European countries require an identity card, passport or at least a driving license (not everywhere) to do anything remotely involving credit. Identity theft is

European countries require an identity card, passport or at least a driving license (not everywhere) to do anything remotely involving credit. Identity theft is simply not a thing. In Italy, if you don't pay an IOU, you generally get placed on a global registry. It's not easy to get off the registry, but IOUs are very very regulated and not too common. It's a little easier if you just haven't paid back a loan for a month, but I don't know exactly because (unlike the US) I have only gotten a loan once in my life for my first car. Unlike the US, by default you are considered to be a good payer, you don't need to build up a credit history. I am interested in how it works in Canada, because it probably has some similarities with the US system.