IDENTITY CARDS

Can anyone answer this question? I have been informed that I wiil have to carry photo id at all times, Is this true? Or is it only if I drive a vehicle?

I've NOT heard THAT. (Will be watching this thread.) No one's mentioned it in any of my other Spanish forums. Smiley, over to YOU !

Hello Jammet,

I think that they have mentioned this to you in the event of payment with credit card, so you can identify yourself...... I know it is not common practice in other parts of the world, but here, you are almost allways required to identify yourself to pay w/credit card..... I think personnally it works on our favor in case we have "lost" the card.

Cheers,

Juan.

I have always been under the impression that by law you have to carry some form of photo id with you at all times.  As Spanish citizens all carry their DNI card then they automatically do this.  As Juan states you need photo ID to pay by credit card anywhere.

So, anyone know if it IS actually law?

By Law you must carry photgraphic ID at all times. If driving the vehicle documents (insurance, matricula etc and photo driving licence or international driving licence) must be with you in the event of being stopped. Passports are an inconvenient thing to carry around with you so if you have the new UK photocard driving licence keep that with you. Alternatively what I did when first here was to colour photocopy the important page of my passport - shrink it to credit card size and have it laminated - cheap as chips 3 Euros or so. Then keep it in your wallet or purse with all the other stuff. Got stopped a couple of times and although not the official document the police seemed to accept it - generally the same thing is acceptable when using a credit card but have yet to find a bank that will accept it and they want the official thing.

Last year, while on holiday in Barcelona, my friend had her purse stolen from her bag (in the grounds of the cathedral, of all places!)  We had to sit for hours in the police station to obtain a crime number to enable us to make an insurance claim only to be told in quite a threatening manner that we were breaking the law by not having our passports on us. 

Hi Crackers if you had had a laminated copy of the important page it should have been good enough - at the end of the day if they had nicked her bag then likely the passport gone too. The Old Bill donw this way seem quite happy with the laminate - at least last time I got tugged they were cool.

Hi Crackers,

I use a laminated passport, credit card size and have had no problems so far.

It only cost about 3€ in a local photo copy shop.

Most shops accept it and I feel safer leaving my passport in the safe in my apartmento!

We had our passports condensed & laminated too, 2 euros each in a computer shop in Quesada by The Arches. Carrefour wouldn't accept it though when trying to use a debit card but generally we pay cash there anyway.

Thanks Smiley.  The police didn't seem to appreciate our sense of humour when we told him it was just as well we hadn't carried passports......maybe he was having a bad day just like us!  Good idea to condense and laminate them, we'll have to try it.