‘It’s sad we have to do this’: the US citizens carrying passports out of fear
‘It’s sad we have to do this’: the US citizens carrying passports out of fear
Good for you. Here in america we are supposed to have rights. You do not need to identify yourself unless you are suspected of a crime.
I am from other country. The only ID I am required to carry with me is driving licence while driving. And in most cases it won’t be a problem if you do not have it. It is advisable to have ID with you while crossing a border, and it is required when taking a plane.
Besides that, I’m not required to carry any kind of ID with me at all. I am required to tell the police who I am when asked, and I am required to provide them with the ID if they need it. If they need it and I don’t have it, I can walk back home and give it to them or they can give me a lift back at home to get it.
Now, if you’re a visiting foreigner it is still advisable to have some kind of ID on you. But that’s mainly to avoid the hassle of explaining where you left it and having to go get it with the police.
The Netherlands has implemented temporary border controls at its internal borders with other Schengen countries. These controls, carried out by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, commenced on 9 December 2024, at the direction of the Ministry of...
You don’t need the ID that often here, either. You need it in conjunction with certain official acts or legal requirements, be it for openng a bank account or voting.
I only had to show my ID to the police three times in my life. Two times as accompanying ID for the driving licence, and once when I accidentally drove my bike into a locked down high security area through a little known shortcut…
You have provinces, not States. Is there a reason I am unaware of that you would have an ID for your province rather than just for Canada?
… dude.
…do you know what a State is, from an American context?
OK. I will help you, by asking clarifying questions which will help you help yourself.
Why would Americans be concerned that a federal ID is now more valid than a State ID?
What does Statehood mean to Americans?
What are the qualifications for a US citiczen to aquire a federal ID and how accessible is it for the average American to aquire one?
I think you misunderstand. It’s normal in US to carry IDs, usually driver licenses. But those are state-issued IDs. They are becoming unreliable when dealing with federal authorities, however, because they don’t prove citizenship. For example, my permanent resident wife has a state ID, she also has a social security card, and other documents, but she is not a US citizen, so her ID she carries does not verify her right to be here. (She has another card for that, which until recently she likewise did not carry regularly since for 99% of needs the state ID is sufficient.)
A passport is one of the few federal IDs we have that also prove citizenship, and probably most Americans, or a very significant number of them, do not have one or did not have one until semi recently. It was about 12 years ago the US stopped accepting state ID to enter the US from Canada, which meant most people could cross that border without passport. Plenty of Americans have either never left the country or only traveled to Canada thus never needed a passport. (Kind of a big country.)
So yes, it is new for them to have to carry passports, which aren’t nearly as convenient as the existing state IDs which fit in a wallet, as well as, kind of a pain in the ass to replace if lost or stolen – it can take months to get a replacement.
As of a few years back you can now also get a “passport card” which is a federal ID (it is also a REAL ID, for you statesiders).
Here, the federal level ID card is simply something to carry in your wallet, along with the driving licence. We have no state level IDs. The driving licence is not considered an ID document on its own.
Having or carrying around a bulky passport is not necessary. You only need it for visiting countries outside the EU.