pal@crystal.ARPA (08/21/84)
There is a distinction between CITIZENS and VISITORS that should be made clear. Many postings have mentioned the requirement many European (and other) countries have that visitors register with the police (or that the hotel check their passport and report to the authorities). Please make it clear whether this applies only to foreign visitors, or even to citizens travelling within the country (seems unlikely that the passport would be required in that case). As for non-citizens, note that foreign visitors (aliens, in INS jargon, makes me think of E.T.) to the United States are required to report (by mail) to the INS, giving details like address, passport and visa info, etc., every three months. This regulation does not seem to be observed strictly, nor enforced particularly vigorously, but it exists. Now for an anecdote about passports-as-ID: When I first arrived here and tried to pay by cheque (K-mart, I think), I tried to use my passport (non-US) as ID. No luck, of course, but the usual question -- "Do you have a driver's license?" Well, it just so happened that I *DID* have a driver's license (issued by the state of Maharashtra, India). Guess what? They copied the number onto the cheque and accepted it! And this wasn't even an International Driver's License, just a regular Indian driver's license. Oh well, company policy, I guess. Anil Pal crystal!pal U. of Wisconsin, Madison