Visa Questions

[kira5]

Some countries require a visa (in addition to your Passport) to visit them and this varies depending on your citizenship. This, I am clear on. But what is the situation if you don't get off the ship? Do you still need a visa? I have twice visited countries where visas are required but I did nothing ahead of time. One, St. Petersburg, we booked an independent tour and were assured that our printed receipt for the tour would be sufficient. It was. The cruise line intimated that passengers needed to book a tour with them but to their credit they did clarify that. Passengers could not get off the ship and stroll around on their own but I believe that you could stay on board without a visa. Has anyone been prevented from even boarding the ship without showing your visa for each port?

 

Planning a land vacation to Tanzania a few years ago, I discovered you could apply for a visa online or use a service. Or, in the alternative, you could show up at the airport with 2 passport pictures and $50 U.S. (cash only) The latter is what we did and we joined a short queue to obtain our visa at a counter at the airport.

 

I haven't seen cruise lines state that a visa is required for visits to any country but, of course, that varies upon your citizenship. I wonder if they tell you before/after you have booked. For example, cruising to Australia, it would seem that stopped at one or more of the Polynesian islands requires a visa.

 

It makes a difference for last minute booking. Plus on a very long cruise you could end up with multiple visa requirements. You would be forced to use an agency at some expense if obtaining the visa ahead of time was required.

[Essiesmom]

It is buried in the fine print. The cruise line expects you to read that...'Guest is responsible for obtaining necessary visas-'. Sometimes they will tell you what you need but often they will expect you to research it. A good TA will tell you what you need and how to get it. It's part of their job. Russia is the only one I know that requires a visa to gt off the ship, but if you stay onboard you can get away without one. Usually, if you are in the territorial waters of a country that requires a visa, you have to have one even if you don't plan to get off. Several years ago a lot of people were denied boarding in Miami on a ship that was doing a repo to the west coast, around South America with a stop in Rio. They didn't have visas for Brazil. It happens. If your country requires a visa from visitors from country X, then country x will require you to have one to visit them. EM

[iancal]

The only time that visa requirement have caused us not to book a last minute cruise was the India visa requirement. We were travelling in Malaysia and had no intention of forwarding our passports to an Indian consultate or High Commission for processing. So we did not book. Since then India has changed their process (so we are told) and we can now do it on line.

 

We have visited many countries where visas are required. For Brazil we had a consulate in the city where we lived. Same for the extended Thailand visa that we needed. For others it has always been either on line or at port of entry.

[Scrapnana]

When I did a world cruise a few years ago we were told that we had to get a visa for India and China even if we were not planning on getting off the ship. When checking in for the cruise, passports were checked to see that both were there. Luckily, many visas are acquired by the cruise line and added to your onboard account.

[kira5]

But if the cruise ship can obtain a number of blank visas 'just in case' it seems to me to show that it is not a question of vetting people but rather collecting the fee.

[Mary Ellen]

It entirely depends upon the laws of of the country/countries involved. China and Brazil are two that come to mind that do not allow any passengers without visas, if required for their country of citizenship, to just stay on the ship. Neither country permits visas to be issued on board or at arrival. As you experienced, Russia is one where passengers may just stay on the ship if they don't have the necessary visa or approved tour arrangements.

[Shorex]

Visa requirements are complicated, change frequently, are sometimes benefited by special rules for tourism/cruisers, and as you noted, are dependent on citizenship. Generalizations are of very limited use, each situation is specific.

 

But what is the situation if you don't get off the ship? Do you still need a visa?

 

Almost certainly. Even if you don't get off the ship, you are in the territorial waters of that country and subject to all their laws. The "almost" is because there have been a few anecdotal exceptions mentioned on cc over the years. However, when I plan a trip, I rely only on official resources, not stories on cc.

 

... One, St. Petersburg, we booked an independent tour and were assured that our printed receipt for the tour would be sufficient. It was.

 

This has been the situation for many years - passengers on cruises stopping in St. Petersburg may rely either on the ship to obtain the limited tourist permission/visa (and take only their tours) or book in advance with an official Russian tourist agency that handles the paperwork for you. I don't know why anyone would book a cruise to St. Petersburg and not want to get off the ship. And I'm certain Russian authorities have copies of the ship manifest and know who is in their country.

 

Has anyone been prevented from even boarding the ship without showing your visa for each port?

 

Oh yes. Most notably for cruises that visit Brazil. We have seen guests without Brazilian visas prevented from boarding in Argentina when the ship would be stopping in Brazil. We also know of a case where guests were allowed to board in Valparaiso, Chile, but had to disembark in Buenos Aires and fly to the port after the last stop in Brazil at their own expense because they did not have visas for Brazil.

 

I haven't seen cruise lines state that a visa is required for visits to any country but, of course, that varies upon your citizenship. I wonder if they tell you before/after you have booked.

