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Passport Stamps


CountryGuy13
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Hi! My family will be going on a cruise to St. Maarten, Labadee (Haiti), and Puerto Rico. This will be the first time my son has been out of the country, and he's very excited about getting his new passport stamped.

 

I know PR wont (as its a US territory), and Labadee is a private beach so I don't think that will have one either. Do you have to go through some sort of immigration when landing on St. Maarten that would get his passport stamped?

 

If not, would we have to do so for re-entry back into the US? I don't think the stamp matters as much as getting one :)

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I just came across this since I was thinking about getting our passports stamped at Grand Cayman. https://passportinfo.com/souvenir-passport-stamps/

 

 

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I never understood why people want get fake stamps in there passports. I was worried that I did not have enough free pages to get a China visa without a lot a useless clutter.

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Your first problem will be finding any official that even has a stamp! Keep in mind that many cruisers on closed loop Caribbean cruises do not even have a Passport. The Officials come aboard as soon as a ship is docked, and quickly "clear the ship." Most of the time those same officials will then head to the Lido to get a free breakfast (complements of the cruise line). We have actually seen a few passengers interrupt these folks, while they were eating, to ask to have their Passport stamped :(. In ports where passengers must pass through a real terminal building....you might be able to find somebody who has a stamp. In other cases you are only going to see "rent a cops" or perhaps some local Police...neither of whom have access to an official stamp.. But you will also be in ports like St Maarten where there is not even a terminal building (adjacent to the ships). When you walk off the ship you will not likely even see a real government official....and the port security (at the front gates) are simply private security folks.

 

Hank

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Most ports will have a Customs or Immigration official. Simply ask them, and they will provide you with information as to where to get and official stamp.

I did that on a Southern Caribbean and was successful 5/6 times -- the one I didn't get was on a Sunday and the offices were closed.

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I just came across this since I was thinking about getting our passports stamped at Grand Cayman. https://passportinfo.com/souvenir-passport-stamps/

Please don't get these souvenir stamps in your passport. They may render it invalid.

 

On Page 5 of all US Passports, in a section marked “Alteration or Mutilation of Passport,” is printed the warning that “only authorized officials of the United States or of foreign countries may place stamps or make notations or additions to this passport.” Authorized officials include US State Department staff, US Customs and Border Patrol officers, diplomatic and consular officials of foreign countries, and immigration officers at international borders.

 

This does not include vendors stamping cute stamps and mutilating your passport.

 

OP - on your routing, I don't think you will receive any official passport stamps. On every Caribbean cruise I've taken, passports are surrendered and you don't get them back until you leave.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I read the article. It says that stamps from tourist attractions like at Checkpoint Charlie, which have no affiliation with the government, may not be legal. On my last cruise I got one on Grand Turk at the Post Office - a government office, not a tourist attraction. When we came back into the U.S. and our passports were examined by U.S. Customs there was no problem. I have encountered other ports where there was a place to get it stamped but no one there, and I was very disappointed. We always bring our passports when we are at port to try to get stamped. We like having something tangible which records our travels in an official way.

 

The article also says that even if you get stamped at a tourist attraction you are unlikely to encounter problems except possibly in getting into very strict countries like China. I am actually wanting to go to China, so I may just stick with getting stamped at government agencies. Frankly I was shocked that people aren't actually required to take their passport on shore and get stamped - you're entering a foreign country and there is no regulation? I don't get that at all, and, honestly, I wish there were so we could get officially stamped everywhere without worrying about them being open or about them being official.

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Hi! My family will be going on a cruise to St. Maarten, Labadee (Haiti), and Puerto Rico. This will be the first time my son has been out of the country, and he's very excited about getting his new passport stamped.

 

I know PR wont (as its a US territory), and Labadee is a private beach so I don't think that will have one either. Do you have to go through some sort of immigration when landing on St. Maarten that would get his passport stamped?

 

If not, would we have to do so for re-entry back into the US? I don't think the stamp matters as much as getting one :)

 

 

Question: Our passports are about to expire. Since we have had them we have travelled all over the world. Our pages are just about filled. When we get the new ones I guess all pages will be blank? Nothing to indicate our travel history?

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Question: Our passports are about to expire. Since we have had them we have travelled all over the world. Our pages are just about filled. When we get the new ones I guess all pages will be blank? Nothing to indicate our travel history?

