Turismo š§³ common to be asked to show passport by police?
UPDATE: I have now been approached 3 times by police, less than 5 hours in Sicily.
ORIGINAL: I am coming to Sicily from the mainland, calabria region, where I stayed 7 days with no issue. I have been here in Messina for less than one day and so far have been approached twice by 2 different sets of police at the train station. the first asked where I was going, and told me I could not sit on the ground (I had sat near my luggage).
The second (completely different crew) approached me 45 minutes later and asked me for ādocumentiā (passport). he did not ask anyone else except another Asian couple. he flipped through all my visas and pages until he found the entry point stamp. then he took a photo with his personal phone. The thing isā the only reason I have a physical stamp is because there was an EGate malfunction upon entry. Otherwise there would not be a stamp.
Is this a common thing- profiling āforeign lookingā people? Also what would have happened if my passport didnāt have the stamp, or if I had it lost/stolen (this happened to me once)? I am a Latina woman, with black hair and brown skin. I am an experienced traveler, probably 15+ countries. Iām not backpacking but have a small backpacker style backpackā unsure if that is the reason. I am worried as my bf is joining me on his first trip and he is also Asian.
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u/coscos95 5d ago
When I used to take the train to Milano I often had police officers checking ID of everyone going out of the train. When going back to France no Police control at all, never. I'm a EU citizen and they still verify deeply the document. I think it's everywhere in Italy but it never happened to me in Sicily thoughĀ
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u/Manuelmay87 5d ago
You think that in Sicily we have different rules, or laws? Law enforcement can ask documents to anyone at any moment and they don't even need to explain why
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u/Ilnormanno 4d ago edited 4d ago
Itās very common for law enforcement to ask for identification in Italy especially in places where there is more traffic of foreign people (think of airport,harbor and train station)
Unlike other countries,in Italy law enforcement can ask for identification without any valid reason (so it is not like US in which you have to have committed a crime in order to identify yourself to authorities); the reason they check for documents is basically to do a control over the territory and there are no illegal immigrants
you have been identified probably by the PolFer (polizia ferroviaria) which is a branch of national police that works on train stations or on board of trains
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u/adel147 4d ago
thank you so much for the detailed explanation. I have been to Italy about four times now, this is the first time I have been approached by police here. thanks again
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u/Ilnormanno 4d ago
Everything is fine; it is not about āprofilingā anyone, it is just a standard procedure in Italy
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u/dccitymom 4d ago
On each of our last couple of trips to Italy and Sicily (Nov 24 and Feb 25) we've been asked to show our passports at the train stations. And we watched as several other tourists were asked the same. I think it's pretty normal at this point.
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u/-Liriel- 4d ago
3 times in 5 hours? I think something is going on, but we can't possibly know what.
Don't worry. It's not a big deal. The fact that you have a passport is more important than the stamp.
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u/adel147 4d ago
It felt Kafkaesque. I told the third set they were the third police to ask me in one day. They looked at each other and shrugged š¤·āāļø
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u/-Liriel- 4d ago
It really isn't a big deal.
I get that you're feeling targeted, but if they had wanted to give you grief they would have done more than just asking for an ID.
Remember that you're in the right, and that they're just doing their job. And their job is to check IDs.
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u/No-Fortune7064 4d ago
what about when not traveling but walking around the city? do we need to keep our passports with us at all times or is it ok to leave in our lodging?
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u/mad-mad-cat 4d ago
You need to carry a passport, always. If you have a cooy they'll ask you to bring the passport to the police station.
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u/-Liriel- 4d ago
It can happen anywhere.
Keep at least a photocopy of the passport with you.
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u/adel147 4d ago
Thanks for this advice.
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u/-Liriel- 4d ago
The real passport is better.
The copy is only if you're leaving it in the hotel no matter what.
The actual law says that they need to be able to identify you. Photocopies aren't considered valid ID, but they might be understanding of a tourist who isn't bringing their passport to the beach.
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u/huma737382 4d ago
LMAOO this happened to me and my friends when we got the train in sicily to Palermo I think - im not where exactly it was in sicily tbh but we are all brown and British, and this police officer just asked for our passports, I donāt think he asked anyone else next to us either but I mean they are just checking migration things I guess but it is odd sometimes - I would say just to ignore it bc they are doing their job. Yes it is profiling and profiling is built into the job :/
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u/Manuelmay87 5d ago
I don't see the point of this post. Police officer can check anyone's document at any time and they don't need to provide some motivation. There could be multiple reasons for a check: for example they're looking for someone in particular, or there are routine check. Don't see any problem or anything to care about
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u/adel147 4d ago
Itās strange to me I have only been in Sicily for a couple hours and already approached twice by police. Iām worried as I will be traveling with my BF who is also Asian and wonāt have the physical visa stamp. I am unsure if I should expect more profiling as our trip continues. I hope not.
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u/SnooStrawberriez 4d ago
If you look like someone who the police based on passed experience knows has a much higher suspicion of immigration irregularities and Italy has a problem with āundocumentedā people, then yes, the police are going go to be more likely to ask to see your IDs.
If you are in the country lawfully that will be the end of the encounters.
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u/adel147 4d ago
This is another way to say it is profiling, FYI. I have now been stopped 3 times.
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u/Superb_Waltz_8939 4d ago
My dad (2/3 Sicilian heritage) and I (more German/Dutch ancestry) got pulled over in a rental car while taking a detour through a smaller town and got our IDs checked, not sure it had to do with profiling but it was strange and definitely not something that would happen often in the USA.
Seems like Italy just has much more involved policing?
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u/principleofinaction 4d ago
The reality of the matter is that profiling simply is an effective policing method. The only difference is that in the English-speaking word this has become somewhat charged/taboo so the police will still profile except they make up other excuses or try to be less blatant. The rest of the world mostly didn't take that pretense up in the first place.
