Turned away by customs and missed the cruise

[maggieworkman]

 

Read, understand and share this information regarding entering Canada at Victoria:

 

http://www.tourismvictoria.com/plan/travel-tips/passports/

 

 

Thanks. I have been reading all the official sites but it is confusing. For example, in the link above it states:

 

"If you are travelling by land or sea (including cruises and ferries) between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda, and you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen age 19 and older, you must present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States (effective June 1, 2009)."

 

So does a birth certificate and drivers license count as an "approved secure document denoting citizenship and identify."

 

Maggie

[triptolemus]

Here's what I can tell you about entering Canada without a passport.

 

I have seen people turned away in Fraser. They were on my bus on the way up to take the train back. They did not have their passports. They were denied entry -- fortunately were not detained -- and made to ride the bus back to Skagway.

 

On the other hand, Victoria seems to be just fine letting people off/on the ship with their US drivers license and ship card.

 

The sage advice is always to get the passports. Especially if you have time.

 

And... this is just my personal opinion... but I would not consider a birth certificate to be a "secure" document. Secure documents would be Passports, NEXUS, SENTRI, etc.

Edited February 18, 2016 by triptolemus

[shadowmeboy]

Thanks. I have been reading all the official sites but it is confusing. For example, in the link above it states:

 

"If you are travelling by land or sea (including cruises and ferries) between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda, and you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen age 19 and older, you must present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States (effective June 1, 2009)."

 

So does a birth certificate and drivers license count as an "approved secure document denoting citizenship and identify."

 

Maggie

 

Not according to CBP. You would need to have a US Passport card, an enhanced drivers license from a state such as Washington, nexus card, or other secure document as specified by the Department of Homeland Security under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. (http://www.dhs.gov/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative) You may be able to get on the ship with just the DL and BC but you may not be able to visit foreign ports without the enhanced document.

 

Below taken from CBP Website:

What types of documents are accepted for entry into the United States via land and sea?

•U.S. citizens can present a valid: U.S. Passport; Passport Card; Enhanced Driver’s License; Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST); U.S. Military identification card when traveling on official orders; U.S. Merchant Mariner document when traveling in conjunction with official maritime business; or Form I-872 American Indian Card, or (when available) Enhanced Tribal Card.•U.S. and Canadian citizen children under the age of 16 (or under 19, if traveling with a school, religious group, or other youth group) need only present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. The birth certificate can be original, photocopy, or certified copy.

•WHTI does not affect U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents, who are still required to present their permanent resident card (Form I-551) or other valid evidence of permanent residence status.

•Canadian citizens can present a valid passport, Enhanced Driver’s License, or Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST).

•Bermudian citizens are required to present a valid passport.

•Mexican citizens, including children, are required to present a passport with visa, or a Border Crossing Card.

•U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.

Edited February 18, 2016 by shadowmeboy

[EyeSeaEwe]

Hi there,

 

We are in a situation that we booked a Norwegian Alaska cruise from/back Seattle to avoid getting Canadian visa. But we still got turned away by customs since the ship would sail in Canadian border and stop at Victoria island. We understand that, and should have got the visa ahead of time.

 

Now, does anybody know if we can get our money, at least some of our money back? A voucher? and if I dispute the charge on my credit card, would it lead to anything.

Thanks for your help in advance, we just need to recoup some of the $2000 lost.

 

David

 

File a claim with your CC company under this situation could be determined to be fraud. You have no grounds to file a claim.

[2016USAHoliday]

Thanks for this thread. Although I checked months ago to see if I required a Visa for entry into Canada, after reading this, I thought I should double check again!

 

Lucky I did because as of March 15, 2016 Australians (and other countries) are required to have an eTA!

 

It pays to check, double check and triple check as circumstances change!

 

 

edited to add: that is only if you are flying in or transiting through, so I don't need one as I am cruising in and flying out. If only Visas were a simple matter!!!!

Edited February 18, 2016 by 2016USAHoliday

[sparks1093]

Thanks. I have been reading all the official sites but it is confusing. For example, in the link above it states:

 

"If you are travelling by land or sea (including cruises and ferries) between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda, and you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen age 19 and older, you must present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States (effective June 1, 2009)."

 

So does a birth certificate and drivers license count as an "approved secure document denoting citizenship and identify."

 

Maggie

 

They might let you into Canada with those documents but you'd run into problems getting back into the US. Now, it is my understanding that they cannot deny you entry into the US if you are a US citizen BUT they can certainly take their time admitting you and might possibly be able to fine you for not having the requisite documentation for land re-entry, which would be a passport, passport card or EDL.

[sparks1093]

-- fortunately were not detained --

 

Why would they be detained? Requesting admittance without the correct documentation is not a crime and the only response is to be denied entry. (If they snuck past the border guards and were caught that would be a different story:).)

[KirkNC]

Good news is you saved the money on the visa.

[rekarlu]

good news is you saved the money on the visa.

 

rofl.....lol...lmao

Edited February 18, 2016 by rekarlu

[nbsjcruiser]

Hi there,

 

We are in a situation that we booked a Norwegian Alaska cruise from/back Seattle to avoid getting Canadian visa. But we still got turned away by customs since the ship would sail in Canadian border and stop at Victoria island. We understand that, and should have got the visa ahead of time.

 

Now, does anybody know if we can get our money, at least some of our money back? A voucher? and if I dispute the charge on my credit card, would it lead to anything.

Thanks for your help in advance, we just need to recoup some of the $2000 lost.

 

David

 

Didn't realize this was such an old post before I posted this question:

Why would you need a visa? Your US passport should have done the trick.

Edited February 18, 2016 by nbsjcruiser

[hawkeyetlse]

Why would you need a visa? Your US passport should have done the trick.

