Booster seat and passports while on the tour

[Tina80]

My daughter is nine and looks like we need to have her in the booster seat while visiting Italy and Greece. We signed up for a tour with Royal Caribbean cruise and a couple with Viator and other companies. Not sure if the bus tour offered by RC offers us a booster seat. Do I have to pack a booster seat and bring it with me? (She doesn't need one in the US).

I also had another question, do you usually carry your passport with you while on the excursion, visiting Milan, visiting Rome or bring a copy of it?

Thank you

[euro cruiser]

Buses and taxis are exempt from laws requiring child seats, even for infants.

 

By law you must carry your passport at all times in Italy.  If you are asked for it and do not have it, you can be detained until it is produced and face a significant fine (I forget the exact amount but you can look it up).

 

While the odds of being stopped and asked are still very low, enforcement is up as the government tries to enforce their election promise to crack down on illegal aliens.

 

These rules, from the Automobile Club Italia, apply to owned or rental cars, they do not apply to taxis, car services, buses, trains, etc.:  Microsoft Word - URP - testo INGLESE.doc (aci.it)

Edited August 26 by euro cruiser

[euro cruiser]

Regarding the passport law, the official version is here:  DECRETO LEGISLATIVO 25 luglio 1998, n. 286 - Normattiva

 

The relevant section for foreign visitors is Article 6, point 3, translated by google as follows:

 

Any foreigner who, at the request of public security officials and agents, fails to comply, without justifiable reason, with the order to produce his passport or other identification document and his residence permit or other document certifying his regular presence in the territory of the State shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year and with a fine of up to 2,000 euros.

[Tina80]

Very valuable info, thank you so much. Now I have to find out the same thing for Greece as we will be taking a couple of tours there. Will post there. Thanks much

[Tina80]

14 minutes ago, euro cruiser said:

Regarding the passport law, the official version is here:  DECRETO LEGISLATIVO 25 luglio 1998, n. 286 - Normattiva

 

The relevant section for foreign visitors is Article 6, point 3, translated by google as follows:

 

Any foreigner who, at the request of public security officials and agents, fails to comply, without justifiable reason, with the order to produce his passport or other identification document and his residence permit or other document certifying his regular presence in the territory of the State shall be punished with imprisonment of up to one year and with a fine of up to 2,000 euros.

Let me ask you this, does a color copy of the passports suffice?

[euro cruiser]

4 minutes ago, Tina80 said:

Let me ask you this, does a color copy of the passports suffice?

No.  A copy is not an official document of identity.

[Tina80]

1 minute ago, euro cruiser said:

No.  A copy is not an official document of identity.

Got it, thanks much!

[euro cruiser]

Lots of folks here, as well as on the Trip Advisor forums, will tell you that they never carry their passports while out and about.

 

It's a personal judgemental call, weighing the risks of being caught without the passport when stopped or the risk of losing your passport vs. the costs of being detained (time and/or money) by police or the costs of replacing a lost passport. 

 

Many, many visitors to Italy don't know or care about the law and haven't for years.  The odds of being stopped, or in an accident (another time when a passport would be important) are very low, so it's a reasonable conclusion to take the risk for lots of visitors. 

[Tina80]

18 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

Lots of folks here, as well as on the Trip Advisor forums, will tell you that they never carry their passports while out and about.

 

It's a personal judgemental call, weighing the risks of being caught without the passport when stopped or the risk of losing your passport vs. the costs of being detained (time and/or money) by police or the costs of replacing a lost passport. 

 

Many, many visitors to Italy don't know or care about the law and haven't for years.  The odds of being stopped, or in an accident (another time when a passport would be important) are very low, so it's a reasonable conclusion to take the risk for lots of visitors. 

Fair, I now wish I had applied for passport card at least, maybe I could find out if that is a valid form of ID but for now, passport it is.

[marazul]

20 hours ago, Tina80 said:

Very valuable info, thank you so much. Now I have to find out the same thing for Greece as we will be taking a couple of tours there. Will post there. Thanks much

The same rules apply.  They are uniform across the EU.

 

The passport card would not help you. It is not a recognized ID outside a limited number of countries close to the US.

Edited August 27 by marazul

[Tina80]

3 hours ago, marazul said:

The same rules apply.  They are uniform across the EU.

 

The passport card would not help you. It is not a recognized ID outside a limited number of countries close to the US.

Thank you, very helpful. I will carry my passport with me then. Do you happen to know if Greece mandates booster seats in private tours (car services)?

[marazul]

30 minutes ago, Tina80 said:

Thank you, very helpful. I will carry my passport with me then. Do you happen to know if Greece mandates booster seats in private tours (car services)?

