Passport help please.....I'm panicking!!!!

[swinny123]

We are due to go on our first cruise 2 weeks tomorrow...3rd August .... Sailing on Adventure of The Seas on an Italian Mediterranean Cruise. I was casually looking through the T's and C's in the brochure and was horrified to read that your passport MUST have 6 months left until expiry date...... My passport expires on 9th Nov ..... I know this is a USA requirement, but I never gave it a thought as we regularly travel to Spain and have travelled with a passport expiring a week after return with no problems. I have checked entry requirements to all the countries we are travelling to and none of them require any additional time before expiry. I then checked on the RCI website and it said that they RECOMMEND that your passport has 6 months validity ..... Very confusing. I shall contact RCI tomorrow when they open, but just wondered if anyone had any more clearer info before I start planning my rapid trip to Liverpool!!!

Thanks in advance

 

 

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[FLACRUISER99]

We are due to go on our first cruise 2 weeks tomorrow...3rd August .... Sailing on Adventure of The Seas on an Italian Mediterranean Cruise. I was casually looking through the T's and C's in the brochure and was horrified to read that your passport MUST have 6 months left until expiry date...... My passport expires on 9th Nov ..... I know this is a USA requirement, but I never gave it a thought as we regularly travel to Spain and have travelled with a passport expiring a week after return with no problems. I have checked entry requirements to all the countries we are travelling to and none of them require any additional time before expiry. I then checked on the RCI website and it said that they RECOMMEND that your passport has 6 months validity ..... Very confusing. I shall contact RCI tomorrow when they open, but just wondered if anyone had any more clearer info before I start planning my rapid trip to Liverpool!!!

Thanks in advance

 

 

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Not positive but I don't think it will be a problem.

[socaldave]

I am confident there is someone there today, have you tried the number?

[swinny123]

Yes I tried to call at 6.15...... They closed at 6!!! It's my luck!!!

 

 

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[swinny123]

I meant Just my luck!!! Predictive text!

 

 

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[steveru621]

The EU generally requires 3 months, only if you are traveling to Turkey would you need 6 months. That said you are still days away from three months. I would say you are probably OK because the only time you will actually need your passport is when you arrive and when you leave. (Except if you are going to Turkey and the ship holds you passport) You don't need your passport at the ports on your cruise.

[patjeblauw]

Have cruised with Royal Caribbean from Barcelona with a Dutch passport that was only valid for 2 months. You will be fine. The US government recommends for it's citizens to have a passport valid for 6 months so probably that is the advice RCCL is following.

 

have a great cruise!

 

Patricia

[swinny123]

Thank you for your very quick replies .... I may sleep a little better tonight now!!!!

 

 

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[samoyed1976]

Thank you for your very quick replies .... I may sleep a little better tonight now!!!!

 

 

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It will be fine. :)

 

Also, you do not need 6 months left on a UK passport to enter the USA. A valid in date passport is all you need.

[swinny123]

Thank you very much :-)))))

 

 

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[Citizen Jane]

Good news: UK has no requirements for expiration (as others have said) and, as you already know, your other destinations are part of the Schengen agreement and thus requirement 3 months validity. You are probably okay.

 

Not-so-good news: The State Department website acknowledges that some airlines won't let you board unless your passport is good for 6 months. That implies that this practice is okay with the State Dept. Since cruise lines are in some ways similar to airlines, it may be that RC has changed their policy since other posters last travelled OR (more likely) it may just be general published policy. You are right to check with them. I'd also check with your air carrier just in case (though why it would be a problem flying to the UK I can't imagine).

 

Depending upon where you live you may be eligible to get an emergency renewal locally. In Atlanta if you can show your travel arrangements and they are within two weeks you can make an appointment at the passport agency and renew it on the spot in person. It used to be that there were only a few regional agencies, but in the last few years they have opened several more. I have several friends who had to fly to Miami for specialized visas just to teach their summer courses in Europe, but now it can be done in the ATL.

 

If you decide you want to go ahead and renew for peace of mind, it can be done within the time frame. If you are near enough to an official passport agency, it may be worth the drive (I've included the link to the State Dept website below). Obviously you can ALSO get it renewed overnight through an expediter, but it will cost you more. DH had to do it once when he was traveling for work to Iceland and didn't realize his passport had expired.:rolleyes:

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/where-to-apply/agencies.html

 

Good luck. I'm sure you will have a FABULOUS trip.:)

Edited July 19, 2014 by Citizen Jane

[Guest maddycat]

Good news: UK has no requirements for expiration (as others have said) and, as you already know, your other destinations are part of the Schengen agreement and thus requirement 3 months validity. You are probably okay.

 

Not-so-good news: The State Department website acknowledges that some airlines won't let you board unless your passport is good for 6 months. That implies that this practice is okay with the State Dept. Since cruise lines are in some ways similar to airlines, it may be that RC has changed their policy since other posters last travelled OR (more likely) it may just be general published policy. You are right to check with them. I'd also check with your air carrier just in case (though why it would be a problem flying to the UK I can't imagine).

 

Depending upon where you live you may be eligible to get an emergency renewal locally. In Atlanta if you can show your travel arrangements and they are within two weeks you can make an appointment at the passport agency and renew it on the spot in person. It used to be that there were only a few regional agencies, but in the last few years they have opened several more. I have several friends who had to fly to Miami for specialized visas just to teach their summer courses in Europe, but now it can be done in the ATL.

