Passport Rules

[princessjeniffer]

I am going on a Cruise in 3 weeks, my ship starts in Ft.Lauderdale and goes around the Caribbean.

 

My passport expires May 30, 2016 it is Canadian.

 

Do I need to get this renewed before I go?

[eandj]

Go to your government passport info page. I wouldn't go by what anyone tells you here. I'd get on it asap.;)

 

I know U.S. passport holders need to have as much as 6 months before the passport expires to enter some destinations. You really need to get the official rules for Canadian passports.

Edited February 24, 2016 by eandj

[Celebrity Cruises]

I am going on a Cruise in 3 weeks, my ship starts in Ft.Lauderdale and goes around the Caribbean.

 

My passport expires May 30, 2016 it is Canadian.

 

Do I need to get this renewed before I go?

 

We strongly recommend that all guests travel with a passport that is valid for at least six(6) months beyond the end of their cruise. This greatly assists guests who may need to fly out of the United States to meet their ship at the next available port should they miss their scheduled embarkation in a U.S. port; guests entering the U.S. at the end of their cruise; and guests needing to fly to the U.S. before their cruise ends, because of medical, family, personal or business emergencies, missing a ship's departure from a port of call, involuntary disembarkation from a ship due to misconduct, or other reasons.

[K&RCurt]

Go to your government passport info page. I wouldn't go by what anyone tells you here. I'd get on it asap.;)

 

I know U.S. passport holders need to have as much as 6 months before the passport expires to enter some destinations. You really need to get the official rules for Canadian passports.

 

The issue isn't a government one, it is a travel provider issue.

 

OP are you flying to Florida from Canada? If so, your airline might not allow you to fly to the US from Canada if your passport is less than 6 months from expiration. Likewise if you have to make your way home from one of the Islands and can't get a direct flight to Canada, the airline might have the same issue.

 

I would check with your airline if you are flying to the US and check the requirements with the US CBP about entry requirements into the US if you are driving.

 

If you can renew in the time before your cruise, I would to be safe.

[Fouremco]

This GOC site will enable you to verify the requirements for each of the islands you'll be visiting. For example, Canadians must present a passport to visit Saint Lucia, which must be valid for at least three months beyond the date of expected departure from that country. The length of time varies by country, but 6 months is generally the maximum and I haven't checked all of the islands.

 

http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

 

I cited Saint Lucia as in 2014 we had to disembark there mid-cruise and fly back to Ottawa for medical reasons. Had our passports not been valid beyond the three months, we would not have been admitted to the island.

 

I'd definitely renew.

 

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/apply/renew/

[Bo1953]

This GOC site will enable you to verify the requirements for each of the islands you'll be visiting. For example, Canadians must present a passport to visit Saint Lucia, which must be valid for at least three months beyond the date of expected departure from that country. The length of time varies by country, but 6 months is generally the maximum and I haven't checked all of the islands.

 

http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories

 

I cited Saint Lucia as in 2014 we had to disembark there mid-cruise and fly back to Ottawa for medical reasons. Had our passports not been valid beyond the three months, we would not have been admitted to the island.

 

I'd definitely renew.

 

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/passport/apply/renew/

 

 

Thank you for pointing out that this is a 'Government' issue with the provider giving conservative information for travel where they serve and also must enforce or face possible penalties for fostering violations of the law.

 

Many travelers have not read or understand that travel policies have changed since 2001 and as such may not always provide the correct response, check with your passport issuance agency or listen to others at your own possible peril.

 

bon voyage

Edited February 24, 2016 by Bo1953

[TeaBag]

I am going on a Cruise in 3 weeks, my ship starts in Ft.Lauderdale and goes around the Caribbean.

 

My passport expires May 30, 2016 it is Canadian.

 

Do I need to get this renewed before I go?

I would definitely renew. We are sailing Mar 10 and we were about 2 days short of the 6 month requirement, so we got new ones. We got our new passports in the mail less than 2 weeks from when we applied. They were issued in Kelowna of all places! We chose the 10 yr ones this time ($160 each). I think 5 yr ones were $120. Go to Costco for your pix, they are cheap and fast. You really don't have a minute to lose. Enjoy your cruise.

[princessjeniffer]

Thanks everyone, I will go down to the passport office tomorrow :)

[varoo]

I am going on a Cruise in 3 weeks, my ship starts in Ft.Lauderdale and goes around the Caribbean.

 

My passport expires May 30, 2016 it is Canadian.

 

Do I need to get this renewed before I go?

We were in a similar situation recently and paid the extra fee to expedite the renewal of our passports, just for our own peace of mind.

 

Celebrity told us that our old passports would be fine for boarding the ship. But it was easiest for us just to pay the fee to expedite the renewal rather than checking out the requirements for each country we would be visiting or worrying about all the different possible "what if" scenarios.

 

To us it was well worth paying the extra fee as we won't need to be concerned about it again for another 10 years.

 

 

 

As for passport photos, the last we heard the Canadian requirements were different from the USA.

They required Canadians to have their passport photos taken by a commercial photographer, while we here in the USA can simply take and print our own passport photos.

 

(As long as the photos meet the requirements, it seems strange that they would care who took them, unless they get a kickback from the commercial photographers.)

 

 

[gopro63]

would you not get a renewal letter sent?

[eandj]

The issue isn't a government one, it is a travel provider issue.

 

 

 

.

 

Ummmm....., since the Canadian government issues passports and sets the " rules of the game," for visiting other countries, I don't get why you'd say it is a "travel provider issue". :confused:

 

Glad the OP is taking the advice she needs.

[waterbug123]

Ummmm....., since the Canadian government issues passports and sets the " rules of the game," for visiting other countries, I don't get why you'd say it is a "travel provider issue". :confused:

 

Glad the OP is taking the advice she needs.

 

Actually it depends directly on neither the travel provider or the Canadian government. Whether not one needs a passport depends on the countries one is trying to enter, in combination with how one is arriving. If you're a Canadian citizen, the Canadian government doesn't care if you have a passport or not. To be sure, some travel providers will require slightly stricter requirements, just to make sure you are covered for unexpected contingencies.

[rnrcruzin]

To my way of thinking, if your passport is within a year of expiration then it's probably a good idea to renew. If you prorate the cost of renewal over the life of the passport it probably equals a glass of wine a year.