They will be blank. It's a new passport. You'll get your old passports back; they are cancelled and returned.

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I Frankly I was shocked that people aren't actually required to take their passport on shore and get stamped - you're entering a foreign country and there is no regulation? I don't get that at all, and, honestly, I wish there were so we could get officially stamped everywhere without worrying about them being open or about them being official.

Of course there are regulations! Immigration officials clear all the passengers, when the ship enters a new port that requires this. They just don't usually stamp everyone's passport.

Although on a Windstar cruise this year, my passport was stamped in Mykonos, because our previous port was in Turkey.

But, never have gotten it stamped in the Caribbean except at the airport.

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Of course there are regulations! Immigration officials clear all the passengers, when the ship enters a new port that requires this. They just don't usually stamp everyone's passport.

Although on a Windstar cruise this year, my passport was stamped in Mykonos, because our previous port was in Turkey.

But, never have gotten it stamped in the Caribbean except at the airport.

 

What I meant was that no one checks my passport when I get off or on my ship, only the cruise ship card which is issued by a private company, not the government. In my opinion, this is very relaxed security.

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What I meant was that no one checks my passport when I get off or on my ship, only the cruise ship card which is issued by a private company, not the government. In my opinion, this is very relaxed security.

If you travel to a different country, is your passport checked every time you leave your hotel?

Do you understand you've already been cleared by immigration to enter that country?

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OP - on your routing, I don't think you will receive any official passport stamps. On every Caribbean cruise I've taken, passports are surrendered and you don't get them back until you leave.

 

We visited the ABC's in the southern Caribbean this past spring. At no time was our passport taken/surrendered from us by anyone. We did keep them in the stateroom safe.

In this day and age, I would not take any chances of voiding my passport with possibly illegal stamps that could void the passport, nor would I want to fill up the pages unnecessarily and be require to get a new one before the 10 years were up.

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This was really great information to read prior to going on my 1st cruise this year in October, I do not have a passport as I read passports are not needed and some people who cruised said they showed only a driver's license and birth certificate. I do have an enhanced license issued by the state of NY.

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  • 2 weeks later...
This was really great information to read prior to going on my 1st cruise this year in October, I do not have a passport as I read passports are not needed and some people who cruised said they showed only a driver's license and birth certificate. I do have an enhanced license issued by the state of NY.

 

 

 

Does it have to be an Enhanced DL for closed loop cruises or will a regular state issued DL do just fine. I (unfortunately) live in Illinois. We can't get a budget passed let alone consider complying with the SmartID act. :-(

 

 

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Does it have to be an Enhanced DL for closed loop cruises or will a regular state issued DL do just fine. I (unfortunately) live in Illinois. We can't get a budget passed let alone consider complying with the SmartID act. :-(

 

 

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All you need is a certified birth certificate and and government issued I.D. Our IL driver's licenses are FINE.

 

 

As to your second part -- IL is now issuing the new enhanced licenses, instead of getting it renewed right at the DMV you will have to wait for the new card to be sent in the mail, you get to carry around a piece of paper for a couple of weeks as proof of license.

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All you need is a certified birth certificate and and government issued I.D. Our IL driver's licenses are FINE.

 

 

 

 

 

As to your second part -- IL is now issuing the new enhanced licenses, instead of getting it renewed right at the DMV you will have to wait for the new card to be sent in the mail, you get to carry around a piece of paper for a couple of weeks as proof of license.

 

 

 

Ah! Thanks. That's good to know. I had a hard time finding the EDL info on the Sec. of State site. I appreciate the help. :-)

 

My DL is up for renewal next year. All the more reason to see if I can renew it early or get a replacement DL. Thanks, again.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Question: Our passports are about to expire. Since we have had them we have travelled all over the world. Our pages are just about filled. When we get the new ones I guess all pages will be blank? Nothing to indicate our travel history?

 

When you get your new passport, request that you want to keep your old passport as a memory of past travels. They will put a few holes through it and done! (at least that's how they do it overhere in The Netherlands).

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When you get your new passport, request that you want to keep your old passport as a memory of past travels. They will put a few holes through it and done! (at least that's how they do it overhere in The Netherlands).

As already stated, they don't need to request this. Old US passports are cancelled and automatically returned.

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