Day pass

The day pass is a quest item in Fallout 2. Vault City, although extremely closed to outsiders, nevertheless recognized that, from time to time, outsiders would require at least some access to the inner city to conduct business. The solution to this was the day pass.

Usage
Recognizing that the creation of the day pass was a liability that would potentially let anybody into the city, Vault City took steps to insure that they would not be overrun by outsiders.

Only outsiders with legitimate reasons, as Vault City saw them, would be granted a day pass. Traders dealing in gecko pelts, uranium or gold could negotiate for a day pass. Unlike many other settlements in the wasteland, Vault City also considered slavers legitimate traders and granted them access to the city via the day pass system. Vault City made sure that their trading system was stacked doubly in their favor: not only were transactions conducted at nearly punitive rates, but the day pass the trader needed to conduct business also came at a steep fee.

Free day passes were granted in certain circumstances. Diplomats often received complimentary day passes, and non-citizen agents of Vault City, rare though they were, also typically received free day pass access.

Acquiring a day pass

 * In-game, there are several methods the Chosen One can take to acquire a day pass from Wallace. The first, and easiest, is for them to take off any armor and talk to Wallace; he will give a day pass and tell the Chosen to show their suit to the First Citizen.
 * Another way, assuming the Chosen One has a high-enough Speech skill, is to tell Wallace they wish to discuss a network of vaults with Lynette.
 * Another, riskier way, is to Steal one from Wallace. Another way is to ask about Lynette, then ask about the raider attacks. This allows the Chosen One to offer to locate the raider base in exchange for a day pass.
 * It is likewise possible to convince Wallace to issue a Day Pass simply by completing a series of increasingly difficult Speech checks, throughout which the player character alludes to an unspecific but imperative need to speak to the First Citizen personally, and promises to favorably mention the customs office and Wallace in return (the Empathy perk can assist in identifying this solution path, as all of the related dialogue options will be highlighted in blue).
 * The final way is to enter Wallace's office after midnight, and a day pass can be found in the locked locker (the locker cannot be unlocked while Wallace is around, so one must wait in the courtyard).
 * Another route to get the day-pass is to stop by Redding or New Reno, and learn of the Jet-addiction scheme currently taking place among the miners of Redding. The Chosen One can then choose to tell Wallace that he has urgent news of Redding, after which he will be granted the pass and referred to the First citizen to inform her.

At first glance, it seems there is a fourth option: if the Chosen One buys fake citizenship papers from Skeev, they can turn him over to Wallace and request a day pass as a reward. However, Wallace requests a reason for this, leading into the "network of Vaults" method. Because this last route decreases the Chosen One's reputation in Vault City, it is not recommended. Mentioning the GECK to Wallace also does not do anything to convince him.

Access without freedom
A day pass grants access to Vault City proper, but does not confer even the illusion of freedom. Any non-citizen entering Vault City is subject to search. Vault City holds a rather loose definition of "contraband," and persons carrying any sort of drugs, apart from purely medical pharmaceuticals, are barred from entering. Even possession of alcohol is considered a disqualifying offense, as Vault City maintains a strict "synthetic alcohol only" policy.

Banned items that will get the player character turned away at the gate include almost anything that is addictive, as follows:
 * Beer
 * Booze
 * Gamma Gulp beer
 * Roentgen Rum
 * Buffout
 * Mentats
 * Psycho
 * Jet
 * Rot gut

Other consumables, some of which are addictive but which Vault City allows as medical supplies, are:
 * Stimpak
 * Super stimpak
 * Antidote (poison)
 * Jet antidote
 * Fruit (despite being clearly irradiated)
 * Healing powder
 * Hypo
 * Mutated toe (the guards somehow do not mind this morbid little trophy a bit in inventory, but if it is still attached to one's foot during the Citizenship test's physical exam portion, automatic disqualification should be expected)
 * Nuka-Cola (addictive, but essentially harmless)
 * RadAway (despite its 10% addiction chance)
 * Rad-X

Holders of day passes are only permitted access to the inner city during daylight hours. At sundown (6:00 PM or 18:00 according to the Pip-Boy clock in-game), day pass privileges expire, and outsiders are escorted to the gate and discharged. Furthermore, day passes do not grant entry into the most significant structure of Vault City: the vault itself.