Providing Driver's Licence When Checking Into Hotels | GTAMotorcycle.com

Providing Driver's Licence When Checking Into Hotels

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pianodude

Well-known member
Touring season is almost here again. As mentioned in another thread, I will be camping most of the time, but I will also be staying in quite a few hotels. On my outings last year, I was asked to show my drivers's licence and the hotels (almost all) photocopied it upon checkin. Upon reflecting over the winter, I do not wish to provide this information to anyone. Identity theft is a real concern. Is this some sort of law?
 
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There are laws specific to this.

https://www.priv.gc.ca/information/pub/guide_edl_e.pdf

Basically, they can ask for it but you are within your rights to say no photocopying it. If they do, they have to adhere to another set of laws with regards to safeguarding that personal information. Lots of details in the above link.
 
I have shown my dl at a hotel . But no one ever took a photocopy of my dl.
 
Just like the sign says at the airport ... You're free to not submit to the security screening if you do not board the aircraft.

You're free to not give the hotel some means of identification (doesn't have to be a driver's license) ... they're free to not rent the room to you.

What damage are they going to do with your driver's license that they couldn't do with your credit card number???
 
pianodude said:
Identity theft is a real concern. Is this some sort of law?
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I don't know but there is some sort of ID theft insurance thru home coverage. Might be worth a look. inreb is not my real name btw.
 
matthew said:
and if the hotel is in another country?
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Then you're at the whim of their privacy laws, or probably, lack thereof. If you're concerned tell them they can look at it, record the info in their computer system (automatically probably more secure vs a piece of paper that will end up who knows where after you leave) and that's it. If they refuse to rent you the room after that, that's their decision...so if you had a reservation they can't charge you any penalties after the fact. Go elsewhere at that point.

I've refused to provide unwarranted person info before and typically businesses back down as long as you explain the situation and are polite about it. I'm more than willing to *show* my DL to a business for them to confirm the photo and my identity, but a copy...not happening.

Brian P said:
What damage are they going to do with your driver's license that they couldn't do with your credit card number???
Click to expand...

Identity theft. There's far more information on your DL vs a credit card. I think the primary concern with most people is how they dispose of the photocopy after you've checked out and are long gone – if they are securely shredding it that's one thing, however if they're just dumping it in a garbage can fully intact (along with a treasure trove of others) for potential thieves to pick out of the dumpster later that night, it's an entirely different thing.

My sister dealt with identify theft about a decade back after someone stole her purse in a public library, it was not fun....they even went so far as to try to change the title on her house (!!) into someone else's name! Believe it or not they now offer insurance against that exact thing.... The credit card and credit history disaster was also not pretty, it took her years and lots of hassle and money to finally clear it up.
 
When I check in and give them my credit card, that seems to satisfy them.
I have never been asked for any other ID.
 
statsman said:
When I check in and give them my credit card, that seems to satisfy them.
I have never been asked for any other ID.
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In North America, this has been true for me as well. Of the many Hotels and Motels I've stayed in within Canada and the US, never been asked for anything aside from my CC. Then again, most of those times I booked ahead online.

In Europe on the other hand, most hotels I've been to ask to see/photocopy/hold on to your Passport during your stay.

Identity theft is a real concern, however there are more safe guards in place today than a decade ago, and as much as anything is more of an inconvenience these days.
 
pianodude said:
Touring season is almost here again. As mentioned in another thread, I will be camping most of the time, but I will also be staying in quite a few hotels. On my outings last year, I was asked to show my drivers's licence and the hotels (almost all) photocopied it upon checkin. Upon reflecting over the winter, I do not wish to provide this information to anyone. Identity theft is a real concern. Is this some sort of law?
Click to expand...

Legally they are NOT allowed to photocopy your DL So I have been told.
 
fjbabe said:
Legally they are NOT allowed to photocopy your DL So I have been told.
Click to expand...

Just hotels ? or anyone ?

I've NEVER been to a car dealership where they didn't copy your DL before you went for a test drive ...
 
Ya.. really not sure.. but that's what I have always be told.. they might have different rules

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10 or 12 years ago I used to visit a lot of Federal Government or military sites, very often they would require that you surrendered your driver's license upon entry.
At one such visit in Ottawa, when we went to leave, the driver's license of one of the people in our party could not be found. What a mess that turned out to be. He could not prove who he was, he was no longer registered to be in the building; they arrested him. His wife had to drive in from (her government job) in Gatineau to vouch for him. Evidently they had given his identification to the wrong person, but there was no convincing the security staff and no way to prove it. We had to leave him there and carry on with the rest of our calls.

Ever since then when asked to surrender my drivers license, I refuse. Most often they refuse me entry. I simply tell them, "This is the contact who asked me to be here, I'll give you 5 minutes to confirm, then I'm leaving, you can explain why I left". It turns out this is a VERY common problem. I usually get a hurried call to hold the meeting off site, or someone comes to security to sign me in.

From what I could tell at the time, security grunts are not allowed to hold your government issued photo identification. If they are not, I can't imagine that a hotel could.

I could understand hotels checking your drivers license to verify who you are (especially if it is photo ID), but not have you surrender it or take a copy of it. Drivers license information plus credit card information combined is just asking for trouble.
 
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