Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

Yet again I must say that I am astonished how a large country like Germany doesn't have its own sub-forum and I need to put this under "Europe". Well, perhaps there aren't that many expats in Germany.

My question, however, is about the ID-cards. Is it really so that in Germany you must carry an ID-card all the time? I understand that this is a dead letter of the law as its purpose is to combat illegal immigration but obviously there can't be a law stating that everyone who looks foreign must carry an ID-card. It is everyone or no-one.

Still, the police can stop you in the street and demand you to prove who you are. If you don't have the personalausweis, or whatever that is in German, you are fined.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

Lucky you put this in Europe. ;-))
Most countries including European ones require you to carry an ID card or your passport with you at all times.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

Yes, it is compulsory to carry an ID. We carry our passports with us. If you have an ID card that will do. This applies to everyone living in Germany.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

I have travelled extensively through germany and probably spent around a year there in the last 10 years. Not once have I ever been asked to produce ID.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

You may of been lucky, but it still doesn`t change the fact if you have no ID and the police or customs ask for it, you could be in a little room till they find out who you are, much easier to carry a PP or photo driving licence or ID card.
HERE

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

Wow.

\ Makes note never to visit Germany.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

Imagine what it would be like where you are if you didn`t have your alien card on you. lol

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

I lived there for 8 years. The only time I was asked for my "Ausweis" was on a bus. I replied "Ich hab' kein, ich bin Englander". "Fahrausweis", replied the ticket inspector, with a roll of the eyes.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

I'm a dual citizen. That said, even when I was a green card holder, I never carried it, not a passport. Was never asked to produce it once during jury duty summons, traffic stops etc.

The only time I had to show it was to an employer, going through a POE, or purchasing a firearm.

Tchuss!

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

I think being English should exempt you from the need for a ticket! :)

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

Must of changed a lot since the 70`s then. ;-))

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

This reminds me of German friends of ours, who had spent a lot of time in Australia. When they returned to Germany their sons couldnt be bothered with all the bureaucracy. They went mountain walking on the Zugspitze, which is Germany and Austria. At the border they shocked the border police by producing the pages of their passport with their details on. They had torn these out of the passports as they didnt take up as much room in their pockets.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

I've never been asked for ID either.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

Sure the question was, Do you have to carry it, not have you ever been asked to show it. My German co-worker tells me it should be carried all the time, I think it is like that in Italy with a driving licence and some form of ID. I regularly see people stopped by the Polizia with their documents all over the bonnet and some of my co-workers have been stopped and had to show both insurance documents and ID cards, no documents sometimes equals big fines.

Re: Is ID really compulsory all the time in Germany?
 

From the British Embassy site on Germany.

You should carry your passport with you at all times. German police have the right to ask to see identification.

This is normal in most countries and they can hold you till they see it.