Passports expiring?

[jewel825]

I have a question regarding passports. We are going on a cruise this summer (8/2/14 - 8/9/14) and my kids have passports expiring 2/3/15. This is almost exactly 6 months later (minus 6 days). Is it necessary for me to get renewals for my kids' passports before we go or is there enough time before the expiration date? I've heard that cruises require passports that expire at least 6 months or more from your cruise. Are they talking about day 1 or day 7 of the cruise? Would they still accept these passports? It's confusing that they put an expiration date on a passport but it doesn't say anywhere on the passport that it really expires 6 months prior to that date!

[Tony O]

I have a question regarding passports. We are going on a cruise this summer (8/2/14 - 8/9/14) and my kids have passports expiring 2/3/15. This is almost exactly 6 months later (minus 6 days). Is it necessary for me to get renewals for my kids' passports before we go or is there enough time before the expiration date? I've heard that cruises require passports that expire at least 6 months or more from your cruise. Are they talking about day 1 or day 7 of the cruise? Would they still accept these passports? It's confusing that they put an expiration date on a passport but it doesn't say anywhere on the passport that it really expires 6 months prior to that date!

 

The passport rule is not mandated by the cruise line but by other countries.

http://www.uspassporthelpguide.com/six-months-validity-rule/

[Merion_Mom]

I have a question regarding passports. We are going on a cruise this summer (8/2/14 - 8/9/14) and my kids have passports expiring 2/3/15. This is almost exactly 6 months later (minus 6 days). Is it necessary for me to get renewals for my kids' passports before we go or is there enough time before the expiration date? I've heard that cruises require passports that expire at least 6 months or more from your cruise. Are they talking about day 1 or day 7 of the cruise? Would they still accept these passports? It's confusing that they put an expiration date on a passport but it doesn't say anywhere on the passport that it really expires 6 months prior to that date!

 

No worries - you will be fine. (This is the Princess Alaska cruise that is in your signature? Thanks for asking on the Royal Caribbean board! ;) :D )

Edited May 14, 2014 by Merion_Mom

[dwjoe]

Depends where you're going. If it's to the Caribbean, Canada, Bermuda, or Mexico, you will not have a problem.

 

This is assuming you are US or Canadian citizens.

Edited May 14, 2014 by dwjoe

[edjny]

Why wait till the last minute so to speak. You have lots of time before the cruise now so just renew the passports now for you entire party.

[jewel825]

The passport rule is not mandated by the cruise line but by other countries.

http://www.uspassporthelpguide.com/six-months-validity-rule/

 

Interesting - didn't realize that. Thanks for the info.

[jewel825]

No worries - you will be fine. (This is the Princess Alaska cruise that is in your signature? Thanks for asking on the Royal Caribbean board! ;) :D )

 

Thanks - it's so close to the date that it's kind of that gray area. I asked on the RC board because this board feels more like home. My last 2 cruises were RC and I haven't quite made the move over to the Princess side.

[jewel825]

Depends where you're going. If it's to the Caribbean, Canada, Bermuda, or Mexico, you will not have a problem.

 

This is assuming you are US or Canadian citizens.

 

Yes, I'm a US citizen and we are going to Canada (just one tiny short stop in Victoria, otherwise the rest of the cruise is US)

[mjldvlks]

Yes, I'm a US citizen and we are going to Canada (just one tiny short stop in Victoria, otherwise the rest of the cruise is US)

 

I don't recall having anything other than my sea pass checked in Victoria. Sure you'll have no problems. Victoria is a great place to visit. Enjoy your cruise.

[jewel825]

Why wait till the last minute so to speak. You have lots of time before the cruise now so just renew the passports now for you entire party.

 

I just got my booking number last week and when I went to enter all my information into the cruise site, I noticed the expiration date on the passports and realized it was cutting it kind of close.

 

We are going to renew the passports this week just to be safe. It's a little challenging to get renewals since my husband and I both have to be there in person with the kids at a passport place during their business hours (the ones around us close by 4:45 at the latest). With kids in their sports and after school activities and then leaving work early, they don't make it easy! Thankfully we only have to do this every 5 years.

