Passport Question

[Lily's Mom]

Sorry if this question has already been answered. We'll be on the Princess Sapphire in March to Mexico. Our travel documents and cruise question book came yesterday and I read that your passport needs to be valid 6 months past your return date. Well, my passport expires in August of this year..5 months past our return date. How big of a deal is this? We have 8 weeks until our cruise and I know passports usually take 6 but is it worth it to risk it so close? Do I even need a passport? Just confused and not sure what to do. TIA!

[hugger]

and your going to Mexico you do not need a passport yet. It will be mandatory in the near furture - it was to have been this past Dec. However, they extended it - I can't remember if it was a year or more - at least a year though. Plus, the one you have is still current. I would renew it once you get back from this cruise though. As it's always best to have a passport for documentation.

[merela]

as well as your driver's license and your birth certificate (if you are born in the US). You will have no problem getting in and out of Mexico.

 

This will work for your cruise in March 2006, but when you come back from your cruise, get your passport renewed.

 

BTW, if you pay extra, you'll get your US passport within 2 weeks. I got it for my daughter exactly 2 weeks after I submitted her application. Since she was 6 and didn't have any other form of photo ID, I thought it was best that I had her passport renewed and not rely on her birth certificate as her only form of ID.

 

I was able to complete the Sapphire cruise to Mexico using my expired Canadian passport, my California Driver's License, and my US green card. My new Canadian passport never got here before my cruise sailed and I gave it 8 weeks. Basically, Princess guaranteed my entry into Mexico and I was able to enter back into the US using my green card, but not before the US immigrations officer asked me all sorts of questions for 10 minutes. He even asked my kids who their mommy is! Anyways, having a valid passport would have been much easier.

[luckyking]

You should be fine since a passport is not yet required. Though I would get it renewed when you return so it will be ready for your next trip.

 

I don't think that they are looking at passports all that closely currently as mine has my madien name on it but I traveled under my married name. My passport has been ammended but it just a little blurb in the back of it and the cruise agent never even looked back there! I think she just saw the picture, saw it was me and was done.

 

Passport requirements for Mexico will go in effect Jan. 1, 2007

 

Hope this all helps!

[JGR01]

If you want to be totally 'safe' you should have proper documentation (and the proper expiration date). That said, Mexico is fairly easy .. but when you board the ship someone there (US immigration or ship) may give you a problem. AND since you need to put the expiration date on your Princess 'legal' information, they may have a program that allows no leaway in the rule and will 'kick' your boarding paperwork out.

 

Since passport renewals are now every 10 years .. people do not have much experience with them. I was traveling US to Bermuda every week and needed to get mine renewed .. but had no time between trips. The Consulate would assist only if I would remain in Bermuda for a two week stay as they could not guarantee I would get it back in time.

 

I used the following web site during a one week period when I was not in Bermuda (in NY area where overnight FedEx was easy to accomplish). I was VERY VERY VERY pleased. I also requested that I get 'extra pages' in my new passport so I would not have to worry about heavy business travel and running out of room! Yes, they charge a fee and there are more fees for the expiditied processing, but then you will be 'legal' for another 10 years!

 

http://www.americanpassport.com/index.html

[Cruisers from MA]

... AND since you need to put the expiration date on your Princess 'legal' information, they may have a program that allows no leaway in the rule and will 'kick' your boarding paperwork out. ...

 

We've decided not to sweat the "expires more than 6 months after you return" thing, especially since we're US residents traveling to the Caribbean in March 2006.

 

But to JGR01's point, we entered the passport details into the Princess Cruise Personalizer (one of our passports expires around 5 months after we return) some time ago, and it didn't "kick our boarding paperwork out."

[Lily's Mom]

Thanks for all of your responses and experiences. We called Princess and since I don't even need a passport they told me to bring my birth certificate and ID. So, I decided to renew my passport now. I've got 8 weeks until we cruise and if it comes, great, no worries. If it doesn't get here in time, I'll just bring my BC and ID. Thanks again!

[cactusrose]

as well as your driver's license and your birth certificate (if you are born in the US). You will have no problem getting in and out of Mexico.

 

This will work for your cruise in March 2006, but when you come back from your cruise, get your passport renewed.

 

BTW, if you pay extra, you'll get your US passport within 2 weeks. I got it for my daughter exactly 2 weeks after I submitted her application. Since she was 6 and didn't have any other form of photo ID, I thought it was best that I had her passport renewed and not rely on her birth certificate as her only form of ID.

 

I was able to complete the Sapphire cruise to Mexico using my expired Canadian passport, my California Driver's License, and my US green card. My new Canadian passport never got here before my cruise sailed and I gave it 8 weeks. Basically, Princess guaranteed my entry into Mexico and I was able to enter back into the US using my green card, but not before the US immigrations officer asked me all sorts of questions for 10 minutes. He even asked my kids who their mommy is! Anyways, having a valid passport would have been much easier.

 

If you're under 18 you don't need the photo ID.