> Maybe there is some kind of requirement to inform the appropriate organizations of the passport numbers of any foreigners in your hotel? Some countries (Chin

> Maybe there is some kind of requirement to inform the appropriate organizations of the passport numbers of any foreigners in your hotel? Some countries (China and Russia spring to mind) require you to register your lodgings with the police, which the hotel do for you. It seems standard practice to hand over your passport at international hotels. Israel sometimes has more nefarious reasons than tracking where foreign citizens are https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/israel/safety-and-security https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/israel/safety-and-s... A Serious Organised Crime Agency investigation into the misuse of UK passports in the murder of Mahmud al-Mabhuh in Dubai in January 2010 found circumstantial evidence of Israeli involvement in the fraudulent use of British passports. This has raised the possibility that your passport details could be captured for improper uses while your passport is out of your control. The risk applies in particular to passports without biometric security features. Only hand your passport over to others (including Israeli officials) when absolutely necessary.