[mjldvlks]

No worries - you will be fine. (This is the Princess Alaska cruise that is in your signature? Thanks for asking on the Royal Caribbean board! ;) :D )

 

It just dawned on me your back -- tell us about the TA.

 

Strike that -- just checked the website that shall not be mentioned and realized you're not quite there yet. Let us know about it when you get to Southampton.

 

Hope you are having a great time.

Edited May 14, 2014 by mjldvlks

[Beardface]

I have a question regarding passports. We are going on a cruise this summer (8/2/14 - 8/9/14) and my kids have passports expiring 2/3/15. This is almost exactly 6 months later (minus 6 days). Is it necessary for me to get renewals for my kids' passports before we go or is there enough time before the expiration date? I've heard that cruises require passports that expire at least 6 months or more from your cruise. Are they talking about day 1 or day 7 of the cruise? Would they still accept these passports? It's confusing that they put an expiration date on a passport but it doesn't say anywhere on the passport that it really expires 6 months prior to that date!

 

You'll be fine

 

My wife and I are going on the Oasis during the July 4th week, and her passport expires in November. We called our travel agent and RCCL and were assured we'll be fine.

[jewel825]

You'll be fine

 

My wife and I are going on the Oasis during the July 4th week, and her passport expires in November. We called our travel agent and RCCL and were assured we'll be fine.

 

See you got a totally different answer than other people have given me so it's hard to tell what is true! I'm sure you'll be fine and I'm sure we would have been fine too but I didn't want to have that worry in the back of my mind so I've gone ahead and filled out the paperwork for the passport renewals. That way I can forget about it again for the next 5 years (well technically 4 1/2 years). I love that the adult ones are good for 10 years. When my husband and I are ready to renew our passports, my kids will be ready again too.

[caribsun]

Bring a BC as backup.

[Callisto026]

Seems like you made your decision but wanted to let you know that when my husband and I went to Iceland last August we were fine even though our passports expired in January (5 months). No one commented on the date but maybe we were lucky.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[ddlb]

I have a question regarding passports. We are going on a cruise this summer (8/2/14 - 8/9/14) and my kids have passports expiring 2/3/15. This is almost exactly 6 months later (minus 6 days). Is it necessary for me to get renewals for my kids' passports before we go or is there enough time before the expiration date? I've heard that cruises require passports that expire at least 6 months or more from your cruise. Are they talking about day 1 or day 7 of the cruise? Would they still accept these passports? It's confusing that they put an expiration date on a passport but it doesn't say anywhere on the passport that it really expires 6 months prior to that date!

One thing about renewing your passports is you lose the time that you had left on them as when you get the renewed passports the expiration date is based on the day they were reissued. I still had 5 months left on mine and basically lost out on 4 months of "paid" time. And they ARE expensive to renew in my opinion.

[mjldvlks]

One thing about renewing your passports is you lose the time that you had left on them as when you get the renewed passports the expiration date is based on the day they were reissued. I still had 5 months left on mine and basically lost out on 4 months of "paid" time. And they ARE expensive to renew in my opinion.

The renewal fee is $110 -- less than $1.00 a month. You got shorted out of around $3.67. And keep in mind it is not the State Department or the cruise line cost you this money -- it is the country you are trying to get into that determines whether it will honor your passport or not.

 

OP -- the reason there may seem to be different answers is because the answer depends on where you are going. Certain foreign countries require the passport be valid for six months beyond the date of entry. To get the exactly correct answer, you have to determine the rules for the places you are going.

 

Anyway, getting the passports gives you one less thing to worry about. And hopefully it will encourage you to use them repeatedly in the future. Hope you have a great trip.

[dwjoe]

Seems like you made your decision but wanted to let you know that when my husband and I went to Iceland last August we were fine even though our passports expired in January (5 months). No one commented on the date but maybe we were lucky.

I believe the validity requirement is 3 months for the EU zone.