 

If you decide you want to go ahead and renew for peace of mind, it can be done within the time frame. If you are near enough to an official passport agency, it may be worth the drive (I've included the link to the State Dept website below). Obviously you can ALSO get it renewed overnight through an expediter, but it will cost you more. DH had to do it once when he was traveling for work to Iceland and didn't realize his passport had expired.:rolleyes:

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/where-to-apply/agencies.html

 

Good luck. I'm sure you will have a FABULOUS trip.:)

 

The OP is in the UK.

[Citizen Jane]

The OP is in the UK.

 

Thanks. Feeling stupid now.:o (Because of myself, not because Maddycat let me know this!).

 

Oh well...

 

Perhaps my response will help someone else and I still hope Swinny has a great trip!

[swinny123]

Thanks Citizen Jane, I appreciate the reply....I am from UK, and am not flying..... Not sure if that make any difference....I shall keep my fingers crossed and call RCI tomorrow :-))

 

 

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[tactic]

If you check out http://www.gov.uk Italy only needs a valid passport as do other eu countries. Check with rccl to see if they will implement the ts and cs. If you are only travelling within the eu you ought to be legally able to travel but guess it depends on the cruise line. We booked a cruise which included a stop in Tunisia and when we booked they took our passport details off the file they had as the reservation staff told me we would need to get new passports as they were not valid for 6 months beyond the cruise. Have you done online check in yet? If that accepted your details surely that will be ok? Good luck. If you do need to go to a passport office for emergency replacements remember to book and appointment before going. Hope all is ok

[swinny123]

Yes I'm all checked in and set sail passes printed....there was also a change in the wording on the website to 6 months is recommended instead of required as used in the brochure. I guess I shall just have to see what they say and if necessary hot foot it to Liverpool!!

Really appreciate all your responses :-)

 

 

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[GOLFER1234]

Although not an exact situation as yours but I am leaving on the Liberty from Rome on 8/7 and I initially misplaced my son's passport. I called my local passport office in Boston (there are about 25 in the US) and was told for a nominal fee of about 65-70 they will issue you a new one on the spot. You are able to schedule your appointment via the telephone queues. Just bring your trip itinerary for proof that it is a rush request (since it normally takes about 3 weeks to get a new one via US mail) and a passport photo. I hope there is an office close by to where you live since I was told by our travel agent that the passport should be valid for at least 6 months from the return flight. Check this out:

 

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

[uksimonusa]

Posts indicate you are in the UK, but do not indicate your citizenship, as long as you are a citizen of an EU country, and travel on a Passport issued by an EU country, you will be fine with what you have.

Edited July 19, 2014 by uksimonusa

[swinny123]

Yes, I am British with a British passport..

 

 

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[uksimonusa]

Yes, I am British with a British passport..

 

 

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You have nothing to worry about then:)

[peteukmcr]

Sorry but please check with RCI because a few years ago despite having enough months left on my passport for all the ports we were visiting, RCI insisted I had 6 months validity left on my passport when I checked in and said if I didn't I would be denied boarding.

[DebJ14]

Have cruised with Royal Caribbean from Barcelona with a Dutch passport that was only valid for 2 months. You will be fine. The US government recommends for it's citizens to have a passport valid for 6 months so probably that is the advice RCCL is following.

 

have a great cruise!

 

Patricia

 

The recommendation for 6 months of validity is because some countries do require the 6 months. Many do not. Better to be safe than sorry in case your itinerary includes one or more of the countries with the 6 month requirement. We usually renew at least 8 months before the expiration date just in case we want to make a quick trip to the Caribbean. The Bahamas, Jamaica, Honduras and St. Lucia are among the countries that require the passport to be valid for 6 months from the date of RETURN. The airlines will not board you to these countries if your passport does not comply. Since many cruises out of the US go to these countries that is why they recommend the 6 months.

Edited July 20, 2014 by DebJ14

[fishtaco]

The only problem is if the ship has to deviate from its original course for any reason into an area that requires 6 months passport validity.

 

But if RCI site has accepted your passport details then they should accept it on boarding day:)

 

Airline carriers especially budget airlines are more strict with 6 months validity as they are liable for costs to immediately return you home if you do not have the required time left on your passport and are denied entry, so airlines usually insist on 6 months validity even when a country only requires 3 months,this also is area specific, flying Britain to EU airlines would not require it for British citizens.

 

On a P&O booking out of Australia a few years ago I used my old valid soon to expire passport details online in the customer details section and I was informed I had less than the 6 months requirement remaining so passport details were invalid, I assume RCI would do the same if they required the 6 months for this cruise?

[tomatosauce]

The thing to remember is that there are 2 separate issues here.

 

1. Entry and exit from individual countries through customs or border control.

 

2. The carrier can then implement their own restrictions. Because of different rules around the world carriers have started to be firmer in their requirements. If the plane or ship has to divert somewhere that has different rules to where you are expecting to go then it can start to get complicated.

 

Whilst something out of White Nights is unlikely it is better to be safe than sorry.

[fishtaco]

The thing to remember is that there are 2 separate issues here.

 

1. Entry and exit from individual countries through customs or border control.

 

2. The carrier can then implement their own restrictions. Because of different rules around the world carriers have started to be firmer in their requirements. If the plane or ship has to divert somewhere that has different rules to where you are expecting to go then it can start to get complicated.

 

Whilst something out of White Nights is unlikely it is better to be safe than sorry.

 

This is why carriers may ask for or even demand 6 months validity even though not necessarily required!

 

Some airline carriers even refuse to carry a passengers on a one way ticket even though they were allowed to purchase a one way ticket and the destination country does not require a return ticket! This is because if the passenger is denied entry the carrier is responsible for that persons immediate return home.