Personalausweis?

[metalfan2405]

I don't know if you guys have had this problem in Germany before.
But every time I've even stepped out the door in Germany somebody has asked me for my "Personalausweis"
For example: I got sick of watching German TV (it gets really annoying watching Tom Cruise and Jim Carry speak German after a while)
so I went to the video store to rent a movie and watch it in English and the lady who was working there asked for my "Personalausweis" (after a while I understood she wanted ID), so like everyone in Canada would do, I gave her my driver's license. Then she said she can't accept my license as an ID and told me to drive all the way back home and get my passport.
right.

After a while of similar situations, I've been trying to get my own type of "Personalausweis".
Do we have anything like that? I don't think so eh?
Driver's License is your ID in Canada.

What do you guys do in Germany? Carry your passport around? Kind of Inconvenient, eh?

[oohmercyme]

Hiya and welcome to the board.

I live in England, but passport seems to be standard ID here as well. Many people don't have licences, I guess more have passports, which would blow my mind.

Was it your Canadian licence or a German one?

[metalfan2405]

It was a german one. I had a canadian license, but when I moved here I traded it in for a german one.

Weird that people over there use passports for IDs. I didn't even have a passport till I moved to germany, didnt really need one.

[Allyssa]

I'd say, be happy that all their wanting is your passport. When I lived overseas, I always had to carry around my "cartsejor" (I don't know exactly how that translates from Arabic to English) as well as my passport. The carsejor listed all of my personal info (occupation, reason for bing in the country, in-country address, parents' and names and birthplaces, the whole 9 yards!).
Have fun introducing yourself in detail to all those Germans video store clerks!

Allyssa

[metalfan2405]

lol your parents' birthplaces? thats a good one, haven't had that yet! What country was that?

well at least I know I'm not alone
I would just like to have something more wallet-sized like in Canada (driver's license)
Passport is to big

[Clapoti]

In Germany they have a special ID card that is mandatory. unless you have a passport.

Personnally I just carry my passport everywhere I go, it's not very big ( I carry it in my pocket with my wallet) and I didn't need it a lot until now, but you never know.

[gtoast]

i actually (almost) never carry my passport with me-used it to open a bank acount and get a cell phone but thats about it. i have a michigan license, and have never run into any issues even with car rentals, and run-ins with 'the law'. but ive also not rented any films, even getting carded to get into a bar i have never had an issue.

[wyatt]

I got my canadian citizenship card. It has only been refused once in 10 years and that was picking up an Amex card at the post office. (Restriction from Amex)
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/proof.asp