Acceptable Identification

What is acceptable ID for a tourist to use in a bar or club? I have a British driving license but I don't know if this would be enough. I don't really want to take my passport out at night but fear I may have to.

Thanks / Merci

Pan

that should be fine, as long as it's a photo ID. It's usually only a problem if your official government ID isn't in English (or French)

none if you are in Montreal, but if you really want to be safe, bring your driver license and that should be ok

#2, I'm 27 years old and still get asked for ID from time to time here in Montreal. I've never been asked in Europe, though. Go figure.

Anyway, OP, British driver's license is fine.

Kio, it is not uncommon for a person to get carded in Montreal, especially if they look underage, and foreign, in tourist bars and clubs.

Cheers,
Terry

I guess we don't go out to the same places eh?

If it's one of the old style licences, then no, it probably won't be acceptable - if it's one of the photo card types, then I'd expect it to be fine.

"... I guess we don't go out to the same places eh?..."

Or maybe you don't hang out with people who look underage.

Cheers,
Terry

Technically only Canadian/provincial id is accepted (or passport). I had a friend who was studying here and she always had problems getting into clubs/bars and had to drag her passport around for four years :) ... but only the really technical/elaborate venues (ie ones that swipe your licence). Usually it shouldnt be a problem.

Maybe take a good clear copy of your passport. I do this when traveling & going out in foreign countries where English is clearly not the first language.

Not for admission to bars- but when a dodgy hotel 'insists' on keeping my passport for ID.

"Swipe your license"??? Where have you been that does that? Never seen it before and I've lived here my whole life!

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>"Swipe your license"??? Where have you been that does that?<hr></blockquote>
Most of the bars in Calgary now "swipe" your licence.

Sawdough is right - they do it here in Toronto as well, in a portable debit-card like machine. That said, I disagree with most of the other posters. You don't say where you'll be going, but in my personal experience here in Toronto (not saying this applies everywhere else in Canada though), people who are from outside Canada (including the U.S.) are required to have a passport as ID. My guess is there have been too many incidents with fake IDs or it's too challenging for a busy bar/club to identify various foreign IDs as being legitimate or not. Take your passport and make sure that you have a legible copy somewhere in your suitcase/backpack in case you lose it.

I'm sorry # 12, but that's really bad advice.

Do NOT take your passport to a club in a strange country unless it's absolutely unavoidable. Use a photocopy or another form of ID. Anyone who takes their passport with them while drinking and partying deserves whatever they get, IMHO. If you lose the copy, no problem. If you lose the original, big problem. some places might not accept the copy, but these days it's becoming more common as people become more aware of identity theft issues.

As for bars not accepting US driver's licenses and requiring passports that's just crazy. US citizens aren't even required to use a passport to enter the country (by land), never mind a bar. None of the guys who worked door for me ever turned a US citizen away for not having a passport, and I've never heard of that happening in any bar I've frequented, and I've frequented a hell of a lot of bars. Still, I wouldn't say that it can't happen in this day and age, but it definitely would be the grand exception rather than the rule.

The ID scanning or ID photocopying is becoming more common though, as mentioned in #11. This is so they have a record of who was in the club to provide to the police in the case of trouble. It is supposed to be a deterrent to serious violence, and isn't about validating ID in most cases. It's also usually reserved for the big clubs in most cases, and not something you see in the smaller ones or the neighbourhood bars.

My roommate this year had a british passport and often took it out with her in Ontario. It was always accepted and she managed not to lose it the whole year. I think she just made sure to keep it close always. Then again, I agree that it's something you may not want to risk losing.

I don't know what a British license looks like - but i think if i has holograms, bar codes etc they will take it (harder to fake). I have a forgein drivers permit that is a laminated card with a photo on it and this was NOT accepted in Ontario.

I would say take your license and a photocopy of your passport - together they should be enough.