- Thread starter pinyon
- Start date
Passport for car rental deposit??
You also found out (at least according to one respected Sosua businessman) that you indeed look like a Sex Tourist! LoL!
Sorry, this is too funny! Glad everything worked out for you.
I always thought that making copy passports was illegal.....but now it would seem it only applies to American ones???? Couldn't resist....sorry
Maybe it's illegal to make color copies??
I've had banks make copies of it when starting a bank account in the US and also in the DR when I got cash advances on a debit card before they had ATMs. They have special ink printed over them so they don't copy well and my new one also has holograms printed on it. Many forms include passports as acceptable ID that are copied to verify ID, including driver's licenses and I9's. The new passports also have RF chips embedded in them.
It still drives me bonkers when places want two photo IDs. I've got my passport and my driver's license and that's it. One bank wouldn't take my passport as a second ID because it had expired. Meanwhile, a Soc Sec card is printed on plain paper that you could counterfeit with any color printer.
I've had banks make copies of it when starting a bank account in the US and also in the DR when I got cash advances on a debit card before they had ATMs. They have special ink printed over them so they don't copy well and my new one also has holograms printed on it. Many forms include passports as acceptable ID that are copied to verify ID, including driver's licenses and I9's. The new passports also have RF chips embedded in them.
It still drives me bonkers when places want two photo IDs. I've got my passport and my driver's license and that's it. One bank wouldn't take my passport as a second ID because it had expired. Meanwhile, a Soc Sec card is printed on plain paper that you could counterfeit with any color printer.
Lesson learned. I always rent from a reputable rental car agency and always take the insurance, regardless of my payment method. The one and only time I tried to use an alternative (smaller, MomnPop agency), I was asked for my passport. Not knowing any better, I gave it up, albeit reluctantly and went on my way in my beautiful SUV. That bad judgment led to a second bad decision to allow my then-fiance to use the car to get to a political event on time. In the rain, he was involved in a terrible accident and went down an embankment slamming into a tree. He was lucky to survive with minimal lasting injuries, but the vehicle was totalled. The agency refused to give me back my passport in order to be allowed to go home at the end of my vacation stay. They told me I had to pay for the vehicle. I believe it was something like $6,000 U.S. dollars (it's been some years ago now). I had to come up with at least half to get my passport, with the understanding that my then-fiance would pay the other half. The whole ordeal was a nightmare in paradise. It worked out in the end, (luckily I had just received my income tax return and could pay my half), but I would never, ever, ever give up my original passport again. And I would never, ever allow someone else to drive my rental either. Many lessons learned.
I ALWAYS rent from Wilbert Bank Car Rental in Sos?a. They only want a copy of the passport and nothing more. I deal with a guy named Frances. I've never had any problems with them during the three years I've rented there. They are across the street from Baily's.