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I have a lightweight nylon pack that goes around my waist under my pants, undetectable from outside & not uncomfortable - passport & credit card (& $100 bill typically) inside. I have Xeroxes of everything & vital phone numbers in hotel safe & in false bottomed can in luggage.
Sometimes I just carry a xerox of passport on me & leave pp in hotel safe, so far so good... no plan is perfect. I almost never stay in hotels on a luxury level that have a safe a the desk, usually just room safes which I know are iffy.
I have a lightweight nylon pack that goes around my waist under my pants, undetectable from outside & not uncomfortable - passport & credit card (& $100 bill typically) inside.
But what is this oft-referenced but never clarified "big trouble" that happens? Jail? Deported? A stern finger wagging?
Aside from a place like NK, the "big trouble" is just paying the bribe "fine" to the cop who asked you for it, and a lecture if the cop knows your language about how you should have it, better have it on you for now on. If you get caught a second time, the fine might be higher, maybe even a trip to the local police station so they can lecture you more, and so you have to pay more fines.
That's still a pretty abstract reference, do you actually know anyone who's paid a fine/bribe to a cop for not having their passport with them? How much was it?
That's still a pretty abstract reference, do you actually know anyone who's paid a fine/bribe to a cop for not having their passport with them? How much was it?
Lol, uh yea, me, several times.
Depends where, but usually just fork over the equivalent 10, 20 dollars or so, depending really what I have on me, rather give one note than several. A handshake, kind words, advice not to do it again, and everyone is on their way.
Which country was it? I'd be curious to know the actual rules and fines there, and the circumstances where you keep getting caught up in getting checked for a passport.
How would the fine be higher the second time if you were just let off with a bribe, it wouldn't seem like there would be any record to make it a second time.
Which country was it? I'd be curious to know the actual rules and fines there, and the circumstances where you keep getting caught up in getting checked for a passport.
A few former USSR countries, a couple E. Europe countries (Hungary, Serbia for example), and India. Not sure the rules myself for all of them, some it will not matter, it not like you going to challenge the cop right then and there. Circumstances was just generic walking around, a few times while riding in a car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lieqiang
How would the fine be higher the second time if you were just let off with a bribe, it wouldn't seem like there would be any record to make it a second time.
In these countries, often the same people roam the same areas, so they know you and know they caught you a few weeks/months, whatever earlier. It is a positive and negative depending, positive for them is they know you will fork the money over and are rather harmless. Negative for them is that I may be pushed to report them, make some waves, something. One time I startled the hell out of a cop, I knew his name from when he pushed for a bribe a couple years earlier (and he apparently did not remember me), he just ended the conversation and we all went on our way, lol.
So get caught once, yea yea, here ten bucks, have a nice day. A few months later, same dude decides to hassle you, but this time he wants to take you down to the police station for continuing being in violation because it is the second, third, whatever time he caught you, so you pop over 20 or more dollars. Usually it will end at that, they secretly really do not want to take you in to the police station.
So you just handed a cop $20 without knowing whether there were any actual fines for it? That's a ton of money in a place like India or Eastern Europe. What were they doing stopping all cars in the middle of the city and all people walking past on the sidewalk? I've never been stopped in Eastern Europe or India for a random passport check, that's unfortunate.
The second time thing still doesn't make sense, if you paid a bribe the previous time how is that guy going to have you at the station saying he caught you before and you bribed him?
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