On CBS’ “The Amazing Race” tonight, a team got bad advice from a cabbie and ended up in a small town, away from the large city (Marrakech) that they were supposed to be in. While waiting for another taxi to take them back, they were detained by local police. We see a policeman motioning for the cameraman to turn off the camera, and it fades to black. Later, we hear the team explain that they were taken to another locatoin, where they were interrogated and asked to surrender their passports. Eventually the Amazing Race “Security” arrived and straightened things out.
My question is, can officials in another country (in this case, Morocco) ask you to surrender your passport for any reason? Perhaps if you broke a local law? Or were these officials simply taking advantage of these two men, intending to sell their passports (or something else)? It seemed unlikely that they would try to run a scam on camera, but perhaps they are that bold?
Please no comments on the show, I just want to talk about the passport situation.
That’s a wild ass guess, but I see no reason why the local authorities couldn’t ask a foreigner to surrender his passport. They could want to check if it’s authentic, or prevent the person from leaving (if ,he commited/is suspected to have commited a crime, for instance). And of course, if one is detained, I doubt he can keep his passport in his cell (I don’t even know what would be the point of it, apart facilitating an escape). A passport is an ID, not some magical protective document whose holder would be entitled to keep at all times, and its whole point is to allow the local authorities to know who you are and if you’re actually allowed to be in the country.
Of course, I could be totally off base and there could be some international agreement about passports, but I would suspect that a passport follow exactly the same rules than the local IDs. If some law allows the locals to not surrender their IDs, then probably foreigners too can refuse to surrender their passports.
At the very least, the police must necessarily be able to keep the passport for the purpose of checking the document itself and the visas it contains. Though it’s usually a matter of seconds or minutes, I guess that sometimes, checking it could takes hours or even days (if they have doubts about its authenticity, for instance) . Also, I suppose that the police can keep your passport to prevent you from leaving the country, as long as they have a legitimate reason (according to local laws) to do so. That would probably apply to anybody suspected of a crime.
Typically, you are asked to surrender your passport by law enforcement if they want to make it much more difficult for you to flee the country. This happens all the time - such as recently, when several suspected or convicted “soccer hooligans” in the UK were forced to, so they would not be able to attend World Cup matches.
The argument used at the time was that the UK government owns your passport, not you, and thus they can do whatever they please with it.
Now mind you, your example was with Morocco taking passports from foreigners. It’s really not so hard to believe that small-town law enforcement in a developing nation like Morocco can essentially do whatever they want to and get away with it. Good thing the people in question were “celebrities”, otherwise who knows how they might have had to buy their freedom.
In Russia (and before that, in the Soviet Union), foreigners are/were required to register their passports with immigration authorities. You can do it by standing in line all day at the visa ofice, or if you’re staying in a hotel, the hotel usually does it for you. It does require you to give up your passport for a day or two, though.
I was in a traffic accident in Greece and they took my passport and made me follow them to the station.
I have had my passport taken from me numerous times in the former Soviet Union. They always gave me a document saying they had my passport. Usually this was to register the passport, but also after a wave of bombings in which they pretty much checked out every person staying in a hotel in the area.
I’ve also attended meetings in government buildings in lots of eastern European countries and they often took my passport and gave it back when I left.
Not all people are required to register. I never did when I was there in 93. I however came in by train and did not stay at a hotel as I was with friends.
I can imagine having your passport taken away, and I think that some world travelers suggest keeping a photo copy of it. I know that some countries will take your drivers license for traffic violations.
It is always a good idea to carry a photo-copy of your passport in case it is taken away from you or you lose it or if it is stolen. The only page that has to be copied is the one with your photo and your personal details. On the EU style passport this page has all the serial numbers and other details that are unique to that passport. And don’t forget to carry this copy separatly from your passport in another bag or pocket.
Actually, if you’re staying in one city for 3 days or more, you’re still required to register, but many people blow it off if they’re staying with friends or family. (I’ll try to find a cite from OVIR if anyone’s interested.) It’s generally only enforced in the breach, however.
I definitely carry a photocopy of my passport whenever I travel abroad, as well as keeping one at home with someone who can send it to me if necessary (if my passport were lost or stolen, for example).
