Merry (almost) X-mas

[DisplayofCharacter]

You don't really need one anymore. Now you just need an ID. Which reminds me i have to get one.

Ironically enough, I know exactly what you're talking about - I've seen one. My German professor showed my class this past Monday when we were asking an almost identical question. Its a plastic laminate type rectangle, with photo and ID info, right? I remember on the back it had four or five languages with instructions I didn't get a chance to read. It really reminded me of a big US driver's license.

How do they work?

*sorry for hijacking the thread*

 

[Siren]

@DOC: I really have no idea, since i don't have a new one yet. From what i've seen they look pretty similar to our old ones. Ie blue rectangle with photo, signature and information. Maybe the thing on them that really matters now is the number and the latin characters on them (the old one had only greek characters and was hand-written).
Or did you mean something else by the "how do they work" question?

 

[DisplayofCharacter]

@Siren: Sort of. I meant more about how they get you from country to country. I know passports have to be stamped at customs. I know these can't be stamped, but is there any type of electronic security measures (for example, a bar-code)? Or is it just a "flash the ID and go" kind of thing?

 

[Siren]

@DOC: Someone who travels would be more suitable to answer this. I'm under the impression though, that the IDs work with a flash-and-go kind of thing and that the new passports have electronic security measures (microchips).

 

[DisplayofCharacter]

@siren: Thanks anyway! It was very informative. Travel is something I very very much want to do. Unfortunately, most of the places I want to go are all an ocean away. *romantic sigh*

.... or not.

 

[Siren]

@DOC: you're welcome. i love travelling too, but unfortunately i can't do it often due to financial and school reasons. maybe you can manage to travel soon with some planning, ie save up for that reason and carefully plan your trip (for example go to a bunch of countries in europe at once).

 

[Thanatos]

Carcass and At The Gates (and I don't give a damn how old the members are, or if they suck now). Now, go away. Maybe you're used to a culture of metal festivals, but I am not. I'd be happy to get to go to just one. Spoiled!

Yup that's the same reason I'd love to go to Wacken this year, don't care if it's over populated or the preppy metalheads go to Summer Breeze, seeing those two live will complete my metalhood, other bands like Obituary and Iron Maiden would be a nice bonus.

 

[Wolfman Von Jones]

Ok Luis we're going. Watch out Waken here we come!!


Nick

 

[Dark_Silence]

DOC:

Belgian ID have chips since a few years, and are in credit card format... before it was just a paper, with your name, place /date of birth, address, and if yoru are married, the name of your spouse.
Now the address isnt written anymore onit, its in the chip. I dont habe a passport, i dont need one because you can go in every state of the european union (plus norway and swizerland -special agreements-) without an id if you are from the european union. There are also some countries like Tunisia (popular vacvatio ndestination) for witch you dont need a passport either. The only time i had to get a passport was for my exchange year in the US (and the formulars you have to fill in are funny).


Here is the actual belgian ID:

Of course, the red writing "specimen" is not on them in the real version

I have a scan of mine on my computer, but it wouldnt probabily be a good idea to post that, even with informations such as name, signature, and card number erased




When i moved from Belgium to Germany, it was really easy, it was like moving somewhere in Belgium. I came, and just had to register at the city hall, show my ID and give my address in Germany.



And thats a german ID:

http://tmlyle.jamesdenton.de/trans/personalausweis.jpg
http://www.blank4u.de/assets/images/Birgit_-_Personalausweis_hinten.jpeg

on the back, there is the height and the eye color written.

 

[rahvin]

Most European Countries seem to distinguish between an ID and a passport, though in everyday language, the ID can also be called passport.

Not in my language, it can't.

ID is the card with lamination

Not necessarily laminated.

They often have to be applied for in advance so you have to go to the Embassy and fill in the applications and get the stamps That all you usually only need for non-EU countries, like when one wants to visit the US, for example.

Modern passports allow for travelling to the United States (for tourism) without the need to apply for a Visa in advance. I believe this holds true for most European countries, all part of the Visa Waiver program.

 

[rahvin]

@fireangel: I think there's confusion on this subject because in English "ID" stands for any kind of identification document (as the letters imply) while in most European countries we have a certain identification document which bears that very name. So "show me your ID" is a valid request in Europe and expects a reaction on the lines of me showing a specific document, while overseas (and in England, I guess) "show me a valid ID" means you can hand the other person your driving license. This is regardless of whether in Europe your driving license is a valid ID as well, I just mean when it comes to the way they're called.

