Passport Question

[Desertbelle]

We have an upcoming Caribbean Freedom of the Seas b2b cruise leaving November 20 and November 27, 2011. I just noticed that our passports expire May 16, 2012....a little less than 6 months from the start of the second cruise. Someone told me that they read here on CC that a woman was denied boarding a cruise because her passport expired less than 6 months from the start of her cruise...can this be true? I wasn't really thinking I would have to renew our passports until Spring, what a hassle to have to do that now. It's like you are paying for 6 months less of a valid passport than you think you are.:(

[Stags14]

We have an upcoming Caribbean Freedom of the Seas b2b cruise leaving November 20 and November 27, 2011. I just noticed that our passports expire May 16, 2012....a little less than 6 months from the start of the second cruise. Someone told me that they read here on CC that a woman was denied boarding a cruise because her passport expired less than 6 months from the start of her cruise...can this be true? I wasn't really thinking I would have to renew our passports until Spring, what a hassle to have to do that now. It's like you are paying for 6 months less of a valid passport than you think you are.:(

 

Never heard of that, and I'd imagine it would be a pretty hot topic. You could always call the cruiseline to be sure, but I highly doubt this story is true.

[Babyberger]

I believe (and I could be wrong) that certain countries do require your passport to be valid more than 6 months from when you are traveling. However, I do not believe that any in the Caribbean have that requirement you should be fine.

[wrp96]

Do the countries you are visiting require that a US passport have 6 months left of expiration? If yes, then yes you can be denied boarding (but most probably won't be). Do a search, check out the requirements, and then make your decision.

 

For a recent land trip, I had to renew my passport solely because of this 6 month rule. No way around it - the country I was visiting does enforce the 6 month rule. The reason for it is the country you are visiting wants to know that if for some reason you get sick, ill, miss your flight, etc you are still able to return to your own country within a reasonable amount of time.

[Scotty G]

Never heard of that, and I'd imagine it would be a pretty hot topic. You could always call the cruiseline to be sure, but I highly doubt this story is true.

It is something that is discussed here frequently. I don't know if it applies to Caribbean cruises though.

[DonnaK]

Only certain countries require that your passport has at least 6 months remaining on it. I don't think any countries in the Caribbean have this requirement.

[uksimonusa]

The countries you will be visiting, don't even require a USC to have a passport for cruise visits, so you will be fine as long as it hasn't expired, my daughter cruised with us in March and her passport expired in May, no problems

[days@sea]

Renewed passports are good for years and years and years. Six months is not worth spilled milk. You leave in November, I would get them renewed Now and get it over with. This is not even a question for me. I have clients panicking to get passports renewed for last minute trips and I tell them they should have done it months ago.

[TrishOB]

I don't think you could be denied boarding for having a passport that expired in less than 6 months, since technically you don't even need a passport to board a closed-loop cruise, just proof of citizenship in the form of a government-issued birth certificate and laminated government issued picture ID (assuming you are a U.S. citizen).

 

Your best bet may be to call RCI directly to ask if a passport that expires in less than 6 months is acceptable for Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, but you could also bring along your birth certificate and another photo ID as backup identification.

[margaret10987]

I am pretty sure when we took our cruise last April to the Caribbean that I read in the cruise docs that your passport needed to be good six months past the date of the cruise. I know I read it somewhere and it was on something official so why chance it. Get it done now. I have another cruise this coming April and my passport expires two months after the cruise but I am renewing it now.

[Desertbelle]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have emailed my TA and I will call Royal Caribbean in the morning and see what they suggest. I think we will be OK, but we will take our BC and driver's licenses with us just in case.

 

I am a little nervous to start the renewal process right now because we are under 80 days to leaving and what if there is a problem of some sort and we don't get it back in time??? :eek: Unless there is an absolute need to have it for this cruise we will renew as soon as we get back in December.

[Stags14]

It is something that is discussed here frequently. I don't know if it applies to Caribbean cruises though.

 

Gotcha... I don't cruise Europe or other spots. That's good to know for the future though - thank you.

[debache]

We were on the Explorer last August and my son's passport expired in November of last year and there was no problem....We just got off the Freedom this past Sunday and my mother in law's passport expires in October...not even a mention by the rccl worker...so again no problem....I would not worry about it at all......

[honeybee85]

This only applies to a few countries. I don't think Royal goes to any Caribbean nations that require you to have at least 6 months left. Typically these countries also (but not always) require visas. Basically, they want to make sure you can go home and will not get stranded in their country.

 

Of course, this only applies to US citizens. It can vary significantly for other citizenships.

[flapbreaker]

Just look at RCCL website.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/passportGuidelines.do

 

 

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S.) will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a government-issued birth certificate and laminated government issued picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original, notarized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS, or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

Note: Baptismal papers and hospital certificates of birth are not acceptable. Voter registration cards or Social Security cards are not considered proof of citizenship.

[Rancher Dave]

I believe (and I could be wrong) that certain countries do require your passport to be valid more than 6 months from when you are traveling. However, I do not believe that any in the Caribbean have that requirement you should be fine.

 

Correct. It looks like she is on Freedom so she should be fine. Asia, Australia and other places like those often do require a six month period of active passport time when you arrive.

