My License

[bostonirishgirl1]

So I'm freaking out!!!!! I just realized TODAY 6/19 and I cruise on 6/26 That my DL expires while I'm on the cruise. So when I go to check into the cruise my DL will be valid....but when I get off the ship my DL will have expired the day before. Do you think this is going to be a problem.

No, I can not go to the DMV and get a new DL because they just issue a "paper id" that is not valid for anything. It takes 7-10 buisness days to come in the mail. So I don't know what to do!!??? I'm freaking out!

So again, My DL is VALID when I check onto the cruise but it expires while I'm cruising....will this be an issue.

Please refrain from name calling and putting me down...I'm already doing this enough! I've made myself sick to my stomach! I'm stressed to the max!!!

Please Help!!

[Kag1526]

Not sure about the cruise but are you flying? If you are you will need another ID for the flight (passport would work though)

[SantaFeFan]

So I'm freaking out!!!!! I just realized TODAY 6/19 and I cruise on 6/26 That my DL expires while I'm on the cruise. So when I go to check into the cruise my DL will be valid....but when I get off the ship my DL will have expired the day before. Do you think this is going to be a problem.

No, I can not go to the DMV and get a new DL because they just issue a "paper id" that is not valid for anything. It takes 7-10 buisness days to come in the mail. So I don't know what to do!!??? I'm freaking out!

So again, My DL is VALID when I check onto the cruise but it expires while I'm cruising....will this be an issue.

Please refrain from name calling and putting me down...I'm already doing this enough! I've made myself sick to my stomach! I'm stressed to the max!!!

Please Help!!

 

Your best bet is to contact the cruise line and explain your situation. Only they can tell you how to deal with your situation. None of us are representatives of that cruise line so we have zero authority to tell you what you must do. And ask for that information in writing so you can use it to back you up in case of a conflict when you check in.

Edited June 19, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[Ashland]

Why will you need to show your DL at all or when you get off the ship ?

 

Your passport should be the only thing you need really to travel.

 

Make an appointment with DMV before you cruise for asap when you return home.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic...and relax and enjoy your cruise.

Edited June 20, 2015 by Ashland

[Flatbush Flyer]

So I'm freaking out!!!!! I just realized TODAY 6/19 and I cruise on 6/26 That my DL expires while I'm on the cruise. So when I go to check into the cruise my DL will be valid....but when I get off the ship my DL will have expired the day before. Do you think this is going to be a problem.

 

No, I can not go to the DMV and get a new DL because they just issue a "paper id" that is not valid for anything. It takes 7-10 buisness days to come in the mail. So I don't know what to do!!??? I'm freaking out!

 

So again, My DL is VALID when I check onto the cruise but it expires while I'm cruising....will this be an issue.

 

Please refrain from name calling and putting me down...I'm already doing this enough! I've made myself sick to my stomach! I'm stressed to the max!!!

 

Please Help!!

 

 

Just use your passport.

[njhorseman]

Why will you need to show your DL at all or when you get off the ship ?

 

Your passport should be the only thing you need really to travel.

 

Make an appointment with DMV before you cruise for asap when you return home.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic...and relax and enjoy your cruise.

 

Just use your passport.

 

I think it's a fairly safe assumption that the OP doesn't have a passport and is using a birth certificate and drivers license as documentation of citizenship and identity, respectively.

Edited June 20, 2015 by njhorseman

[paul929207]

Contact DMV ASAP to see if they can expedite a new DL for you. It may cost, but better than wasting the cruise

[Kartgv]

Our DMV issues a paper 'extension' that you carry with your expired license; it's usually good for 30 days. Check again and see what the 'paper' yours issues looks like - it might be enough to get you through.

[summer slope]

You can renew your DL 90 days before it expires. Get it renewed on Monday.

[dsrdsrdsr]

So I don't know what to do!!??? I'm freaking out!

 

1. Stop freaking out.

2. Ask the cruise line what to do.

3. Ask your driving licence centre what to do.

Edited June 20, 2015 by dsrdsrdsr

[njhorseman]

You can renew your DL 90 days before it expires. Get it renewed on Monday.

 

The OP said her state doesn't issue a full standard drivers license with your picture on it when you go to the DMV. They just issue a paper document and mail you the drivers license, which won't arrive for 7 to 10 business days.

[summer slope]

I'm sorry, I missed that.

[njhorseman]

Our DMV issues a paper 'extension' that you carry with your expired license; it's usually good for 30 days. Check again and see what the 'paper' yours issues looks like - it might be enough to get you through.

 

I agree...as long as the OP's state doesn't confiscate the old drivers license when you come into the DMV office to renew...and they probably don't.

