example, if I am traveling without my passport, or just wish to limit the number of places which have access to my information?

Can I show a different form of identification instead? I'm not looking to be completely anonymous here, just understand what forms of ID are required to check in.

Best Answer

As jcaron pointed out, details vary from country to country. Some general remarks:

In some European countries, residents are required to register with the municipal authorities of their primary place of residence. But that's really a detail for the Expatriates site.

It becomes relevant to the Travel site when you consider that hotels would be an obvious loophole -- there are places where one can rent rooms for months or even years. For this reason, hotels are required to identify their guests from the first day and to pass that identification on in certain cases.

Very broadly, driver's licenses or social insurance cards are less likely to be accepted in Europe than in the US. There is a tradition of issuing national ID cards, so there is less need to use other documents for this purpose. But any ID which is sufficient to cross borders should be sufficient in a hotel as well. (Many people forget that Schengen isn't about free travel without documents; it is merely about travel without document checks at the border.)

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Do I need my passport on me at all times in Europe?

Whenever you travel from one European country to another, whether by plane, train or automobile, keep your passport with you to cross the border. You also need your passport when renting a car in Europe, in addition to a full driver's license from your home country.

Why do Italian hotels take your passport?

An Italian hotel has no legal right to keep your passport overnight. They need your passport in order to complete a registration document for the police, but this only takes a couple of minutes. Many hotels like to keep the passport overnight as security, so that guests won't run off in the morning without paying.

Do you need a passport to check into a hotel in UK?

Acceptable forms of identification are: a passport, driving licence, ID card or police warrant card. Rooms must be vacated by 12pm on the day of departure. Failure to leave your room by this time may result in a late check-out charge of up to one night's additional accommodation charge.

Do you need a passport to check into a hotel in Spain?

All foreigners have to show their passports in Spain at hotels. Spanish citizens need to show only their DNI, the Spanish national id.

ITALY AIRPORT POLICE ARREST TOURIST WITH FAKE PASSPORT

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