Employer wants to keep my passport for a day

moneysavingkitten

Don't do it! I gave mine to an employer once and never got it back.

Let them take a photocopy and go with them while they take it. They have all the info then and can do any checks they want. They have no reason to keep the real one.

I have not been able to afford to replace it and have no idea what happened to the old one. They denied that they hadn't given it back, because it has been passed round many members of staff and I could never prove that they didn't give it back.

They are too tricky and expensive to replace don't let it out of your sight, it's probably the most valuable document you have.

Mistral001

It is, or used to be, quite common for hotels and youth hostels in foreign countries to keep passports of people staying at their hotels. The passport would be given back at the end of the stay when the bill had been settled.

If during your stay you required your passport for say changing money, they gave to you as long as you gave it back to them when you came back to the hotel.

Now doing the same with your employer seems to be regarded as suspicious. Times seemed to have changed.

moneysavingkitten

I think that is because of identity fraud, it is much more common than it used to be. Why would you give a document away who's purpose is to prove who you are? As you said it was only used to hold people to ransom if the hotel felt they were owed money. Why would you put yourself in that position? People are rightly more careful these days.

Savvy_Sue

jackieb wrote: »

What if you didn't have a passport? Or is a passport a requisite of the job?

If a passport isn't required for the job (as in you're not required to travel abroad), then there are other ways of proving your right to work in the UK, but showing your passport is the simplest method. Without one, then you need your birth certificate, PLUS some photo ID, PLUS something like a P60 / P45 / benefits entitlement letter etc.

CCFC_80

Just to add I would feel uncomfortable with it out of my site for 7 hours. Surely they could just take a photocopy straight away and return it back to you immediately:eek:

tosyn

Spikelad wrote: »

As part of security vetting at work we have been asked to provide evidence of identity.I am happy to comply with this but not happy with the procedure used.

I have been asked to hand in various documents including my passport at the start of my shift,these documents will be retained by our H.R department during the day and we can collect them at the end of our working day.

I am not comfortable with handing over my passport for this length of time,i have no problem allowing my passport to be copied in my presence but i have been told that this is not posssible.

Can i be forced to give my passport up like this by my employer.

If you are worried about handing your passport for a day long duration, how about getting a certified copy from a notary and submitting a copy instead. This may involve some money aspect since solicitors could charge a fee for this.

If the company you work is reputed, personally I wouldn't worry too much about this.

westv

Mistral001 wrote: »

It is, or used to be, quite common for hotels and youth hostels in foreign countries to keep passports of people staying at their hotels. The passport would be given back at the end of the stay when the bill had been settled.

I've been to places abroad where they have kept passports up to overnight but I've never been anywhere that's kept passports for the entire stay.

thegirlintheattic

Not a good start if you don't trust the company. Mine was taken off me for the day when I submitted it for CRB checks, it was easier for the office staff to take all the new starters IDs off them and do it during the day, and for us to collect it on the way out that afternoon.

Mistral001

westv wrote: »

I've been to places abroad where they have kept passports up to overnight but I've never been anywhere that's kept passports for the entire stay.

It has happened to me dozens of times. I used to do a lot of travelling around the world when I was much younger though not much recently I have to admit.

PDC

It does sound like a system in place to make things simplest for the HR dept. As said above I've done it in Hotels myself in the past which in hindsight is probably more of a risk, I don't think you have anything to worry about but if you are concerned why not raise the issue with the HR dept yourself, hopefully they would be willing to meet you in the middle ground.