Foreign Passports No Good As Id

[Tori 38]

This is one of my peeves. Since my only form of legit ID is my Mexican passport that's far from expiring there's been a couple of times that I've been questioned by hosts/bouncers/owners at bars/clubs.

I know that it's up to the business to make up their own policy as to what they accept as an ID, so I just have to roll the punches. Fortunately, I've always been let in after a brief chat.

The funniest experience happened last October. I gave my passport to the bouncer who was sliding IDs through the card scanner and he was confused as to how to scan the passport. It took that bouncer, the hostess, and the club owner to review the passport; mention that it's not a legit form of ID; question where I work; and mention that I don't look like the photo in the passport. All these after attending the same club each weekend, being on the guest list, going with the same group of people, and introducing myself/schmoozing with them while waiting in line.

It's also funny when they can't find the birth date.

[Rawf 336]

I'm not sure what the mexican passport looks like, but I've never had issues with it.

You can always say you are a tourist using a weird accent

[friendscene 0]

Where do you live? I've used my Mex passport in multiple states for bars, clubs, flying and never had a problem. Sometimes they look at it funny and if I am in a good mood and with friends that know of my status I pretend I am a tourist lol

BUT what is my peeve is when my friends that don't know start asking about why I carry my passport around, then I have to make up some lame excuse.. lol.. like I am getting my state id renewed, or I lost my Id etc

[Tori 38]

@rawf: The Mexican passport is straight forward, Mexican seal with accompanying text for the cover. Inside where the ID info is it is rather plain, a UV Mexican seal is the only adornment. All the info is there, in Spanish and English. Of course photograph.

@friendscene: I'm out in the SF Bay Area, San Jose, CA. It's beyond diverse with a a lot of foreign traffic since there's 3 international airports within a 50 mile radius. I get funny looks as well, but I think that's mainly because it's unexpected. It's like: DL, DL, DL, then foreign passport.

None of my friend's know my situation, except for 2 who I see on occasion. But I live my live as if I were a resident/citizen. I drive everywhere (only been pulled over for a speeding ticket back in 05), work, live with a roommate, pay bills/taxes, etc; a member in this forum put it best in another post by saying that he was "an illegal citizen" (or something of that ilk).

The excuses bug me much like you. It sucks when I have to turn down a W2 job that requires proof of residency and US ID. When a friend mentions something I say that I'm representing my homeland. There's no shame in pride for your nationality right? But it doesn't seem to bother any of them. I only really get carded when going to a club or new bar.

[Calidreamer 100]

I've had a WA DL, so I never had a problem.

Some places give you more trouble than others, overall I think you get more s*%t with the matricula tho

Once I went to this club with my bf 'n some friends, the bouncer ask my friend "why don't you have a DL?" My bf cuts him off a very politely says "Excuse me, last time I checked you are not Homeland Security,so are you going to let us in or not?" The bouncer handed the passport to my friend 'n took my bf license lol

[Calidreamer 100]

[friendscene 0]

@tori oh yeah I am from Bay Area too. I try to be the last one to enter so my friends won't see lol. For me, the nosy friends are the worst I once had a coworker ask me why I carried my mex passport and then he continued asking me questions about how I got my residency and when did my parents get here! I think I was the first nonwhite person he was friends with and was just curious but I was so annoyed.

Another bad one was with a classmate that travels a lot (international student and very annoying) we were out in a group and he said Ohhh can I see your passport, I thought he just wanted to see the pic but he starts flipping through it and says " I want to see your stamps! "And there are no stamps, obviously!!! So then he starts screaming, "you have no stamps!! How did you get in the country??!! Are you an illegal immigrant?? "He literally is speaking in the loudest possible voice. He is so obnoxious and says oh guys she might be illegal, at this point I've already said I am getting my ID renewed so I had to take out the passport and he was just messing with me but it was still super annoying... I had to play along with it cus I wasn't going to say shhh I am illegal hahahahaha

[Calidreamer 100]

@tori oh yeah I am from Bay Area too. I try to be the last one to enter so my friends won't see lol. For me, the nosy friends are the worst I once had a coworker ask me why I carried my mex passport and then he continued asking me questions about how I got my residency and when did my parents get here! I think I was the first nonwhite person he was friends with and was just curious but I was so annoyed.

A lot of people in Cali knows that you could get an ID/DL in Washington with no SS, so i'm having a drink with a friend an her friend I was carded so my friend's friend starts to question me "when did you parents get here?" so I just told her "I didn't cross the border, the border crossed me; what about you, when did my parents get here!" LMFAO

I said it with a straight face, my friend had never seen me so serious...so case closed!

[kayej87 28]

Omgosh you guys had some bad experience...when I showed my passport to the bouncers they usually are very nice n joke about how they love to visit my island..about friends they all know and they usually try to protect me from the negative but I usually own it about my status n say I mighy be illegal but I have more ambition than you who is a usc n rather stay home n live off the government and they shut up n move on lol

[Tori 38]

@freindscene: What part of the Bay are you from? And of course you're well aware of the diversity. I used to also walk in last after my friends then I just stopped caring, now I usually am the one leading the group. I came to the conclusion that I'm not affecting nor am I doing anything wrong by presenting a valid form of ID, especially since I'm far from shady, seedy, leery looking or have a negative demeanor so there's no need to be questioned whatsoever.

I've never been questioned by any of my friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. Usually when asked where I'm from I'm straightforward and say I was born in Mexico, been living permanently in the states since 91, and the conversation usually ends there or we chat about the Mexican state I'm from and other places the question asker has been to, etc.

As an added tidbit I'm also a part Chinese. It appears there was a Chinese migration in the mid 1950s to Mexico and Chinese blood flows on my Dad's maternal side of the family.