Can a Canadian traveller really use a NEXUS card instead of a passport?

[RickT]

DW and I are cruising in March and her passport expires in June. The last time this happened Princess cruises required her to get a new passport since the one she had also expired within 6 mths of the final date of the cruise.

 

While perusing the Celebrity site to see if they also had the 6 mth rule I saw the following:

"U.S. and Canadian citizens on closed-loop cruises, (voyages that begin and end at the same U.S. port) unless otherwise noted in 'Closed-Loop Sailing Exceptions' below, will be able to enter or depart the U.S. with a valid Passport, U.S. Passport Card, U. S. or Provincial Enhanced Driver's License, Trusted Traveler Program Card such as Nexus Card, Sentri Card or Fast Card."

 

This would lead me to believe that since we are on a closed-loop cruise (and we are not impacted by the Exceptions listed) she will be OK with her NEXUS card.

 

I'll call Celebrity to confirm but given the variability of their answers I thought I'd check and see if any other Canadians have been able to successfully do this (she'll also bring her passport).

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited October 25, 2014 by RickT

[DavidYYC]

Maybe, possibly?

 

Why not just go and get a new passport?

[gold1953]

DW and I are cruising in March and her passport expires in June. The last time this happened Princess cruises required her to get a new passport since the one she had also expired within 6 mths of the final date of the cruise.

 

While perusing the Celebrity site to see if they also had the 6 mth rule I saw the following:

"U.S. and Canadian citizens on closed-loop cruises, (voyages that begin and end at the same U.S. port) unless otherwise noted in 'Closed-Loop Sailing Exceptions' below, will be able to enter or depart the U.S. with a valid Passport, U.S. Passport Card, U. S. or Provincial Enhanced Driver's License, Trusted Traveler Program Card such as Nexus Card, Sentri Card or Fast Card."

 

This would lead me to believe that since we are on a closed-loop cruise (and we are not impacted by the Exceptions listed) she will be OK with her NEXUS card.

 

I'll call Celebrity to confirm but given the variability of their answers I thought I'd check and see if any other Canadians have been able to successfully do this (she'll also bring her passport).

 

Thanks in advance.

 

We have not tried to use ours . There are no fast lanes at ports though. Will be interested to hear .

One issue is that we must keep our passport up to date to keep our Nexus card valid . Best to get the new passport anyway and this time she can get the 10 year version

[bccolaman]

I don't think any cruise port is accepting Nexus. We have never been able to use it and rely on the passport for cruising.

[TeaBag]

I agree with Gold. Get the new passport, you'll need it in the future anyway. You don't say which ports you are visiting while on the cruise. If, for some reason you got stuck in one of those, I doubt they would even recognize the Nexus card. How would you get home? It will be interesting to hear if someone has done this though. We only use ours for day trips to the US and also at the airport leaving and arriving home.

[cruise47]

Be safe and go get a new passport.

[HardToPort]

DW and I are cruising in March and her passport expires in June. The last time this happened Princess cruises required her to get a new passport since the one she had also expired within 6 mths of the final date of the cruise.

 

quote]

 

Hi Rick,

 

I have cruised out of NYC and Boston showing my NEXUS card but my passport was safely tucked away in my carry-on. I can cross the Buffalo border and board a flight from Buffalo with my NEXUS. I can board the cruise ship in the US.

 

What may be problematic is whether any of your ports of call are familiar with it, or recognize it. Also, you cannot board a Canadian plane without a passport. So, if you plan on flying from Ottawa to the US, or getting off at every port of call, a passport is s good backup.

 

Your NEXUS card is useful for cross border shopping, skipping the long line at airport security and customs inspection, but for travel to foreign countries for extended periods, take your passport.

 

I am in the same boat as your wife. I'm cruising in January 2014 and my passport expires in June 2014. I've got the new applicatiobn filled out and will have my 10 year passport next month.

 

Remember the saying, just because you could, doesn't mean you should.

 

Cheers!

HTP

:cool:

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The expiration date on the passport is only an issue if it is an issue in some of the countries you will be visiting. Celebrity will tell you it must be valid for 6 months which is their standard recommendation. I once traveled with a passport which was expiring in 5 months. Went back and forth with Celebrity and they finally admitted that the 6 months was only a recommendation. I had checked all the countries I would be visiting and none of them required 6 months. Some required 3 months.

 

Is it exactly 3 months on your wife's passport? With such a short window, I'd get a new passport. She'll have to anyway after you return from the cruise. Why not just get it handled now and not have to worry about it.

 

[bbeltmom]

On our last cruise (Jan 2014 Southern Caribbean on Eclipse) we brought both (just in case) and used just our Nexus. We had no issues and will not bring passports again.

[bbeltmom]

you cannot board a Canadian plane without a passport.

:cool:

 

This is untrue. We fly all the time between Canada and US and within Canada with Nexus.

[Sloop-JohnB]

I would just get a new Passport.

 

More safe, less hassle... You are going to need one anyhow

 

And now Canada as a 10 Year version - Yippee !!

 

Plus a good value ($ 160 vs $ 120 for the 5 year)

 

And honestly doing a renewal is easy-breezy. Turn around unbelievably quick (see this recent thread = http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2101911 which talks about both US & Cdn experiences)

 

Cheers!

Edited October 26, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[waterbug123]

Also, you cannot board a Canadian plane without a passport. So, if you plan on flying from Ottawa to the US

 

This is untrue. We fly all the time between Canada and US and within Canada with Nexus.

