Leaving your passport with reception at hotel??

[davido140]

I've never been asked to do this before but just booked a holiday and I think its "required", a friend has just come back from Bulgaria where it was used to extort money when checking out for mini-bar bills that didnt exist etc. before passport was handed back.

By the way DO NOT go skiing in Bulgaria, sounds like an utter dump!

I'm in the process of cancelling the accomodation part of the package and now messing around trying to get alternate accomodation,

Should I be so concerned?

Its in Andorra by the way.

Cheers

Dave

p.s any recommendations for accomodation in Pas De La Casa to sleep four (two couples in separate rooms!) Cheers!

[Maxf]

Can you apply for another passport before you go and use the old one for the hotel?

[bridgdav]

Just take a photocopy and leave it with them.

They have no reason to keep the original.

[TheEnd]

It is a euro legal thing, only for the first night too, but not sure where, or why it is done

[Cotty]

Only time anyone asked me for my passport to keep was in a Kibutz in Israel 17 years ago. They didn't get it "oh its on my rucksack will get it to you tomorrow", "nope still can't find it". So much easier when we had to bail

[M@T.R]

We left all of our passports in a safe at hotel reception on a group holiday to Malta (13 people) this worked really well untill the moron in our group that had the key realised they had lost it at 1am when we were due to leave at 8am. Our passports however were so safe that a represantative from the bank had to come and charge as 120 quid for the privalage of opening it at 6am.

My point is this may be security for you incase your room is broken into, not for them.

[davido140]

Maxf said:

Can you apply for another passport before you go and use the old one for the hotel?

Not without wazzing the fast processing fees up the wall that is the passport office.

We go in two weeks.

Good idea though!

[SellerOfSin]

I went on one of Tinman's rallies and I know in Italy I had to leave my passport with the clerk. I don't remember having to do it in any other country though, but this was a few years back.

[davido140]

TheEnd said:

It is a euro legal thing, only for the first night too, but not sure where, or why it is done

Will have a google for that, thanks

ETA

Apparently its not..

http://www.hbosplc.com/media/pressreleases/article...

“To our knowledge there is no legal requirement in any country that makes it mandatory for a guest to physically leave their passport with a hotel reception. The only such mandates that we are aware of are those dictated by hotels themselves. Travellers wishing to clarify this situation should probably check the protocol directly with the hotel.”

Edited by davido140 on Monday 19th January 21:09

[tinman0]

SellerOfSin said:

I went on one of Tinman's rallies and I know in Italy I had to leave my passport with the clerk. I don't remember having to do it in any other country though, but this was a few years back.

Aye aye!

There are a number of reasons they take the passport off you.

1. If in Italy and a few other places they are looking for Mafia. Your passport gets checked by the local police overnight against a list of people they are looking for - and this does happen.
2. It stops you leaving the hotel with the key.
3. Andorra appears to have a local rule and I don't think its anything to do with the EU as its not a member of the EU for a start. Pretty safe at the end of the day and is common practice. Done it loads of times.

[davido140]

tinman0 said:

SellerOfSin said:

I went on one of Tinman's rallies and I know in Italy I had to leave my passport with the clerk. I don't remember having to do it in any other country though, but this was a few years back.

Aye aye!

There are a number of reasons they take the passport off you.

1. If in Italy and a few other places they are looking for Mafia. Your passport gets checked by the local police overnight against a list of people they are looking for - and this does happen.
2. It stops you leaving the hotel with the key.
3. Andorra appears to have a local rule and I don't think its anything to do with the EU as its not a member of the EU for a start. Pretty safe at the end of the day and is common practice. Done it loads of times.

Cheers chap, sounds like its ok in Andorra then!

Would you do it in Bulgaria though?

[tinman0]

davido140 said:

Would you do it in Bulgaria though?

"no mate, I've lost my passport. we've all lost our passports"

[catso]

tinman0 said:

1. If in Italy and a few other places they are looking for Mafia. Your passport gets checked by the local police overnight against a list of people they are looking for - and this does happen.

They've done this in Italy for years, it is a legal requirement (anti-terrorist legislation from the days of the 'Red Brigade' etc) they only actually need it for a few minutes to note the details, just that they're usually too lazy busy to do it while you wait.

[ofcorsa]

tinman0 said:

davido140 said:

Would you do it in Bulgaria though?

"no mate, I've lost my passport. we've all lost our passports"

I think we did this in Bulgaria, First night only though, Not a single problem and the place was lovely

[audidoody]

Went to Venice for New Year. Hotel took photocopy of passport but did not retain it.

[tinman0]

catso said:

tinman0 said:

1. If in Italy and a few other places they are looking for Mafia. Your passport gets checked by the local police overnight against a list of people they are looking for - and this does happen.

They've done this in Italy for years, it is a legal requirement (anti-terrorist legislation from the days of the 'Red Brigade' etc) they only actually need it for a few minutes to note the details, just that they're usually too lazy busy to do it while you wait.

I've found it can depend on the Italian hotel. Many will give you it back the following morning, or later that afternoon you check in, but many will hang onto it for the stay.

Doesn't happen quite so much with me now as quite a few of the hotels I visit they know me anyway and I get the passport back within a few minutes, but for people they don't know they can hang on to the passport.

As I said earlier, one reason they hang onto your passport is to get the key back when you leave! Simple as that.

[Mars]

I thought our Home Office specifically instructed you never to lose sight of your passport. With that in my mind, whenever I've been asked for mine, I've always **politely** asked that they take a copy there and then, and return my passport to me immediately. I've never had any problems.

[GCH]

My passport stays in my possession (i dont mean in my pocket all the time though...thats just daft).
By that I mean, it doesnt get left with anyone- and certainly not hotel reception.

[skip_1]

Had this in Bulgaria at Sunny Beach. Ripped on the fake mini bar scam. It was only about £2 or so but they were about to escort me off the property for telling the receptionist to get to fk and keep my passport so I had to pay up.

[havoc]

GCH said:

My passport stays in my possession (i dont mean in my pocket all the time though...thats just daft).
By that I mean, it doesnt get left with anyone- and certainly not hotel reception.

Absolutely.

Reception at our Paris HQ wanted to hang onto mine for the duration of my visit when I was there last year. Refused, and was nearly refused access to the building by the stroppy women on reception*. Only a call to my 'host' who came down in person defused things...


* Note: NO-ONE can do stroppy better than French women. Do they have classes at school or something?!?