Enhanced Driver’s Licenses

Hi, everyone .

Ok, so We just want to get our ( mighty ) ducks all in a row before our first ever cruise this coming June . We are heading to Mexico from Galveston and are getting to Texas from Michigan by train/ bus one way and flying back.

My question is this : both my wife and I have Enhanced Driver’s Licenses; I got mine after I became a naturalized U.S Citizen last December . Can we use those licenses as our sole ID for boarding and disembarking the ship, or do we need to bring our birth certificates too?

I will apply for a US Passport in the near future; just want to know what your thoughts are on this situation . Thank you everyone .

You should check with the cruise line. Their website will list what documents they will accept or call them. If you have an issue and have to leave ship in foreign country, the license will not get you on a plane.

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Yes you can. An enhanced drivers license is valid for land and sea crossings. My husband and I have been using ours for years. We only travel with the licenses, never had a problem.

They are becoming more popular in recent years.

When you complete online check in, you will see it listed as an option.

We got EDLs when I found out how much it would cost to replace DW's naturalization certificate ($350) so if it got damaged by something as a simple water spill I was out that money. We still keep our EDLs in force since they are a good back up and we use them for our trips up to Canada instead of getting the passports out of the safe deposit box. You could bring her birth certificate and your naturalization certificate as a backup but you would need a government issued photo ID to go with them.

(Note to anyone else following along- do not confuse REAL ID act compliant licenses with EDLs. Right now only 5 states issue EDLs. If your license does not have a US flag on the front of it then you do not have an EDL.)

Hello I have an EDL , and it does NOT have an American Flag on it , in the State of Arkansas EDL has a White Star circled by yellow to identify EDL so no they don’t have to have a flag , and it’s more than 5 States that have EDL

Hello I have an EDL , and it does NOT have an American Flag on it , in the State of Arkansas EDL has a White Star circled by yellow to identify EDL so no they don’t have to have a flag , and it’s more than 5 States that have EDL

I believe that Arkansas issues an enhanced security license that is compliant with the 2005 Safe ID Act ... per http://www.dfa.afkansas.gov

It is not the same as an EDL

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Sorry ... the correct site: http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov

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Hello I have an EDL , and it does NOT have an American Flag on it , in the State of Arkansas EDL has a White Star circled by yellow to identify EDL so no they don’t have to have a flag , and it’s more than 5 States that have EDL

Sorry, you do not have an EDL. You have a REAL ID compliant license and it does not function the same as an EDL. An EDL may be used as a stand alone document to prove citizenship and identity for land border crossings and for sea ports of entry. This is a common mistake and at least one cruiser has made the mistake of showing up with a REAL ID compliant license expecting to board. Fortunately for them they were able to have someone at home fax a copy of their birth certificate to the port so they eventually were able to board. (And in our FWIW department my license also has the white star circled by yellow, which simply denotes that it complies with the REAL ID act.)

Hello I have an EDL , and it does NOT have an American Flag on it , in the State of Arkansas EDL has a White Star circled by yellow to identify EDL so no they don’t have to have a flag , and it’s more than 5 States that have EDL

As of 2017, an Enhanced Drivers License is available to U.S. citizens resident in the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington.

Thank you, everyone . I just want us to be sure if we need to carry additional documents besides our EDL’s or not. ..

Thank you, everyone . I just want us to be sure if we need to carry additional documents besides our EDL’s or not. ..

Nope. EDL is all you need.

Just enter your EDL number in your cruise manager online and you’ll be set. I know the first time we used ours we were also hesitant. But seeing it listed as an option online reassured us it was perfectly ok.