Post: #1

I have been told that you have to carry your passport on your person at all times in Russia, because the police stop people all the time and ask for papers, but then 2 friends said they just brought photocopies around with them each day, but never got stopped by police. I am very apprehensive about carrying my passport with me with my visa in it.

Advice and experience from you guys?

Thank you in advance for any replies

Post: #2

Just did two weeks in May, only carried a photo copy on me and left the passport in the room. I wouldn't take it with you, and most likely you won't be stopped. I have a feeling that doesn't happen too often. Only time I had an interaction with the police was while driving in a vehicle with another guy, but they didn't check any of my documents or course. Just a random driver check. Don't worry about being stopped, and don't carry your original on you I'd advise.

Post: #3

Am I the only one who thinks your passport is safer in your jeans' tight front pockets rather than being locked in a rented apartment or hostel? You don't know who else has keys to your place. And there are the chances of getting robbed by a random thief. I get paranoid when I have to leave something valuable in my place. It's better to keep them on me and reach my pocket every once in a while to make sure it's still there.

Post: #4

I've been for at least 5 months cumulative, and never stopped. Keep a photocopy just in case.

Post: #5

I carried my passport around while visiting Belarus and Russia. There were some instances where it got me further positive interactions with the ladies when I pulled it out and started showing various country stamps. But in hindsight a paper copy would be better.

Post: #6

Always take a paper copy of your passport and visa (if applicable) when travelling abroad.

If you are from California, wip out that drivers license

Post: #7

This may not totally be related, but I'm curious as to what you guys do when going into a bar in a foreign country. What form of ID do you use aside from a passport? Have you had any issues about that?

Post: #8

(06-21-2015 10:06 AM)turkishcandy Wrote:  Am I the only one who thinks your passport is safer in your jeans' tight front pockets rather than being locked in a rented apartment or hostel? You don't know who else has keys to your place. And there are the chances of getting robbed by a random thief. I get paranoid when I have to leave something valuable in my place. It's better to keep them on me and reach my pocket every once in a while to make sure it's still there.

I have never been to Russia (yet) but was stopped by the cops in Ukraine and a few other countries. In Kiev I was hassled because I only had the photocopy.
If you can pass as local I think a photocopy is OK but if you look like a obvious foreigner (non-white) I would carry the both the passport and a copy as the chances are greater of being targeted. Pull out only the copy first unless there is a issue.

Post: #9

(06-21-2015 12:07 PM)Rang off the Pipe Wrote:  This may not totally be related, but I'm curious as to what you guys do when going into a bar in a foreign country. What form of ID do you use aside from a passport? Have you had any issues about that?

I got stopped by the militisya yesterday evening at Nemiga metro stop here in Minsk on my way to a live jazz music event where my date was waiting for me. I explained that I did not have my passport and visa on me and just took out my Irish social security card (which has my photo I.D.). It worked.

I couldn't imagine using it to chat up dyevs though.

Post: #10

Passport is needed in banks and certain businesses so you need it often, but its better to carry a photocopy and only bring the real deal when needed for ID.

Its easy to pull out with no one noticing since its so thin so a lot of thieves will steal it from your pocket.

Post: #11

(06-21-2015 11:40 AM)TripleG Wrote:  There were some instances where it got me further positive interactions with the ladies when I pulled it out and started showing various country stamps.

Classic.
They love looking at all those stamps.

Post: #12

If you carry a photocopy of your passport, be sure to include a photocopy of your visa. In Tashkent, I didn't have the latter, and was detained for a while as they called my hotel. It makes sense they'd do thorough checks of your visa. Overstaying is serious money, they extort 1k USD per day from tourists who overstay.

In Kharkiv, one was stopped without any ID, not even a wallet. It was a bit tense because I can't speak Russian and they couldn't speak English. In broken Russian, I invited the cops to come with me back to my apartment. They declined and let me go.

Another time, I was at an outdoor concert in 3rd tier Ukraine. Lots of people and very few porta potties. The line for the toilet was outrageous, my gf advised me to just piss in the woods. There cops came out of the bushes with flashlights and pounced on me, they caught me red handed. My gf told the cops that I was a guest of Ukraine and they should let me go blah blah blah, and after showing my drivers license, they believed her and was free to go. Not enough toilets and then busting ppl for pissing in the woods, those cops must have made a killing that night.