I was in Italy this summer. One hotel kept my passport when I checked in and gave it back the next morning. The other hotel photocopied it and gave it right back.
In Louisiana, when stopped for speeding, the cop kept my license and gave me a receipt to use as an ID. The license would be returned when the ticket was paid (or dismissed). I was from out of state, I don’t know if they do this to locals.
“In Louisiana, when stopped for speeding, the cop kept my license and gave me a receipt to use as an ID. The license would be returned when the ticket was paid (or dismissed). I was from out of state, I don’t know if they do this to locals.”
This seems to be the standard practice in Illinois, at least for the tickets I and my acquaintances have received. The only difference is that the ticket itself is your receipt and can be shown in place of a driver’s license.
Good grief, are you kidding me? That’s just wrong. A driver’s license is used for so many things, since it’s many people’s only photo ID. I understand that it’s “property of the state,” but that’s just downright mean.
So if a passport is property of the issuing country, then legally I shouldn’t have to turn it over in a foreign country. Seems to me that it’s one big grey area, and you should just do what seems to be in your own best interest at the time.
I was in China 12 years ago, and every hotel I stayed at kept my passport for varying amounts of time, ranging from 12 hours to the entire length of stay.
Legality is defined by the laws of the country you’re visiting.
It’s a big grey area because different countries have different laws
What you should do is abidding by the local laws. And anyway, you don’t have much say in the matter, except if you want to bring charges (or new charges) upon you.
If this issue is a major concern for you, you should ask the country’s consulate about it before visiting the country (not that I’m convinced they’ll necessarily be able to answer accurately).
Yes, this happened to me! I worked down there, and had many, many rental cars (not at the same time, but consequtively). Was was working in Guanajuato state, so most of the rental cars had GTO (Guanajuato) tags. We’d always go to a little restaurant called simply enough “El Patio,” and park in a perfectly legal spot. One time, though, I got stuck with a car with DF plates (more about that below), and parked in the same spot, and had my tags swiped! We beat the officer to the police station, paid the MX$50 fine (and got a legal receipt I’ll add) and made our way back to the plant.
So, DF tags are tags from the Districto Federal, i.e., the Federal District which isn’t really a state but separate like our own (in the USA) federal district. In the “provincia” (anything outside the DF/Mexico City megalopolis) the “chilangos” (another story for another time) aren’t well regarded. I’m positive this was the motive for taking my plates. The DF is often regarded as a leech that sucks on everything else, kind of like Detroit here in Michigan.
Personally, here , I ONLY carry certified copies of my national I.D. and NEVER my passport. Even if I have it, I LIE. This is a document that is more frequently stolen - for various reasons- and can cause you more hassle getting out of the country then any other. If a BONIFIED official needs to see it, calling my wife or the consulate is no big deal. If A cop demands to see my ID I give him a copy, if he gets pissy about it I tell him I was robbed yesterday and this is all I have. Cops who make a pittance of a salary , along with 4th grade education and no real sense of what the law is all about don’t need to see your pass port, that is for their bosses, and they KNOW IT! They also know that you don’t know how things work there, and they take advantage of that. Oh look at the gringos! MONEY ON THE HOOF! Lets get there pass ports! They will give us ANYTHING to get them back! And they do, after all, they have the guns, NOT YOU. So like you said, these guys on a game show or something, ended up in the middle of a favela (shanty town) or in a place way off the beaten track - HOW STUPID - to begin with, they were WAY lucky they ran into the police instead of the local drug dealers or most recent war lord, Jeez, passports be dammed, RANSOM is the only way out of those situations and often paying money does not mean you are ever going to see Mac Donald’s again - if you get my drift.
Errr…I don’t know what the situation is in the south-american country you happen to live in, but the OP was refering to something happening in Morocco. I’m not aware of war lords reigning in the shanty subburbs of Moroccan cities (though there certainly are drug dealers), nor about massive numbers or kidnappings.
You’re not necessarily at risk of being abducted/killed as soon as you’re too long away from a Mac Donald, you know…
and my acquaintances have received. The only difference is that the ticket itself is your receipt and can be shown in place of a driver’s license.