# If you were forced to prove you had a legal right to be in this country, could you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 29, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750 "2010-04-29T15:12:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/1 "2010-04-29T15:12:51Z")
I’m not saying that any of these were be 100% conclusive proof, but I’m just asking… remember, this is not what you OWN, but what you would have on you to show proof. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/2 "2010-04-29T15:17:40Z")
Walking down the street? Nope. I do not carry ID; I keep my DL in the car’s glove compartment. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/3 "2010-04-29T15:19:48Z")
I often carry my passport with me. I’m weird that way. State issued Driver’s License is not proof of legal right of residence. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/4 "2010-04-29T15:21:38Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I often carry my passport with me. I’m weird that way. State issued Driver’s License is not proof of legal right of residence. Ah! You’re right. Forgot passport. I know that the driver’s license isn’t proof of citizenship. No idea if it would work if the police asked. But it’s the one thing most people would have on them (I believe) so I included it. ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/5 "2010-04-29T15:35:00Z")
I usually carry my passport because it’s the only piece of ID I have with my picture and birthdate, and Sainsbury’s often pretends they think I’m 17 when I want to buy ale. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/6 "2010-04-29T15:42:21Z")
At all times in my wallet are my DL, social security card(which at some point I laminated despite the warning not to on the back), DoD ID, DoD CAC, and one of those new passport cards. My wallet is chained to my pants. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/7 "2010-04-29T15:42:33Z")
I’m a permanent resident, so I’m supposed to carry my green card. However, I don’t, so I’d have to hope that my driver’s license would be enough. Non-permanent-resident aliens would have to show their passport, either with a valid visa (which might be various kinds, including a student visa) or with a visa waiver. They might also need to have an [I-94 form](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_I-94). These probably should have been on the list, in case there are any non-permanent-resident aliens answering this poll. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/8 "2010-04-29T15:51:23Z")
I live in DC. You need to show proof that you are here legally in order to get a driver’s license. The last time she renewed her license, my wife had to go to a different DMW that deals with non-US Citizens. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/9 "2010-04-29T16:08:44Z")
Driver’s license. Of course, if they wished to haul me downtown for interrogation I might ask them to run my prints, since Uncle Sam took them when I entered the Navy as a natural born citizen. I imagine if they had already rejected the DL, they were on a mission and I probably was not going to have a good day. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/10 "2010-04-29T16:30:19Z")
Driver’s license, but if I was actually likely to be asked to prove my citizenship, I would be carrying more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/11 "2010-04-29T16:34:31Z")
Your poll pre-selected answers drives home the oddity of how few Americans have passports. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/12 "2010-04-29T16:36:59Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Your poll pre-selected answers drives home the oddity of how few Americans have passports. I have a passport, which I keep in a safe deposit box unless I’m leaving the country. You mean most people carry (and potentially lose) theirs? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/13 "2010-04-29T16:44:39Z")
Same here - I have a DL, but don’t always carry it (if I am just out for a walk or something). I also have a passport, but I don’t carry it with me unless I am leaving the country. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/14 "2010-04-29T16:44:54Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Your poll pre-selected answers drives home the oddity of how few Americans have passports. Not really: US citizens are not required to carry passports, and so they are unlikely to have them with them unless they are about to leave the country or have just returned. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/15 "2010-04-29T16:52:03Z")
I think what he meant was that it wasn’t an option in the poll, seemingly because it’s uncommon enough for Americans to even have a passport, regardless of whether they ever carry it with them, and therefore didn’t cross the OP’s mind. Or that’s how I interpreted it. I usually have my driver’s licence but not much else on me to prove citizenship. My passport is currently in my backpack since I came home from the UK on Sunday, but I’ll put it away this weekend once I gather all my documents from that trip in order to apply for an exam deferral thanks to the volcano! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/16 "2010-04-29T16:59:27Z")
Do you mean how do I prove I am legal in my own country, or how do I prove I’m legally in the US? In my own country, I produce my driver’s license and 10 other pieces of ID. In the US, I always carry my Canadian passport (especially since the Beer Incident). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/17 "2010-04-29T17:00:28Z")
While they’ve tightened down the requirements to get a driver’s license _somewhat_, that’s still not sufficient proof of legality from what I understand. So I checked both that, and “I’m effed”. The thing is, nobody carries around all that sort of documentation - it’s just too risky in case of loss. Maybe someone with a green card is _supposed_ to, I could be mistaken about that, but I honestly don’t think most people would have adequate proof. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/18 "2010-04-29T17:03:52Z")
This is one of the few polls around here worth looking at, and I have to say the results so far don’t surprise me. There are probably more people here illegally carrying false documents that seem to “prove” legality than citizens who carry true documents that actually do prove it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/19 "2010-04-29T17:04:06Z")
I think if you were a legal alien in the US, you would make it your business to have proper documentation on you at all times. I know I would. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750/20 "2010-04-29T17:05:22Z")
My driver’s license and my passport. Passport has my official visa in it, and I couldn’t get my dl without my passport and visa. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-forced-to-prove-you-had-a-legal-right-to-be-in-this-country-could-you/537750.md?page=2)