 

We will wait for DW to get a new passport until after we sail between now and Feb...and then her March expiry date on the current passport can be updated to Feb or whenever we renew. Hate to renew now since it would be so early. Also, her China visa is still good for more entries until December.

[Cruiser Nonna]

For US citizens - for Caribbean sailing - starting and ending in a US Port - "US Valid passport OR Original Birth Certificate OR Certified copy of birth certificate (not a copy made in a copier) AND a photo identification."

 

A driver's license is not enough as it does not prove citizenship of a country.

 

if you are not a US Citizen then you will need to contact your local embassy and list the ports you will be stopping in to verify if you need additional documentation. Plus NON US Citizens for most all cruises - and travel - need valid passports.

 

if the cruise starts or ends in a Non US Port - for example Barbados, Vancouver etc then you do need a valid passport which is still in effect six (6) months AFTER your return date.

 

In regards to having a valid passport - another excellent reason to travel with an up to date passport - say something unfortunately happens and you need to disembark in a foreign port (Caribbean or other) you would need a valid passport in order to book a flight home.

 

This does not mean that this is always checked at pier check in but definitely you would not want to take any chance - and definitely verify that the names listed on your proof of citizenship match exactly what is listed on cruise documents -

 

Have a great cruise

[Cotswold Eagle]

I wasn't really thinking I would have to renew our passports until Spring, what a hassle to have to do that now. It's like you are paying for 6 months less of a valid passport than you think you are.:(

 

In the UK (and some other countries), if you renew a passport within 9 months of expiry, the extra time gets added on to the new passport (i.e. they use the original expiry date, not the renewal date). Not the same in the US?

 

Although people talk about the 6 month rule, some countries actually require 9 months in certain circumstances (particularly in connection with visa nationals) and the rule can state that the relevant date is from the scheduled exit, not entry. I always renew as soon as I can, although as others have said it's not an issue for the OP on a Caribbean cruise. Have a great time :)

[uksimonusa]

For US citizens - for Caribbean sailing - starting and ending in a US Port - "US Valid passport OR Original Birth Certificate OR Certified copy of birth certificate (not a copy made in a copier) AND a photo identification."

 

A driver's license is not enough as it does not prove citizenship of a country.

 

if you are not a US Citizen then you will need to contact your local embassy and list the ports you will be stopping in to verify if you need additional documentation. Plus NON US Citizens for most all cruises - and travel - need valid passports.

 

if the cruise starts or ends in a Non US Port - for example Barbados, Vancouver etc then you do need a valid passport which is still in effect six (6) months AFTER your return date.

 

In regards to having a valid passport - another excellent reason to travel with an up to date passport - say something unfortunately happens and you need to disembark in a foreign port (Caribbean or other) you would need a valid passport in order to book a flight home.

 

This does not mean that this is always checked at pier check in but definitely you would not want to take any chance - and definitely verify that the names listed on your proof of citizenship match exactly what is listed on cruise documents -

 

Have a great cruise

 

A soon to expire US passport is still valid for entry into the US until the expiration date for a USC, so the OP would have no problems there

[Ocean Boy]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have emailed my TA and I will call Royal Caribbean in the morning and see what they suggest. I think we will be OK, but we will take our BC and driver's licenses with us just in case.

 

I am a little nervous to start the renewal process right now because we are under 80 days to leaving and what if there is a problem of some sort and we don't get it back in time??? :eek: Unless there is an absolute need to have it for this cruise we will renew as soon as we get back in December.

 

Just in case you care, I recently had to renew my passport and had it within 3 weeks.

[cruisegirl1]

Thanks for all the quick responses. I have emailed my TA and I will call Royal Caribbean in the morning and see what they suggest. I think we will be OK, but we will take our BC and driver's licenses with us just in case.

 

I am a little nervous to start the renewal process right now because we are under 80 days to leaving and what if there is a problem of some sort and we don't get it back in time??? :eek: Unless there is an absolute need to have it for this cruise we will renew as soon as we get back in December.

 

We renewed our passports in late Spring and it took about 3-4 weeks from the time we mailed the application. We did not use any express service - just the regular processing and mailing. You should be fine if you decide to renew prior to your cruise.

 

Good luck

M

[Brian63]

It's like you are paying for 6 months less of a valid passport than you think you are.:(

 

Well then the flip side it, is that your new password will be good for 10 years, six months so you have made up the difference. ;)

[cherylandtk]

In the UK (and some other countries), if you renew a passport within 9 months of expiry, the extra time gets added on to the new passport (i.e. they use the original expiry date, not the renewal date). Not the same in the US? :)

No, not the same. Valid for 10 years from issue date, so any remaining time on the old passport is lost.

 

Well then the flip side it, is that your new password will be good for 10 years, six months so you have made up the difference. ;)

Does not work that way....see above.

[Ocean Boy]

Well then the flip side it, is that your new password will be good for 10 years, six months so you have made up the difference. ;)

 

How do you figure that? The new passport is good for 10 years.... period. It does not have extra time on it that was left over from the old passport. And the new one will probably have to be renewed 6 months before its expiration date. Nine years and six months is what you get.

[Cotswold Eagle]

No, not the same. Valid for 10 years from issue date, so any remaining time on the old passport is lost.

 

That's poor. Strike one for the old country ;)