It was for the OP's mother, who holds a Chinese passport.

[jenseib]

I want to clarify something about Alaska cruises roundtrip from Seattle. For the record my family and I (me, DH, DDs) all have U.S. passports. We are going on the Pearl with extended family and I am sort of the leader. I want to post info about documents on our Facebook group so that everyone has time to get what they need.

 

They can cruise with a certified birth certificate and drivers license since it is round trip from Seattle. Right? I imagine the women should bring marriage license (just in case) if they are using a birth certificate that obviously has their maiden name and not their married one.

 

However, if we do an excursion in Skagway that crosses the border, they need their passport. Would a passport card work for this if we are driving and/or taking a bus tour and/or the train?

 

If we get off the ship in Victoria and go to the Butchart Gardens, do they need a passport?

 

Thanks,

Maggie

 

If you are considering a passport card just pay the difference for a book. The card is pretty worthless unless you drive to and from Canada a lot.

It's not much more to get the full fledged passport and it's a much better peace of mind!

 

When we got off in Victoria we only had to scan our ship cards and same for getting back on. We were amazed they never looked at any other form of ID. But I made my husband and daughter get passports anyways. Just in case something went awry. My husband has been balking about getting them for years and I put my foot down on this cruise and said they had to be had. Of course when they never looked at them he called me on it. LOL.

[rigs32]

 

"If you are travelling by land or sea (including cruises and ferries) between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda, and you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen age 19 and older, you must present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States (effective June 1, 2009)."

 

So does a birth certificate and drivers license count as an "approved secure document denoting citizenship and identify."

 

The regulation requires a document (singular). A BC + DL = documentS, therefore I would never assume they would work. You need a single document to establish citizenship and identity (passport or passport card).

[sail7seas]

Most travel insurance will not pay if you suffer a loss for not having correct and required travel documents.

 

[bruadhin]

If you are considering a passport card just pay the difference for a book. The card is pretty worthless unless you drive to and from Canada a lot.

It's not much more to get the full fledged passport and it's a much better peace of mind!

 

When we got off in Victoria we only had to scan our ship cards and same for getting back on. We were amazed they never looked at any other form of ID. But I made my husband and daughter get passports anyways. Just in case something went awry. My husband has been balking about getting them for years and I put my foot down on this cruise and said they had to be had. Of course when they never looked at them he called me on it. LOL.

 

We have always carried passports off the ship with us. Our last cruise stopped in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For anyone not aware, CBP mans the gates there, and you might as well be disembarking from the cruise ship with the way they control access back to the ship. Everyone was required to show proof of citizenship and photo ID to match the ships' card. Crew were required to show their government issued photo ID as well.

 

CBP does not stop anyone from leaving the ship, at least that we say. But they most certainly will stop people from returning to the ship in San Juan. We saw many people running back to the ship to grab passports and other documents for family members.

[martincath]

Thanks. I have been reading all the official sites but it is confusing. For example, in the link above it states:

 

"If you are travelling by land or sea (including cruises and ferries) between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda, and you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen age 19 and older, you must present a passport or other approved secure document denoting citizenship and identity for all land and sea travel into the United States (effective June 1, 2009)."

 

So does a birth certificate and drivers license count as an "approved secure document denoting citizenship and identify."

 

Maggie

Triptolemus' links were very comprehensive, but I think there's a factor that needed emphasised about all of them. The criteria above, and in the other links, are all for entering the USA - NOT for entering Canada. It's right in the wording there immediately after the bold/underlined part. Even post-WHTI, Canada does not demand the same ID from US visitors as your own government does. What our border agents do is - FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT - verify that you have the additional info your own government demands so you can get BACK HOME! if you have a good reason for coming into Canada without your US docs, they WILL let you in - I've heard first-hand stories of folks who are visiting Canada for a period while renewing their passports for example, which family were going to mail to them here.

 

This explains the 'different' treatment at Victoria versus White Pass - there is a specific exemption to the regular WHTI rules for Closed Loop cruises (this doc is the most comprehensive for all WHTI stuff I find, read down to page 4). This exemption only covers sea-based arrival when you have been on a closed loop though - if you go over the border at White Pass, you would be reentering the USA again at that same border by land and thus would be refused entry with just a DL/BC combo by your own CBP, so our CBSA are especially vigilant there to ensure nobody gets stuck in a rather inhospitable part of Canada, far away from consulates, airports, or indeed just about anything manmade except the road and railway!

 

Because Victoria to Butchart does not involve any borders, as long as you are allowed off in Victoria (i.e. no DUI or other criminal charges are flagged for any of your family...) you can definitely visit Butchart without any additional risk - EXCEPT of course that your earlier question about alternate ways to visit Butchart now becomes SUPER IMPORTANT because anyone traveling without a passport who misses the boat is going to find it VERY time-consuming to get home from Victoria. No planes, no ferries, no buses - you WILL need a WHTI-compliant doc to be allowed back into the US if you don't come back on a closed loop cruise.

 

Oh, and if your family plan to continue traveling without passports in future you might want to start pressuring your State representatives to get their asses in gear and make Illinois DLs RealID compliant. As of January this year, you're on the CBP Naughty List and unless things change by 2020, not even domestic flights for you guys without alternate ID...

[Aldeya]

I

 

When we got off in Victoria we only had to scan our ship cards and same for getting back on. We were amazed they never looked at any other form of ID. But I made my husband and daughter get passports anyways. Just in case something went awry. My husband has been balking about getting them for years and I put my foot down on this cruise and said they had to be had. Of course when they never looked at them he called me on it. LOL.

 

Murphy's Law: If you didn't have the passports they WOULD ask you for them.

 

Ask me how I know! LOL