 

It's always in the paperwork after you book. Or, in some cases, it's easy to find out online. For Oceania, look here. For Crystal, look here. Princess, Azamara, Silversea and others also have similar links.

 

For example, cruising to Australia, it would seem that stopped at one or more of the Polynesian islands requires a visa.

 

Possible. However, last year we cruised from San Diego to Auckland stopping in the Marquesas, several islands that are part of French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji without needing a visa. Every specific itinerary needs to be examined on its own to determine whether visas are required. Even then, sometimes the ship handles that seamlessly, other times the visa must be obtained in advance by the cruiser. For cruises that include Australia, an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) is necessary.

 

Plus on a very long cruise you could end up with multiple visa requirements.

 

Yes. World cruisers often need multiple visas, but they are generally (there's that word again) referred to an agency to do the legwork (at some expense.)

 

You would be forced to use an agency at some expense if obtaining the visa ahead of time was required.

 

You are not "forced" to use an agency. You can deal directly with the consulates if you choose. Of course, if by your own choosing you book a last minute cruise that stops in India, you would be better off expediting the visa process by paying an agency.

 

Cruise ships don't get "blank visas" just in case. They have an immigration officer that works with local authorities passport by passport. For example, for a cruise going to Vietnam I can get my own visa in advance or let the ship handle it. For my convenience, I'm happy to pay the ship some nominal fee to do the paperwork. It's a choice.

 

Visas are just part of the expense and hassle of being able to cruise the world. For us, it's all worth it to enjoy the cruise experience.

[easyboy]

On embarkation for a Baltic cruise. we were not asked why we didn't have a visa for Russia, nor asked if we will be on tour. I guess the cruise line presumes that one will just remain on the ship in Russia if without a visa and not prevented to board on embarkation.

[cruisemom42]

The short answer is this: There is not one single, universal visa rule or process. Every country seems to set their own rules. Some countries have what I call a "visa of convenience" -- it's merely a way to get an extra fee from a visitor. These countries usually make it very easy to get the necessary visa at entry or via some online process in advance of entry. Other countries take visas very seriously. Sometimes there are special rules in place for cruise ship passengers -- I suspect this is true for St. Petersburg, and know that it is true for ports in Turkey, where passengers do not need a visa if only visiting for a day from a cruise ship, but do need a visa to arrive in or depart from Turkey before or after a cruise.

 

All of this said, the passenger must carefully research each individual visa situation. There are indeed instances where a ship will not let someone onboard when visiting a country that ABSOLUTELY, no exceptions, requires everyone on board to have their visa. (Even if you do not get off the ship, you are still officially "in" that country once you are within a certain distance of shore.)

 

Sometimes getting the correct info is difficult. But the penalty for getting it wrong can be severe. Seems I read about 2-3 posts a year from folks who were not allowed to board a ship due to not having the proper visas.

[hallasm]

We were travelling in Malaysia and had no intention of forwarding our passports to an Indian consultate or High Commission for processing. So we did not book. Since then India has changed their process (so we are told) and we can now do it on line.

 

So far on-line eVisa for India is only when traveling by air. Not when cruising.

 

For me the biggest visa challenge is when a multiple entry visa is required.

 

I have seen several cruisers traveling at St. Petersburg cruises requiring a Schengen visa for Europa only holding a single entry visa for Schengen.

Russian visa is not required for St. Petersburg, however if Schengen visa is required you need a multiple entry visa since you are leaving and re-entering Schengen. Those passengers must leave the cruise ship in the last port before St. Petersburg and find their way to the next port of call after St. Petersburg, on their own expenses.

 

 

 

 

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[Keith1010]

In most cases you do need a visa regardless of whether or not you get off the ship. There are some exceptions.

 

As mentioned there is not one overall rule.

 

It varies by country and also can vary based on your own nationality.

 

Keith

[iancal]

We certainly do not depend on the cruise line to inform us about the various visa requirements. Nor do we depend on forums like this. We read their requirements documentation as it pertains to visas however it tends to be US citizen focussed.

 

We do the research required to get the correct, up to date data. We never buy our visa too far ahead of time. Why...because some countries lower or eliminate their visa requirements from time to time. Our Vietnam visa cost was reduced by almost half shortly before our departure. The Chilean visa requirement was eliminated prior to our visit.

 

VIsa requirements and costs (these can be variable) are often dependent on the country passport that you are travelling under, the length of your stay, etc.

[NantahalaCruiser]

It entirely depends upon the laws of of the country/countries involved. China and Brazil are two that come to mind that do not allow any passengers without visas, if required for their country of citizenship, to just stay on the ship. Neither country permits visas to be issued on board or at arrival. As you experienced, Russia is one where passengers may just stay on the ship if they don't have the necessary visa or approved tour arrangements.

There are visa wavers for China, but the rules keep changing. You have to do your own research to see if your particular cruise itinerary and/or shore excursion qualifies for a waiver.