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.

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

yes, plus I have known people who have been fined on the spot for not having ID on their person....
Again back to the old WWII movies... Show me your papers (with accent of course)..............

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

It is required by German law but it is rarely carried out. If you are driving, shopping or out on the lash then it's advisable to have some sort of identification on you, driving licence or Aufenthaltserlaubnis ( mine is in about 3 bits in my wallet ). I would never lump my passport around unless it's required for a specific purpose. I've lived in Germany as a civilian since 1990 and i have never been asked to produce my ID on a spot check.

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

It is still the law and if you do not have it you can be detained, hopefully only till some nice person gets it for you and shows them, could be dodgy if you are a billy no mates though. lol

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

The latest place I have had to show an ID is in Edeka (supermarket). If one wants to pay for the shopping by credit card and the amount is above a 100 Euros, then they require an ID.
If you get stopped due to some traffic incident (whilst driving), or police check, you have to have your driving licence and ID. If you hang around on main stations or airports, its quite likely you'll be asked to show your ID. I used to go into Munich Hauptbahnhof to get an English paper and have a coffee quite frequently and several times was asked to show my passport, by plain clothed police. I dont go into Munich much these days, but its probably the same.

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

Its not a bad idea to carry id and in fact can be quite usefull if you are involved in an accident with say for eg "a cyclist" and you need their details for your medical ins.

I live in a popular ski region and it happens more and more often when accidents occour between 2 parties and the one responsible provides false details to avoid having to pay the helicopter etc

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

Oh wow, that is like the time I visted Japan. They want you to register for a gaijin card and carry your passport around at all times. But I am an English Canadian dual citizen, and I wonder what category I would fit, since I am also a British citizen, thus a member of the EU! Would I be a foreigner or fellow member?

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

You would be an EU member, but still legally required to carry your passport if outside of GB. ;-)

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

Another reason I'm not living there :D

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

I’ve been living in Germany for over 20 years, on and off, and I was under the impression ‘Ausweispflicht’ (‘ID card obligation’) meant that all Germans had to carry their ID cards around in public. Since I have dual citizenship, I never bothered with this; if anyone asks, I’m British, and there’s no way I’m going to walk around with my passport. :P

Then again, I was recently told by a German that ‘Ausweispflicht’ only means that all German citizens over 18 (or 16, can’t remember) were obliged to have a German ID card, but, despite the myths, there was no legal obligation to have it on you. He said if you had to have it on you all the time, it would be called an ‘Ausweismitführpflicht’ (‘ID card carrying obligation’). I think this makes perfect sense, German is a rather literal language, after all.

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

Yes.

Nah, this has been law even before there WAS immigration into Germany, legal or otherwise.

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

As one of the previous posters stated "Ausweispflicht" only means that every German over the age of 16 must have an identity card. There is no "Mitführpflicht" in Germany and, therefore, no requirement to carry an identity card with you.

http://www.rechtslexikon-online.de/Ausweispflicht.html

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

It is common sense for every foreigner to carry ID in any host country, as your country Embassy will advise.

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

Don't people in Germany have a social-security number? Birth date and a combination of numbers and letters attached. That's the way things work in the Scandinavian countries and people don't have to carry an ID with them at all times. All adults remember their social-security number by heart.

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

My experience of being a British expatriate in Germany is that you generally need use your passport quite a lot in the first six months e.g.

• registering with the local town hall

• registering with the local immigration authority

• collecting recorded mail deliveries

• opening bank accounts

• taking out personal liability insurance

• getting a telephone connected

Would I leave my passport in my flat or in a hotel safe? No, I carry it on me in case I need it.

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

Sounds about right for every country not only Germany. ;-)
You need it in Spain to get almost anything.

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

I'm a German living in the UK;)

Yes it is true...you have to have am ID but you don't have to carry it around:thumbup:

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

So what is the point in that, apart from having to sit in a cell till someone goes and gets it for you. lol

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

in the UK if a copper asks yhou for your name and address

just answer, AM I OBLIGED TO GIVE YOU THOSE DETAILS OFFICER?

if he/she says yes then they are commiting fraud as you do not have to make joinder with them, unless u have broken the law

should be our right to go whevever we wish without being harrassed by officers of the law

i have been stopped on my bike in germany (control, control!) i spoke in english to them, they waved bye and drove off lol!!!!



i would really like to know if it is compulsury or not, as many Germans i have found out are not sure about it, but most just follow orders (still have not learnt there lesson from 1930/40's) just to keep the status quo.

i wonder if there is common law in germany?

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

And then you make a whole you world of sh!t for yourself as they cart you off to the local police station and screw your day up for you whilst they make further enquiries

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

It's true that, unlike other Europeans countries, you don't need to carry any identification documents in the UK and you could refuse to answer any questions when stopped by a police officer.

What do you think would happen next? The worst scenario would see you locked up for at least 24 days under the terrorist legislation.

What's the least unpleasant thing that could happen? You would, of course, be arrested and taken in for questioning. As an unidentified suspect, possibly an illegal immigrant, the police could take your fingerprints and DNA samples, and you would have to wait around for a bit.

If you were a real tough nut, and obstinate enough, the charge sheet presented to the court at some stage would read: Unidentified male – charged under some legislation to protect UK citizens from people who disturb Her Majesty's Peace.

You're much better off found without papers in Germany, the UK police are a lot stricter.

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

Charming...for somebody who is new to the forum and if you would have read the answer before you would by now have the answer to the question if it is
compulsory or not;)

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

Obstructing a Police officer in the execution of his duty -Police Act 1964 section 51. If you drop litter it isnt an arrestable offence, but if the Officer asks for your name and address and you refuse, you will be arrested for obstruction.

The Police in England and Germany have ways of getting their own way - so barrack room lawyers beware or you will end up like so many amateurs who tried to mix it with professionals who are used to dealing with the 'urban myth' crowd every day

Drinking dishwater tea out of a chipped enamel cup is no fun and not worth the bravado

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

I'm sure that there is not one country anywhere where you can tell a police officer to mind his own business if he asks your name.

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

Especially Pyongyang or Texas

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

Does everyone in Germany have some sort of a social security number which every legal resident remembers by heart?