I am an Indian traveling to London for tourism. While in the UK, I am also planning to visit Scotland, so is its necessary to carry my passport with me or should I travel without passport?
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1always carry your passport when travelling across countries.. they may or may not stamp your passport but will always check..don't know exactly about Scotland, but while traveling from London to Paris via Eurotunnel, they ask for passport but won't stamp it.– Suraj BhawalCommented May 20, 2015 at 6:39
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2@SurajBhawal Yes they would because you are moving to a different country i.e. France. Scotland is part of UK. They do stamp if you go via Eurostar from London to Paris.– DumbCoderCommented May 20, 2015 at 9:09
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1@DumbCoder No they don't! I've traveled from London to Paris via Eurotunnel a few days back.. they checked the passport but didn't stamp it.. After reading your comment i reconfirmed from my friend who have travelled via Euro tunnel.. and no ones passport has be stamped..– Suraj BhawalCommented May 20, 2015 at 11:52
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@SurajBhawal I seriously doubt that. Which passport do you/friends hold ? Considering Eurostar has been doing since the past 5 years( I have been using them since) I can confirm that they still stamp(not a British/EU passport).– DumbCoderCommented May 20, 2015 at 12:32
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1@DumbCoder me and my friends have indian passport– Suraj BhawalCommented May 20, 2015 at 12:36
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2 Answers
There are no border/immigration checks between Scotland and England since, at the time of writing, they're part of the same country - United Kingdom. Hence you won't have to show your passport to immigration officers when entering Scotland from England and vice versa. You will nevertheless need to prove your ID to airline staff before boarding intra-UK flights, and your passport is perfect for this purpose.
That's not to say that you shouldn't carry your passport whilst travelling. IMHO it's always better to carry a valid form of identification at all times. In case of random ID checks you should always be able to prove your identity, although for this purpose a driving licence is sufficient in the UK. ID checks you can encounter whilst in the UK include those performed by bar/shop/supermarket staff to prove that you meet the legal age requirement to purchase or consume regulated products such as alcohol or cigarettes. Since you will probably be visiting tourist places note that you need to prove your age if you want to access youth or senior discounts (if applicable). Obviously for this you'll need some form of id. Having said this, note that you can of course leave your passport at home or at the hotel, should you be afraid to lose it.
answered May 20, 2015 at 6:52
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1There is no requirement for anyone to carry identity in the UK in case of a "random police check". Commented May 20, 2015 at 12:54
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2@GrahamBorland You are right. I come from a country in which thing are different. Fixed.– JoErNanO ♦Commented May 20, 2015 at 13:21
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No - there is no requirement to be able to prove ID for random police checks at all - you don't need to substitute a driving license for the passport.– UselessCommented May 20, 2015 at 14:11
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@Calchas The BA webpage on the topic itself advises to carry ID on domestic UK flights::
If you are flying solely within the UK, including Northern Ireland, you do not need a passport but **we advise that you carry photographic identification with you when travelling, such as your passport or driving licence**. This may be requested at certain points in your journey. Children under the age of 16 years old do not require identification to travel within the UK.(emphasis mine)– JoErNanO ♦Commented May 20, 2015 at 14:24 -
1As a tourist your passport is at times asked for by hotels. I have also learned always to keep my passport with me when traveling, I think it says so in my passport. (Or used to. Netherlands.)– Willeke ♦Commented May 20, 2015 at 15:58
As the answer by JoErNanO says, there are no passport checks within the United Kingdom. The border between England and Scotland is largely unmarked. Moreover, no one can require ID from you at random, the UK is not a police state.
If you are travelling by air within the United Kingdom (from London to Edinburgh for example) it is not legally necessary to bring any identification. However, your carrier may ask for ID for its own purposes, particularly if you are checking a bag, so you should check the airline's requirements. (On BA when asked I usually just show my BA Executive Club loyalty card!)
The main reason to bring any ID is to ensure you can get served at a pub.
If you are hiring a car you will also need to bring a driving licence.
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Can i carry my indian driving license as a photo id proof? @calchas Commented May 22, 2015 at 18:22
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@SagarBhambri usually foreign ID will not be accepted unless it is an EU driving licence. Use your passport to be safe for proof of ID Commented Feb 20, 2017 at 14:16