Budapest Travel Forum

as i understand it you are required to carry ID at all times in Budapest. unfortunately my main ID is my passport and i have been told i am best to leave it at the hotel. i dont have a drivers licence although i do have an old student card. would this be enough, as i really dont want to have to shell out £50 on a driver licence just to go to budapest! is there any restictions on what is acceptable?

I was never asked for my ID, although I only went for a day trip. I know many people like leaving the passport in the safe. Although sometimes I do, most of the time my passport is in a pouch under my clothes. In the rare event you need to show it, it's there - otherwise it's safe.

thanks for the tip nomad

ALL OVER THE WORLD a foreigner is required to carry an ID to confirm the person is/has entered that particular country legally.

>> ALL OVER THE WORLD a foreigner is required to carry an ID <<

You are correct ! The times I did leave my passport in the safe, however, I did have a photocopy (which I always have anyways just in case!) Not the same as the passport, but at least some ID.

Again: "ALL OVER THE WORLD...", and I'd add: In Spain, it's compulsay to have your ID with you, no matter where you are from. I'm Spanish and I can be asked for it. I never want to have problems with the police, let alone if I'm abroad. So, don't leave it at your hotel, take it always with you and of course, beware of your belongins wherever you are. I don't know where you are from and maybe you even don't need your passport but just your ID (maybe even just your driving licence), and, if you are not sure, ask your embassy.

By law, it's compulsory to have your passport with you. Or, for the residents of certain states (eg. EU, US, Croatia etc.) it's sufficient to have an official photo ID. That's the law.
Now comes the practice. In Hungary, police would ask you to identify yourself in the following cases:
- one behaves suspiciously or acts against public order (like singing drunk on the street, which is not illegal, but is a good occassion for policepeople to show they keep order on the street)
- one's near a demonstration, sports event
- one gets involved in a conflict with Budapest Transports' control personnel and they call for police assistance, since they are not entitled themselves to force anyone to show an ID
- highway safety controls (even if you did not violate the highway code)
- in border areas (that's the close vicinity of the airport in the case of Budapest)

And tourists are really not bothered by police personnel, that would be on the news for sure (nowadays, even the smallest of mistakes by the police are on TV immediately...)

If you don't feel you could keep your passport safe with you, then leave it in your hotel safe and have a photocopy of it, and also have that old student ID with you, or a company ID.

You are really better off buying one of those neck pouches designed for a passport. Also a good place to keep larger amounts of money so all the pick pockets can grab is small change in your pocket - not that i have ever come across a pick pocket in Hungary, now Romania, that's a different story.

You are really better off buying one of those neck pouches designed for a passport. Also a good place to keep larger amounts of money so all the pick pockets can grab is small change in your pocket - not that i have ever come across a pick pocket in Hungary, now Romania, that's a different story.

related to this topic...

Do Hungarians have a national ID card?

If so: If a foreigner is working or living in Hungary can they apply for one as well?

I've been living here for four months and I've never been asked to show ID. The police are pretty tourist friendly, so I don't think they'd give you too much trouble if they found you without one. I always forget to carry ID, being British I've never needed it, and the couple of times I've been caught in Europe without it, the police have either let me go or asked me to go to the hotel and get it (when the hotel was nearby).

And as the guy above me said: the police are very low profile here. The chances of being asked for ID are slim, and would probably require you getting yourself into trouble first, and then the lack of ID would be the least of your problems...

Hungarian nationals do have a personal ID card, although driving licenses are also accepted as a proof of identity.

Foreigners wit temporary residence may get a card called 'Personal Card' (szemelyi kartya, not the same as szemelyi igazolvany - 'Personal Identity Card') as a proof of their identity and the legality of their stay.

But that's still just law, in practice, one would rarely need that.

great answer to my sub question, thanks!!! :)

I don't have a driving license and would like some of photo ID, that's is why I ask. I have my Spanish residence card which I suppose should be valid as I do not want to carry my passport everywhere.

Do you have to show photo ID when using a debit or credit card in a shop or restaurant? In Spain you do, for example. Or is your signature enough?

Thanks again

Over a certain sum, you should show an ID. But it also depends on how easy going or strict the person at the cash desk is - some just don't care about it and accept your signature.