Post: #13

I was stopped once by the Russian police once in Moscow. They did a pretty thorough inspection of my Passport, Visa & Registration documents, so at a minimum you'd need a copy of all three. Granted this was right prior to a holiday so they were stopping a lot of people, so if you aren't around holiday/special events you might be okay. I know presidentcarter was stopped during the same time frame and somehow managed to wiggle away on an expired visa, nonetheless, so you experience may vary.

Post: #14

I don't see why it's such a worry if the passport is stolen, particularly for those in a location with an embassy that will be able to replace it in a timely manner.

A lost US passport will only cost you $120 and the hassle of filling out the application.

The key is to have a photocopy in your room in order to expedite the process.

Post: #15

If you are a U.S. citizen, you have multiple options:

1. Carry a photocopy of your passport and visa.

2. Carry a passport card, which costs a mere $30. The next best thing to actually carrying your passport (although in places such as Russia you should still carry a copy of your passport and visa).

http://travel.state.gov/content/passport.../card.html

3. For serious folk: it is a little-known fact that frequent travelers or travelers to sensitive place (e.g., Israel) can request a second passport. You can carry the copy with the visa and still have a backup plan for a hasty exit.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/obtain-du...60991.html

Post: #16

(06-21-2015 06:06 PM)elcidcampeador Wrote:  I don't see why it's such a worry if the passport is stolen, particularly for those in a location with an embassy that will be able to replace it in a timely manner.

A lost US passport will only cost you $120 and the hassle of filling out the application.

The key is to have a photocopy in your room in order to expedite the process.

You are right, getting a new passport is easy especially a 3 month emergency replacement, but each Visa is linked to a particular passport, so if you get a new passport you have to get a new Visa, and that is a pain to replace in Moscow short notice.

I am going photocopy.

Post: #17

You pay for the emergency passport, again for the full term one, plus the hassle and cost of a new visa.

It all adds up to ~$200. Not a huge amount, but if you don't value 200 dollars go take it out of your pocket and flush it down the toilet. No sane person will do it!

Post: #18

Having lived and worked in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and as a Russian speaker, I would advise you not to carry your passport on you, or rather, never present anything other than a photocopy to the police there. If you are stopped, it is usually because the police are looking to make a fast buck. They are notoriously badly paid, and a lawyer friend (Russian) told me that they are actively encouraged to supplement their own income out on the streets by extorting people. I do not know for myself if that is true, but I could easily believe it.

I have had friends hand over passports to the police, and be charged a few thousand roubles for their return, under a spurious 'visa inconsistency'. If you are stopped, be polite, courteous, show them some valid identification and a copy of your visa. If they press the issue, state very firmly and clearly that any further discussion will need to take place at your embassy. You'll be amazed at how quickly most police harassment out there ends when you say you'll get the embassy involved to help resolve the matter.

Post: #19

Not carrying identification is not an offence, but the Police may detain a person until he can identify himself. You haven't identified yourself until you present all three of: passport, visa and migration card. If you have those three documents, all you need to do is call the officer's bluff. Presenting photocopies usually makes them go away.

A person can be fined for not being registered, which must be completed by the seventh business day after arriving in each city. The hotels and hostels will do this during the first couple of days of your visit. Until you are registered, your migration card serves as proof of the date you entered Russia. If travelling to other cities, keep your train ticket or the stub of your boarding card as proof of the date of you arrival in that city.

In St. Petersburg there is an electronic registry and the hotels don't issue registration slips. In other cities you'll receive something like the following as proof:


Passport and ID cards from other countries are not valid in Russia.

Post: #20

(06-21-2015 06:06 PM)elcidcampeador Wrote:  I don't see why it's such a worry if the passport is stolen, particularly for those in a location with an embassy that will be able to replace it in a timely manner.

A lost US passport will only cost you $120 and the hassle of filling out the application.

The key is to have a photocopy in your room in order to expedite the process.

In Belarus, if you are living and working long term, you must have a notarized copy of your passport, i.e. translated and stamped.