Passport Alert

Just thought this might come in useful to some going to disney

my family and i were staying of site last december and for reasons i wont go into we were pulled over by the police as it was only my sister and i in the car and it was a quick trip we were making we didn%26#39;t think to take anything more than the few dollars we needed BIG MISTAKE when we were pulled over the officer asked for licence and registration all of course which were back at our condo OOPS.

We only got away with not spending the night in jail and a $2000 fine because i remembered my sister had here disabled badges with her picture d.o.b and signature we were then given a stern talking to by the police officer that due to us being foreigners we had to have our passports on us at all times no questions asked due to homeland security and if we didn%26#39;t and we got pulled over or just randomly asked to provide it we would end up in jail in 20 years of coming to the states we had never been told that before and just thought i should warn others so they don%26#39;t suffer what we nearly did. Sorry that this has been long winded but i thought if i explained it this way people would know i%26#39;m not joking it was one of the scariest moments of my life

Thanks for listening

Passport Alert

Well, I have never heard you have to have your passport on you at all times- my husband never does. But I haven%26#39;t lived home in the USA since 9/11 either.

But it is the law, that all drivers must carry their DLs with them at all times behind the wheel- NO EXCEPTIONS! That is what you should have been arrested for. And you must keep the rental agreement there to show you are driving the vehicle with the car company%26#39;s permission.

Passport Alert

the stupid thing is she had everything but her passport in her bag but for some reason for that one trip she didn%26#39;t pick it up and how we both wish that we had. So after the police officer had finished talking to my sister i made a point to ask him if it was just her that needed to carry it at all times or all of us and he specifically said that all of us need to carry our passports at all times and when we said we had never been told that before he said that it was not their responsibility to let us know but ours to do the research and know. Which means from now on i will never not have my passport safely in my money wallet around my waist

#1, it%26#39;s nice to hear the police officer used some common sense and compassion in not hauling you off to jail (gaol?).

#2, even if he had arrested you, since you were in the country legally it all would have been sorted out eventually.

And C (hmm, 1,2,C?), You have learned and shared a valuable lesson.

Joe

Tampa FL

Does this mean we have to carry our passport with us AT ALL TIMES i.e. when visiting the parks, shopping etc or is it just when we are in rhe car?

To be honest, I would look this up on the homeland security website as I have never heard of this. I tend to pay attention to such changes as my husband is british even though I am american. You should have photo ID on you though, like a photo DL and have to have it on you when driving. I get the feeling the OP didn%26#39;t have photo ID on them at all, apart from the disabled badge.

I always travel with a photo copy of my passport, in case it is lost or stolen. You could bring the photocopy with you as well as the DL i think.

after getting slightly confused on the homeland security website i actually found this where i least expected

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A346330

hope this helps

I read that link, but it said you should always carry your passport, but it never said it was law in the USA. So I am still unsure. If I do find definitively that it is a law in all 50 states, then I will get back to you.

It is law however to be in possession of your valid DL if you are operating a motor vehicle.

Thanks for this post.

You have just inspired me to go onto the directgov website and to change my old paper license for a all new card type with picture.

You must carry your driving licence with you I know that. Here in the uk we get 7days to produce it at a police station but that isnt the case over there.

I think you will find that had you had your driving licence on you then they wouldnt have asked for a passport.

It艣 not going to change my approach, which is that i don麓t carry a passport everywhere in the US. I like my passport sealed in the room safe when travelling - too important to mislay, lose or get stolen. Driving licence is always with me though.

Next time I pass through Homeland Security though I will ask the officer for their view (if i remember) and post back.