American woman fined for trying to bribe cop to let her travel with no passport

17 July 2023 , 15:29

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An American woman received a fine after trying to bribe a German airport official to let her travel without a passport (Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

One American woman was fined for trying to get around the strict airport laws that require a passport for international travel - even attempting to bribe an officer with $100 to let her board a flight from Munich to the US.

German federal police had to stop a 70-year-old woman who was flying from Athens to Washington state after she failed to produce a valid passport during her layover in Munich. She attempted to go through passport control without presenting a valid ID, police said.

When the passport control officer told her she needed a passport to enter the flight area, the woman said she had accidentally left her passport on her previous flight from Athens to Munich. Leaving airport officials scrambling, they contacted the previous flight to see if they could find the woman's passport. It quickly became apparent that she didn't have one.

Bribing airport officials now comes with a hefty fine, as experienced by one woman attempting to get on a plane without ID (AFP via Getty Images)

When the officer went to ask the airline Lufthansa whether they had found it, the woman pulled out a $100 bill and asked the officer to let her through without a passport, according to police. It is unclear if she was able to board the plane in Athens in the same way, but investigations are likely to follow.

German authorities refused her entry on the flight and fined her 1,000 euros ($1,122) for attempted bribery. Since her passport was not immediately found, the woman had to remain in Munich until she was able to get a new passport from the U.S. Consulate, police said.

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It normally takes weeks to get a new passport through the embassy, although this may have qualified as an emergency situation. Many travellers are being left stranded or forced to move their trips as the US passport agency is inundated with applications and dealing with a staffing shortage.

Even paying extra fees hasn't been speeding up the process, with many individuals making phone calls trying to chase down passport agents in order to get their paperwork in time for international travel. Currently, only a valid ID is required to travel domestically, although that may change in a few years, as individuals will be required to get a Real ID or present a passport, even when travelling from state to state.

This is likely to cause further backup in the system as families scramble to get the necessary documents, which also cost extra money, creating another barrier to travel.

Yelena Mandenberg