[fishywood]

I don't know about MA (assuming from her screen name where the OP is from) but here in FL you can just go online, pay the renewal fee and print out the extension receipt. So I would be calling the cruise line and asking if that is acceptable.

Edited June 20, 2015 by fishywood

[SantaFeFan]

I agree...as long as the OP's state doesn't confiscate the old drivers license when you come into the DMV office to renew...and they probably don't.

 

At least in my state, the expired license with photo and the extension work together. Showing both should suffice in most circumstances. But check with the cruise line for certain.

[lbjen]

Here in TX they take your license off you and give you a piece of paper, very annoying when it was always produced in house in IL and given to you within minutes.

 

OP you have time to get an expedited passport if necessary. If you have your birth certificate then you don't need anything else beyond photos and $$$

[Ashland]

I think it's a fairly safe assumption that the OP doesn't have a passport and is using a birth certificate and drivers license as documentation of citizenship and identity, respectively.

I don't think it's ever "safe to assume" anything on these boards.

 

Regardless if the OP is using a certified BC she/he will only need to show this documentation when embarking not disembarking.

[SadieN]

I don't think it's ever "safe to assume" anything on these boards.

 

Regardless if the OP is using a certified BC she/he will only need to show this documentation when embarking not disembarking.

 

 

True.

 

But OP needs a valid DL to fly.

[Shmoo here]

I don't think it's ever "safe to assume" anything on these boards.

 

Regardless if the OP is using a certified BC she/he will only need to show this documentation when embarking not disembarking.

 

I don't think that's right. You have to show ID (in OPs case a birth certificate - proving citizenship and a driver's license - proving who he/she is) at Customs/Immigration when returning to the US (even on a closed loop cruise).

[njhorseman]

I don't think it's ever "safe to assume" anything on these boards.

 

Regardless if the OP is using a certified BC she/he will only need to show this documentation when embarking not disembarking.

 

I believe it was a safe assumption because the OP wouldn't have a problem if she had a passport and wouldn't have had to ask a question about her drivers license, because she wouldn't need a drivers license. The DL's expiration date would be irrelevant.

 

You're wrong about only needing her documentation at embarkation. CBP has the right to ask her for it at disembarkation. Further your ID is supposed to be valid for the duration of your cruise, just as your passport has to be valid for the duration of cruise if you're using a passport. If the DL is examined closely at embarkation she could be denied boarding, just as she would be denied boarding if her passport expired before the completion of the cruise.

[njhorseman]

True.

 

But OP needs a valid DL to fly.

 

Not true...CBP examines your documentation upon disembarkation just as it's examined by a port agent at embarkation.

 

The OP never said she was flying, but even if she is TSA rules have a provision that allows a person to fly without proper ID if they have other ways to establish their identity to TSA's satisfaction...and there's a pretty good chance a DL that expired a day previously would be sufficient to establish identity.

[rdsqrl]

You have 3 options:

1. Cancel your cruise (I assume you purchased travel insurance that covers "cancel for any reason").

 

2. Call your DMV and find out if there is any way to receive a same-day license. If not, call the cruise line and find out if you can travel with the expired license and the paper ID. That said, in my state, where they also mail licenses, they take away your old license and you only have the paper copy, which has no photo so is useless for travel. It even says (again, this is just in my state) "Not Valid For Proof of Identity" in big letters. So that won't work if it's the same in your state.

 

3. Get a passport. Oddly, while this seems the most extreme and undoable option, it's actually the easiest. You can have a passport issued same-day, but you need to call right now to get an appointment. Right now. They book up fast. You'll pay extra, but the good news is that your soon-to-expire license will be perfectly fine for proving your identity at the passport office. And then you'll have 10 years (well, 9.5) before you have to have a similar last-minute and no documents crisis!

 

Good luck.

[brn2crz]

We had this same situation with someone traveling with us a few years ago. What RCI told us and proved to work was as long as ALL info on the paper copy matched your picture ID it would work. But you will need to call the cruise line to see if that us still the case.

[omeinv]

Most states have gone to the paper application receipt when one renews or gets a license. However, what's not typically understood is the paper receipt works in conjunction with the expired driver's license. It serves as proof the license has ben renewed and is thus valid. It will have the driver's license and other demographic information on it. You will retain your expired license.

 

So, you will have the required valid driver's license, as long as you have the paper receipt with you. The TWO documents now serve the function that the one used to. Of course you still need a birth certificate to go with the driver's license.

 

Please don't panic. You'll be fine.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Essiesmom]

My state keeps the expired/expiring DL. They take your picture and give you a piece of paper that has the new license on it, as well as the picture. It looks just like the new DL will look. the permanent DL arrives in about 10 days. EM