Private tour drivers are licensed by the gov't and are similar to taxis. I would venture that they are not needed. But you need to email the tour company and ask them this question. They do have seats available.  If they are not required, you could still request one if you think it will be useful for your child. 

[9265359]

On 8/26/2024 at 8:24 PM, euro cruiser said:

Lots of folks here, as well as on the Trip Advisor forums, will tell you that they never carry their passports while out and about.

 

It's a personal judgemental call, weighing the risks of being caught without the passport when stopped or the risk of losing your passport vs. the costs of being detained (time and/or money) by police or the costs of replacing a lost passport. 

 

Many, many visitors to Italy don't know or care about the law and haven't for years.  The odds of being stopped, or in an accident (another time when a passport would be important) are very low, so it's a reasonable conclusion to take the risk for lots of visitors. 

 

It certainly is a personal judgement, and my judgement based on the many many times I have visited Italy (and lots of other European countries) over many decades is that it would be utter madness to carry your original passport.

 

The very real risk of loss or theft far outweighs a very very theoretical possibility of it being demanded to be seen by the police, and any significant action if you didn't have it.

 

The only time I have seen the inside of a police station in Italy was after being pickpocketed, and as the officer I was dealing with commented, fortunately the only thing taken was an insured mobile phone and not a passport or anything else.

 

The only exception to my 'don't take it with you rule' is when driving, and then the risk flips over and it would be far too risky not to have all your documents on you then.

[marazul]

@Tina80

Read this:

 

[Tina80]

2 hours ago, marazul said:

@Tina80

Read this:

 

Oh my...just finished reading this. I must have chewed all my nails off while reading this. Thank you for letting me know. 

[euro cruiser]

Rather than going off the rails, learn from her unfortunate experience.  It is very possible to secure your belongings, the hard part is not allowing yourself to be distracted and making smart choices about transit.  For example, the risk on a crowded metro train (anywhere, not just Rome) with luggage just isn't worth the savings vs. a short cab ride to the station.

 

I'm in the camp of those who always carry my passport with me.  It's not hard to secure it and my money and credit cards, while having access when needed.

[9265359]

21 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

and making smart choices

 

The smart choice is to leave it secure back on the ship or in the hotel, and not needlessly take it with you.

 

21 hours ago, euro cruiser said:

I'm in the camp of those who always carry my passport with me

 

And how often have you been stoped by the police demanding to see it? Never...

[euro cruiser]

There are many things that have never happened to me while traveling, that doesn't mean I should act like they never could. I've had a hotel room broken into, but I still use hotels.  None of it is statistically significant.

 

Clearly you've made your choice and I've made mine.  The point here was to give people the facts and assume they are cognitive adults, capable of deciding what's best for them.

[drew69]

On 8/26/2024 at 3:03 PM, Tina80 said:

Let me ask you this, does a color copy of the passports suffice?

The law does not mean you have to carry your passport with you.  It means you must be able to produce it when required which can mean returning to hotel or ship for it.

In over 14 trips both on land and by cruise have never carried my passport with me in Italy or Greece or any EU country.

 

 

[drew69]

On 8/26/2024 at 3:03 PM, Tina80 said:

Let me ask you this, does a color copy of the passports suffice?

This refers to foreigners residing in Italy not tourists/visitors.  You need to read the entire document

[euro cruiser]

And how are you going to return to the ship while in police custody?

 

You are right that the odds are very, very low.  Higher than they used to be due to the current government, but still low.

 

But again, just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it that it doesn't happen to others.  The folks who post here are far, far from a statistically significant sample.

 

The only thing that applies just to foreigners residing in Italy is the written permission to do so.  The law about having your passport applies to everyone.

[Post Captain]

17 hours ago, 9265359 said:

 

The smart choice is to leave it secure back on the ship or in the hotel, and not needlessly take it with you.

 

 

And how often have you been stoped by the police demanding to see it? Never...

 

The answer is not "never" in my experience. It occurred just a few months ago, in fact, at a railway station in a mid-size city. Before my train left the station, two police officers boarded, went through the train, and examined the passports (for non-Italians) or official identity cards (for Italian nationals) of all the passengers in my car. I can't say what would have happened to me had I not had my passport, but at the very least I expect I would have received a strong talking-to, if not an immediate fine; possibly, in the worst case, a firm request to leave the train and accompany the officers back to headquarters. I'm glad I didn't have to find out. Better to obey the law than to learn the consequences of not doing so.

 

During my trip I also witnessed several other instances of police stopping travelers and checking passports. 

 

The "smart choice"? It's up to you.