Passport/visa questions first time cruisers

[kojtl1000]

Hi,

 

We just booked our first cruise ever and are a bit confused about needing any special visa or documents for this cruise.

Let me first of all tell you we are Belgians living on a temporary visa in Illinois. We are going on the December 14 cruise with the Celebrity Eclipse around the Caribbean. We are unsure if we need any kind of special visa or documents for any of the islands we are going to visit? Or is our international Belgian passport or Illinois driver's license (as a form of ID) enough for this trip?

Can anybody advise us on this?

 

Thank you so much!

[TeaBag]

You do not need a visa for the Caribbean. I would take the passports just in case you need them for reentry to the US.

[rbuenger]

Hi,

 

We just booked our first cruise ever and are a bit confused about needing any special visa or documents for this cruise.

Let me first of all tell you we are Belgians living on a temporary visa in Illinois. We are going on the December 14 cruise with the Celebrity Eclipse around the Caribbean. We are unsure if we need any kind of special visa or documents for any of the islands we are going to visit? Or is our international Belgian passport or Illinois driver's license (as a form of ID) enough for this trip?

Can anybody advise us on this?

 

Thank you so much!

Since you are not US Citizens, your Illinois DL will not do you any good, you will need your passports.

 

You should check with the Belgian Consulate Office in Chicago (1713 W. Beach Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60622 - Telephone (773) 342-6884) to see if you will need a Visa for any of the Ports of Call you are visiting, this depends on the agreements Belgium has with those countries you are visiting.

 

You also need to confirm that the temporary US Visa you have allows for Multiple Entries into the US, if you have a single entry US Visa and leave the US on a cruise, you will not be allowed to re-enter the US; so the Celebrity will deny you boarding when you go to start the cruise...

[dln929]

Take your passports with you! They don't take up much space. ;) You won't don't need to turn them in after you board (unlike some European cruise itineraries) and there's a safe in every cabin so you can securely lock them up. I suggest following the directions given to you in your on-line reservation check-in on the Celebrity website. That will tell you more specifically what is required of you in terms of documentation.

[Lsimon]

You will definitely need your passport. I have no idea about visa requirements and would be cautious about information from advice on this site unless someone can state they are in a very similar situation as you - the advice from above to see if the Belgian consulate here has info is probably your best bet.

 

Also, there is a visa FAQ on Celebrity's web site which has a link to a visa service, CIBT, which has an online tool that should show if you need a visa for a specific location. Read the FAQ to see the link to CIBT: http://www.celebritycruises.com/footer/faqResults.do?faqSubjectName=Shore+%26+Land+Excursions&faqId=1783&faqSubjectId=85

 

Also, as a minor side point, if you only have a temporary visa to live here in Illinois then I suspect that you might not have an Illinois drivers license but just a visitors permit which might specifically state that it is not valid as a form of ID. Be sure to read if over to check this if you plan on using it for ID for a legal purpose.

[noblepa]

As far as I know, none of the Caribbean island nations require a passport or visa for short-term entry. I've never been asked for any form of ID by local authorities.

 

U.S. citizens CAN travel on a closed-loop cruise and return to the US without a passport. Since the OP is Belgian, that rule doesn't apply. I'm virtually certain that they will need both their Belgian passport and their US temporary visa, to prove that they are legally allowed to be in the US.

 

In some Caribbean ports, we were asked (by locals) for our ship ID and some form of gov't issued picture ID to enter the dock area. A driver's license was sufficient for this purpose. The ship's security people were only interested in the ship ID for reboarding.

 

Even though it is not absolutely necessary (if all goes well), I always take my passport ashore with me. I've never needed it, but if I ever do, nothing will substitute for it.

 

I agree that the OP should check with the Belgian embassy or nearest consulate. It might also be wise to check with US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the State Department, to make sure that their US visa has no restrictions or special requirements regarding travel outside and return to the US. It would be a real shame to return to the US, only to be told that your visa does not include "in and out" priviledges.

 

Again, I doubt that any of the countries you will be visiting will require anything, other than your Belgian passport.

[dwjoe]

http://visaservicescanada.ca/search_main.php

Found this site that lists visa requirements by country. It's written for Canadians, but lists requirements for other nationals as well. I can't vouch for its accuracy, but it's at least a starting point.

[celle]

• OP, since you are not a US citizen, you will have to take your passport anyway.
  
• An Illinois driving licence will be OK as secondary ID, for using off-ship.
  
• You should take the visa that allows you residence in the USA. You'll need it for re-entering the USA.
  

[kojtl1000]

Thank you all for the sound advice! What a great forum this is.

 

We will definitely take our Belgian passports with us, these contain the visa's that allow us multiple in and out privileges of the US (my wife frequently travels outside of the US and has no problems with this).

I will double check that we do not need any other visa as Belgian passport holders, but like many of you think this probably will not be necessary.

 

Really looking forward to our first cruise. Thanks again.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Thank you all for the sound advice! What a great forum this is.

 

We will definitely take our Belgian passports with us, these contain the visa's that allow us multiple in and out privileges of the US (my wife frequently travels outside of the US and has no problems with this).

I will double check that we do not need any other visa as Belgian passport holders, but like many of you think this probably will not be necessary.

 

Really looking forward to our first cruise. Thanks again.

 

Enjoy your first cruise! You may find it's something you want to do more and more of. :D

[gelo7]

Take your Passports and be worry free.

[XandraMic]

We have Schengen Passport. We did 14 night Southern Caribbean in 2011.

 

We only have ESTA to enter USA, which you don't need since you have long term residence card.

 

For other Caribbean Islands, there's no immigration or passport check in any islands. We only bring a copy of passport and seapass when we travel around the island.

[kojtl1000]

We have Schengen Passport. We did 14 night Southern Caribbean in 2011.

 

We only have ESTA to enter USA, which you don't need since you have long term residence card.

 

For other Caribbean Islands, there's no immigration or passport check in any islands. We only bring a copy of passport and seapass when we travel around the island.

 

Thank you!:)