User talk:Harald Meier

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Question on driver's license as identity card
Are German driver's licenses valid as identity card in Germany ? --BIL (talk) 22:52, 11 September 2011 (UTC)


 * You must possess either an ID card (Personalausweis) or a passport in Germany . The same applies to foreigners: Either a passport or a EU or Schengen ID card. When the authorities want to see your ID, they will expect one of these two documents, as everyone possesses either an ID or a passport or both. (When you travel to Germany with a visa, you can get a German driver's license which is valid forever, while your visa expires after a certain period. Consequently, the fact that you have a driver's license does not proof taht you have the right to stay in Germany (The nationality is not given on German driver's licenses).)


 * Private companies (e.g. banks) could theoretically accept driver's licenses as proof of identity (as they are official documents with photo, name, date of birth), but as everyone has an ID card, which is more difficult to counterfeit than a driver's license, and as there is no adress given on driver's licenses, they will demand your ID.


 * To summerize everything: When you want to buy alcohol, a driver's license is sufficient. When you want to open a bank account or have a so-called public testament drafted by a notary, an ID might be needed. When you want to vote or cross a border, you must have an ID or passport.


 * But as you must possess an ID card (or passport) anyway, usually everyone who carries a driver's license also carries an ID card with him.


 * --Harald Meier (talk) 09:11, 18 September 2011 (UTC)
 * I asked because I would like to mention whether or not German driver's licenses valid as identity card in Germany, in the article German identity card. I see that you did that today.
 * I could mention the rules in Sweden. There is no formal need to carry any ID document if you are a Nordic citizen (and the police believes that you are). Still they are needed for practical reasons, including getting services from authorities. Traditionally drivers licences, passports or bank id cards are used, only Swedish ones. Some could not get one since there were no legal rules of how to verify the identity of someone applying for a card, up to every issuer. From 2009 there is an official ID card available for everyone (without citizenship written and therefore not valid outside Scandinavia). From 2008 also all EU passports and EU official id cards with citizenship written are valid. Swedes do usually not own the national ID card with citizenship, so they bring their passport outside Scandinavia. But I have understood that most Swedes do not carry their passports on the street even outside Scandinavia. On a car trip to Germany I took part in this year one person brought only the Swedish driver's license, claiming since we lived in a private home, passport was unneeded. --BIL (talk) 20:29, 18 September 2011 (UTC)

Vice-chancellor of Germany
Dear Harald, please note that there is no politicial office in Germany called "vice-chancellor" (there is no taking of an oath or a formal appointment, as compared to ministers). It is just an inofficial position, and therefore I think it is wrong to list Gabriel twice at Third Merkel cabinet (after all, he's only a member once, only having two functions).--FoxyOrange (talk) 12:45, 17 December 2013 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 14:07, 24 November 2015 (UTC)