 

Maybe the confusion is that Nexus did not originally apply to air travel between the US and Canada but now it does. ??

[gold1953]

Nexus did apply to air travel from the beginning but not all airports were set up or familiar with it . It is still evolving and we are very happy with it. We have had ours since the start.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I guess it depends on where you are going

On our Holy Land cruise , Celebrity keep our past ports for the first week until the day before we dock in Israel, Andre need to show them as we departed and board the ship each day

Just get a new passport, who knows how the rules will change after this week

[DirtyDawg]

Three years ago when I got the NEXUS card I was told by a Customs official that not all U.S. airports at that time could handle the card. He recommended that I take both documents on a road trip to Florida just in case I had to fly back from one of those airports in an emergency. Has this changed totally? Do all U.S. airports take NEXUS now?

 

As for the 6 month rule/recommendation, last year we booked a Celebrity cruise very last minute and my son's passport expired 4 days after we finished the cruise. And we didn't cross the border until the day before it expired. No problems with U.S. immigration, Celebrity, or Canadian Customs. We only did that because we had no choice (the passport people said they couldn't process a new one in the little time we had), but since you are a much better planner than I am;) take the others' advice and get a new one while you have the time.

 

Oh, and have a great cruise, Eh!

[Rob the Cruiser]

Get the passport and avoid the angst and speculation.

[vulcan1971]

DW and I are cruising in March and her passport expires in June. The last time this happened Princess cruises required her to get a new passport since the one she had also expired within 6 mths of the final date of the cruise.

 

While perusing the Celebrity site to see if they also had the 6 mth rule I saw the following:

"U.S. and Canadian citizens on closed-loop cruises, (voyages that begin and end at the same U.S. port) unless otherwise noted in 'Closed-Loop Sailing Exceptions' below, will be able to enter or depart the U.S. with a valid Passport, U.S. Passport Card, U. S. or Provincial Enhanced Driver's License, Trusted Traveler Program Card such as Nexus Card, Sentri Card or Fast Card."

 

This would lead me to believe that since we are on a closed-loop cruise (and we are not impacted by the Exceptions listed) she will be OK with her NEXUS card.

 

I'll call Celebrity to confirm but given the variability of their answers I thought I'd check and see if any other Canadians have been able to successfully do this (she'll also bring her passport).

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

It sounds like you have plenty of time to get a renewed passport in place before the March cruise. Most people here including myself would recommend that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network using Tapatalk Pro

[monicajay]

First, the Nexus card has always been accepted at all airports in Canada, it's just that some have a dedicated lane others don't.

 

Second, I presented Nexus once at the Port Everglades and was told I needed my passport. I had it in my pocket but just wanted to try with the Nexus. This was about 4 years ago though so things could have changed.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

How long does it take to get a Nexus card ?

What does one have to do to get it ?

[daisy-mae]

How long does it take to get a Nexus card ?

What does one have to do to get it ?

 

You can start here:

 

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/menu-eng.html

 

 

It can take a month or two for the application to be processed, then another month or more to get an appointment for the interview, which you must attend in person.

[waterbug123]

 

As for the 6 month rule/recommendation, last year we booked a Celebrity cruise very last minute and my son's passport expired 4 days after we finished the cruise. And we didn't cross the border until the day before it expired. No problems with U.S. immigration, Celebrity, or Canadian Customs.

 

Was it a closed loop cruise out of the US? If so, it wouldn't have mattered for Celebrity because a passport isn't needed for immigration purposes, just to prove identity and citizenship; therefore expiration date really isn't important.

The reason some countries require a PP to be valid for X months is that they want to make sure you can travel freely IF your departure from the country is delayed for some reason.

[RickT]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I took this a little further on my own and here is what I found out.

 

1) Canadians require a passport OR NEXUS card (other docs also allowed) to enter the United States. The United States has no expiry date requirements so as long as the passport is valid during your stay that is OK. Travel using just a NEXUS card is also OK (One check mark).

2) None of the countries being visited have a passport valid date requirement of more than 3 months so my wife's passport is also OK for travel during this cruise (Second check mark).

3) Celebrity has also confirmed that a NEXUS card for a closed loop cruise is also acceptable for a Canadian (Third check mark).

 

To that end I was able to register both my wife and I for this cruise without issue. We will however travel with both our passports and NEXUS cards.

 

Special thanks to DirtyDawg, monicajay and bbeltmom who relayed their own person NEXUS card experiences. My DW will renew her passport after the cruise but not before. No need to give the Canadian government any money before it's needed.

Edited October 26, 2014 by RickT

[daisy-mae]

 

My DW will renew her passport after the cruise but not before. No need to give the Canadian government any money before it's needed.

 

 

True, but to be safe, you might want to give yourself a bit of an overlap, since for the Nexus program it is recommended that passports be renewed and the new number registered before the expiry date of the one that is on the record.

[Ruthk]

First, I live a couple of miles away from the US/Cdn border and constantly go into the States. You must understand, there has to be a Nexus lane to use Nexus and not every border or airport has that. Also there are times they do ask for your Passport as well. Nexus is a vehicle to fast track you through customs because they had done an extensive search on you, but if they suspect anything at all, you will be pulled over, questioned and searched. Save yourself the aggravation and renew your Passport.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

You are wise to take both your passports and your NEXUS cards. You didn't mention where you closed loop cruise is going, but if for some reason you has to fly home from a foreign country, I doubt your NEXUS cards would work.

 

Enjoy your cruise!