 

[Dark_Silence]

In Belgium, you get your first ID when you are 12 (and it is obligatory for every belgian citizen who has his first residence in Belgium), but before you can have a special ID for children (which is not obligatory). I think that people with belgian nationality who have their first residence in an other country have an other kind of ID (if it still exists, i know it was cancelled at one point), and a passport.

Modern passports allow for travelling to the United States (for tourism) without the need to apply for a Visa in advance. I believe this holds true for most European countries, all part of the Visa Waiver program.

In Belgium, you have to have an electronic passport (with a chip inside the cover) in order not to need a visa for the US. My brother had such a passport when he visited me.

Edit: thats a belgian passport

 

[DisplayofCharacter]

Wow. Thanks a lot for the information. I didn't want to generalize, but I'll admit I thought it would be fairly standardized within the EU. I didn't want to assume.

@Rahvin: About the differences in the definitiThis is correct. We have three different forms of identification (and a passport counts as a fourth after you get it) that are valid for state and federal government. Not one paper. I didn't even know about that.

@Siren: I'm trying to pool money now, but its a slow affair because I have to pay my own tuition as well, and financial aid isn't as good as it could be. I want to though. I'll be coming to your country for sure, whenever I can also go to Italy (I always felt like I should see those two together).

@fireangel: Thanks. I figured they would move to some electronic measures to streamline the whole process. It makes sense. Thanks for the pictures. The German card I recognized, its the same one my professor had.

@DS: Thanks very much to you too. How does the visa system work, at least in your country? Is it a ton of paperwork? And, how long do they last?

 

[Dark_Silence]

I only applied once for a visa, i dont remeber exactly how long it was... first you have to get an appointment at the embassy of the country where you want to go (that can be long, you have to do that quite a while before your departure). Then you fill in papers, go to the embassy with them,a picture of yourself and of course your passport , you speak with the consul, give him/her the paper, at the us embassy, they take your fingerprints, and then they send you back your passport with the visa in it (if you are accepted). And of course, you have to pay for it.

There are different visas: work visa, student visa, immigrant visa,...

I was trying to find the paper i had to fill in, but i cant find it

 

[DisplayofCharacter]

@DS - Thanks. I was never that sure of how they work. I guess I could have Wiki'ed it, but I always prefer first-hand accounts. Sounds like a lot of work, and I bet immigrant visas would probably be the worst. Plus I think the US at least was trying to crack down on that stuff - but a bit of our policies (to say the least) are wrong or are leaning that way. Thanks for the info.

 

[hyena]

what rahvin said is definitely worth stressing - for example, an italian driving licence is sufficient identification for ANY legal purpose in italy, but you cannot board a plane to spain with it. in that case, you would be asked your carta d'identità ie 'identity card'. what's weird is that the driving licence is actually an european one, so that you can drive in spain with it. but you still have to exhibit your identity card when renting the car.

 

[Dark_Silence]

driver's licence is never used as an id in Belgium. I thin kits the same in Germany.

I remember one of the questions for the visa:

"do you intent to make terrorism in the US?" or something like that... we had a good laugh reading that, as if a terrorist would ever answer "oh yes of course i do"

 

[hyena]

the point of that question is that everyone answer no, but if you subsequently commit such an act on american soil you are not eligible for extenuating circumstances in court. so it sounds way out there, but there's actually a legal logic to it.

 

[Lina]

driver's licence is never used as an id in Belgium. I thin kits the same in Germany.

I remember one of the questions for the visa:

"do you intent to make terrorism in the US?" or something like that... we had a good laugh reading that, as if a terrorist would ever answer "oh yes of course i do"

the point of that question is that everyone answer no, but if you subsequently commit such an act on american soil you are not eligible for extenuating circumstances in court. so it sounds way out there, but there's actually a legal logic to it.

I'm being investigated for some clearances for work, and during my interview I had to list the non-Americans I'm in contact with, and then she asked me something like, "Have any of these people ever expressed a lack of support for the United States government?" "Uhhh...no more than anyone else, I guess."

 

[plintus]

I'm being investigated for some clearances for work, and during my interview I had to list the non-Americans I'm in contact with, and then she asked me something like, "Have any of these people ever expressed a lack of support for the United States government?" "Uhhh...no more than anyone else, I guess."

Sounds like a hell of a job.

I want to be drunk and high at work, masturbate to gay animal porn and burn flags all day.