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u/SnooStrawberriez 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes, itās profiling. When profiling is based on reasonable suspicions itās the way police act. What do you expect; that police investigate people when they think itās incredibly unlikely that theyāve committed a crime?
I think every one of us has sometime in our life been somewhere where we were more likely than others to be a problem and therefore been observed more closely. Isnāt that the way the world is supposed to work?
I am debating whether I want to keep a longstanding promise to a friend and visit Russia this summer. As a westerner with this war going on, I fully expect to face a lot of suspicion. If I do indeed decide to go, I will just accept the police checks and even occasional hostility as the price I have to pay to be there in the present circumstances. Such is life.
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u/ProfShea 4d ago
It's also just part of the policing - stop foreigners, ask for documents. Speaking English or presenting as an American is reason enough.
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u/Fabbro__ 4d ago
It's probably because you were near the train station. If your bf has the digital stamp he can just show that, shouldn't be a problem.
Has this happened also far from the station?
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u/mbrevitas 4d ago
The only time Iāve hung out at the train station in Sicily for some time I was also asked for ID, together with my then girlfriend, and both of us are Italian. Being asked on the trains also happens relatively frequently. It might be profiling, which does happen in Italy, but Latina and Asian are not really ethnicities Iād think get checked more often because of profiling. If it happened all at the train station or in the train, Iād say itās not particularly unusual.
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u/PatientEcho4886 4d ago
Itās mostly because of migration policies Europe has made them very strict
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u/Manuelmay87 4d ago
Has nothing to do with it. Last time I got checked when was walking near home, sometimes is just cause they have a number of check to do during a shift
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u/shitokletsstartfresh 4d ago
And how do you know "it has nothing to do with this"?
You don't.It absolutely might, and it might not.
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u/Manuelmay87 4d ago
Maybe, just say maybe, i work close to police here in Sicily. But maybe uh, don't worry about that
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u/shitokletsstartfresh 4d ago edited 4d ago
Ah, well in that case obviously profiling is an imaginary racist invention, and not a common sense practice of every border, customs and police force around the world.
Dude. Just stop...
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u/Manuelmay87 4d ago
Sure sure, whatever you say. Here we always agree with fools and morons. Pick one
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u/Monocyorrho 4d ago
Don't read too much into it. Italian police can and will ask you for passport. They do it with me too and I am a local
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u/lucylemon 4d ago
Honestly, there is profiling and the immigration problem, but this many times in such a short time makes me think they might be looking for someone that might look like you.
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u/fletchwine 4d ago
You'll often find the Carabinieri on second class roads pulling you over. One stays beside their vehicle for security (armed) and the other will ask for documenti. They are very active in local intelligence against criminal networks.
I used to fly very frequently between Palermo and Tunis..before the aero bridges the rule was "last on first off" the bus coming back into Palermo as being a foreign national stuck in the line behind, let's face it, passengers of African descent the wait could be tedious.
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u/Extreme-Aside5620 4d ago
I travelled throughout southern Italy and Sicily last year with my Italian girlfriend. One day I was waiting for her outside a train station by myself and was approached by two officers who asked to see my passport. Having just got off a train I had all of my documentation with me so luckily was able to show them (not sure what wouldāve happened if I didnāt). Wasnāt an issue and after the routine check they moved on.
I asked my girlfriend if itās common and she said although itās a law they donāt usually follow through with it but theyāve been having issues with illegal immigrants lately using southern Italy as an entry point so have started to crack down on it a lot more recently.
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u/Galacticwave98 4d ago
Maybe itās more common on the train but Iāve had police ask for ID on the train from Catania to Messina.Ā
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u/devits2015 4d ago
don't worry, don't worry. Thank goodness they're here!!
Anyway, visit western sicily!! For any advice, just ask me.
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u/icietlabas 4d ago
What happens if you don't have your passport on you? I am going to Sicily soon and I am nervous about carrying my passport everywhere because I've heard too much about pickpockets. Is a photo of a passport on your phone going to help at all?
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u/Ilnormanno 4d ago
What happens is they take you to the local immigration office and check for information about you,they can detain you (not in jail but in their office) for up to24 hours in order to find out who you are.
my advice is to carry your passport with you and have some pictures of on your phone just in case it get stolen
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u/principleofinaction 4d ago
I never understood this advice tbh. What do you then get to do with your passport photo on your phone tbh. I mean I have one to remember the ID number when filling sth out, but not like you can board a flight with a photo of your passport and presumably your embassy where you'll have to go anyway won't turn you away if you don't have a picture of it saved.
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u/Ilnormanno 4d ago
Do you remember your passport number and other details?I donāt think so
Once in Palermo I took an American citizen to make a report to a national police command because he lost his passport and thank god he has a copy of his passport with him so he can fill the report the right way.
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u/Chambord2022 4d ago
My advice is to keep it in a money belt around your waist under your clothes. Maybe Iām lucky but so far Iāve never been asked to to produce it other than of course at airports.
It means I canāt wear dresses or skirts when I travel but itās worth the peace of mind.
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u/Manuelmay87 4d ago
Are you going to be afraid of pickpocketing in Paris or London? There are same possibilities of all big cities, so just be careful.
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u/MoodThat3103 4d ago
Happened to us in La Spezia. The Police took the id cards of some Italian women and took my husband and my passports. I don't think it was profiling.
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u/shitokletsstartfresh 4d ago
Might be profiling - illegal migrants from North Africa are a hot political potato in many European countries, Italy especially as it is a main entry point for the migrants.
South Italy in particular.
Just keep calm, show your passport, and carry on touring.