What to do with your passport during your stay in New York?

Your passport: the essential document for your New York trip

Among all the things to prepare for your New York trip—which I cover in this New York travel checklist—your passport is by far the most important. Without it, you cannot fly. You’ll end up at your country’s consulate, which means bureaucratic headaches. Protect this vital document carefully. Here’s my advice as an experienced traveler:

• Don’t carry your passport with you while sightseeing. It’s the easiest way to lose it, leave it behind, or have it stolen. Besides, you don’t need it on New York’s streets. Leave your passport at your hotel in the room safe. That’s the safest place for it. Just remember to retrieve it before you check out. Set a reminder if you tend to forget things.
• If you need to prove your identity in New York—for example, to enter bars or nightclubs—bring your national ID card or driver’s license. In the United States, a driver’s license is actually preferred over other forms of ID, since many Americans didn’t have passports just a few years ago.
• When you do carry your passport at the airport or during transfers, always keep it in an inside pocket of your jacket or coat. Never put your passport in a backpack or bag that someone could snatch on the street or in the New York subway. And never put it in your back jeans pocket. I’ve seen this at airports, and it’s a recipe for trouble.

Should you carry a copy of your passport in New York?

• You often read online that you should always carry a photocopy of your passport. This is completely false. A photocopy has no legal value.
• If you do lose your passport despite my advice, contact your country’s consulate immediately and bring as much ID as you have. See the consulate addresses in New York.
• Instead of a useless passport photocopy, bring something more useful to prove your identity: a certified copy of your birth certificate. Request this from your local government office in your hometown—it’s easy to carry with you. Thanks to Eyoo and her friend at the French consulate in Luxembourg for this tip!