> A citizen of an EU country residing in Germany is under no obligation to hold a passport.
Any EU citizen needs a passport or equivalent in Germany. One needs it already when entering Germany. Though you don't need to carry it all time with you. But you need to have one.
> Additionally, holding an EU passport allows one to work, study, etc. in any EU country, rather than simply visit it.
I don't think you even need a passport, just a proof of nationality (e.g. a national ID card from your country of origin, that's usually free or much cheaper than a passport)
Do you have a reference for this? It might be true, but I live in a small European country and have never met or heard of anyone not having a passport, so it sounds very unlikely to me, though of cause we are a small percentage of the total, but is it really the case?
Well, Germans without a passport can still travel all around the Europe. Passport is only needed if you plan to go outside EU - that should be a factor in this comparison.
A citizen of EU country has no obligation to hold a passport while in another EU country in case their country issues other document confirming both identity and nationality of a citizen e.g. a national ID.
Anecdotally, I live in Germany and don't have a passport. Lots of people I know do not currently have a valid one either (but may have had one in the past).
Most US citizens do not have a passport. Passports are a real pain to get, so people tend not to bother unless they're planning a specific out-of-country trip.
> It’s generally illegal in most countries to use another country’s passport within the country your passport is from.
It's not generally illegal. Some countries have that requirement but those are generally countries that are particularly strict (e.g. you mentioned Germany and Argentina but they're both countries famous for unusually strict nationality laws; Germany generally strips people of their nationality if they acquire a foreign nationality, Argentina on the other side makes it impossible to renounce your citizenship at all).
> so I can safely keep my passport in the hotel safe while I visit Schengen countries
Random border checks have always been a thing in Europe, a passport is literally made for crossing borders, why would you keep it in an hotel if you know you'll be doing the only thing it is used for.
> also, what about people who have neither a passport nor an identity card?
Not possible. Can't say 100% about all countries, but in my country it's a must to have either passport or ID once you hit 16. There's even a small fine if you don't take out or renew personal document on time.
US and their passport-less life looks very strange from Europe. You can't do anything without ID in EU. No bank account, no employment, no driving license and the list couldgo on and on.
Any EU citizen needs a passport or equivalent in Germany. One needs it already when entering Germany. Though you don't need to carry it all time with you. But you need to have one.
reply