[steveru621]

Check the Canadian website for more information. As a US citizen you do not need a passport to get into Canada. The catch-22 is you need a passport to get back into the good old USA. If you are a US citizen the USA only cares if your passport is valid for one day!

 

This whole 6 month passport thing for cruising is way overblown. There is only one port that I have ever been to with the 6 month rule -- Turkey. 99% of the time you won't even take your passport out of the safe.

 

I'm leaving for our Alaska cruise next Tuesday and my passport expires in September 2014 (4 months) When we get back I'll renew just in case the process takes longer than expected.

[Spurschick]

The renewal fee is $110 -- less than $1.00 a month. You got shorted out of around $3.67. And keep in mind it is not the State Department or the cruise line cost you this money -- it is the country you are trying to get into that determines whether it will honor your passport or not.

 

OP -- the reason there may seem to be different answers is because the answer depends on where you are going. Certain foreign countries require the passport be valid for six months beyond the date of entry. To get the exactly correct answer, you have to determine the rules for the places you are going.

 

Anyway, getting the passports gives you one less thing to worry about. And hopefully it will encourage you to use them repeatedly in the future. Hope you have a great trip.

 

Actually, from our experience at least, the expiration date starts from the length of time added to the existing expiration date, not from the date of processing. Therefore you don't "lose" any length of time on the new passport.

[Spurschick]

One thing about renewing your passports is you lose the time that you had left on them as when you get the renewed passports the expiration date is based on the day they were reissued. I still had 5 months left on mine and basically lost out on 4 months of "paid" time. And they ARE expensive to renew in my opinion.

 

Interesting

We are on UK passports (I appreciate different country) but we don't lose any time. It is added on to existing expiration date. So possible to have start date may 15th then expiration date December If original expiration date December, ie not based on renewal date.

[jewel825]

Bring a BC as backup.

 

I may order an extra certified copy of our birth certificates to have on hand - I'm told those don't take as long as passports do to send out. I don't have my BC's anymore - they are now en route to the Dept of State with my passport application!

[jewel825]

Seems like you made your decision but wanted to let you know that when my husband and I went to Iceland last August we were fine even though our passports expired in January (5 months). No one commented on the date but maybe we were lucky.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

 

I probably would have been fine but I didn't want to take any chances in case we got some strict person asking for documentation we didn't have. How was Iceland? Was it for a vacation?

[jewel825]

One thing about renewing your passports is you lose the time that you had left on them as when you get the renewed passports the expiration date is based on the day they were reissued. I still had 5 months left on mine and basically lost out on 4 months of "paid" time. And they ARE expensive to renew in my opinion.

 

Exactly - they say they are good for 5 years but it's really only 4 1/2. It's not really the expense that bothers me, it's having to do it as often as I've had to. It is fun to look back on the kids' passports though because they look so different now than they did when their picture was taken 4 years ago. They grow so fast! Sniff Sniff.

[jewel825]

The renewal fee is $110 -- less than $1.00 a month. You got shorted out of around $3.67. And keep in mind it is not the State Department or the cruise line cost you this money -- it is the country you are trying to get into that determines whether it will honor your passport or not.

 

OP -- the reason there may seem to be different answers is because the answer depends on where you are going. Certain foreign countries require the passport be valid for six months beyond the date of entry. To get the exactly correct answer, you have to determine the rules for the places you are going.

 

Anyway, getting the passports gives you one less thing to worry about. And hopefully it will encourage you to use them repeatedly in the future. Hope you have a great trip.

 

We paid $80 for each passport and then an additional $25 processing fee for each one. Total $115 which I didn't think was too bad. It's just such a pain going in to get it done. I found a pocket of time to rush and go do it. I was so proud of myself to have their photos in hand and all the paperwork filled out perfectly. We were there in plenty of time and I was so happy to be getting it done.....until they asked for payment. I forgot my stinkin' checkbook! They don't take credit, debit or cash (duh!). My hubby had to run to the post office which was nearby and got money orders in the nick of time. We were able to get it all turned in before they closed. Phew!