Can a hotel, landlord or webshop demand a copy of my passport?

Two different things get mixed up: showing ID (fine, often legally required — hotels in many countries must register guests, banks must verify under anti-money-laundering law, telecom operators in some countries too) and keeping a copy (needs its own justification under data minimisation, Art. 5(1)(c)). Who genuinely may copy/store: banks and payment institutions (AML law commands it), employers at hire (payroll/right-to-work rules), notaries — cases where a law says so. Who usually may not: webshops “for verification”, gyms, landlords at the viewing stage (before any contract there is no basis to hoard passports — several DPAs have scolded rental platforms for exactly this), car-rental desks demanding scans beyond what insurers require, random customer-service flows. Your defence kit: ask “which law requires you to keep a copy?”; offer inspection instead of a copy; and when a copy is unavoidable, redact it — cover the document number, national ID number and photo where they are not needed, and write the date + purpose across it (“Copy for X, 18-07-2026”) so it cannot be reused. Several governments ship official ID-cover apps that do this. Why care: a clean passport copy is enough to open accounts in your name in the wrong hands. Refused service for refusing a copy? That’s a complaint your DPA will recognise instantly.