Passport for children under 16 on St Martin?

[rtnaw]

Hello, I can't seem to find a definite answer on this. I called NCL, as we will be traveling on the Getaway Nov. 1st of this year. I have five children ages 10, 9, 7, 5 and 4. NCL stated the children do NOT need a passport to disembark on St. Martin(Philipsburg). Other websites say they DO need a passport. My travel agent also says no passport for the children is needed. I emailed the Dutch consulate and they say the children DO need a passport. However, the Dutch consulate seemed to just give me a general response as if we were flying in. The trip will be a "closed loop" as we leave Miami and return to Miami. I don't want to spend an extra $600 on passports if I don't need to. I am hoping someone out there has first hand experience with this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[russianmom]

If your children are US citizens and have a certified birth cert and you are on a closed loop cruise you are all set.

 

The answer is right on NCL's FAQ page

http://www.ncl.com/about/required-travel-documentation

 

Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Or Canada & New England Cruises

 

For round-trip sailings (cruises that depart from and return to the same U.S. port), you may sail with either a valid passport, proof of citizenship and a valid government-issued photo I.D. (driver’s license with a photo), or any other WHTI compliant document.

 

Proof of Citizenship examples include:

 

State certified U.S. birth certificate

Original certificate of U.S. naturalization

Original certificate of U.S. citizenship

 

 

Baptismal paper, hospital certificates of birth, and Puerto Rico birth certificates issued prior to 7/1/10 are not acceptable.

 

A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 do not require a government-issued photo ID.

 

For open-jaw sailings (cruises that depart from one U.S. port and return to a different U.S. port), you are required to carry:

 

A valid passport

U.S. passport card

U.S. or Canadian Enhanced Drivers License

Permanent residents of the U.S. are required to carry their valid ARC cards for boarding AND passport from their country of citizenship, if available.

 

 

Note: If you miss your ship at its scheduled U.S. departure port and need to travel outside the U.S. to meet your ship, or should you unexpectedly need to depart the ship from a foreign port prior to the end of sailing, a passport would be required to leave or re-enter the U.S. by air. To that end, Norwegian Cruise Line strongly recommends all guests to obtain a passport for their voyage on any Norwegian Cruise Line vessel.

[Warm Breezes]

No passports needed if they are US citizens on a closed loop cruise to/from the same US port. Under 16 just need their birth certificate issued by the government not the hospital (get an inexpensive one from vitalcheck.com if you are not sure what you have). 16 and over need their birth certificate and a government issued photo ID (ie drivers license). Both times we have been to St. Martin, none of us had passports including our 2 kids.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[MamaWals]

What if one of your children gets sick or injured and has to stay at a port for medical care then travel back to the States by air? Wouldn't you like to have a passport in that situation? I think it's always better to have a passport. You never know what might happen.