Do I need a passport?

[philamyc]

We are sailing in January on the Infinity. Leaving from Ft. Lauderdale and returning there as well. I thought I read that we didn't need one if we were departing and returning in the U.S. Can anyone confirm that?

 

Thanks!

 

 

[davekathy]

24 minutes ago, philamyc said:

We are sailing in January on the Infinity. Leaving from Ft. Lauderdale and returning there as well. I thought I read that we didn't need one if we were departing and returning in the U.S. Can anyone confirm that?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Welcome to CC. That's correct. Government issued  picture ID and your birth certificate will be accepted. 

Edited December 2, 2018 by davekathy

[cruisestitch]

Birth Certificate must be an original with a raised seal. No photocopies accepted.

[funji1]

7 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Birth Certificate must be an original with a raised seal. No photocopies accepted.

Does this mean a notarized copy will not be accepted by Celebrity?

[bermadu22]

1 hour ago, philamyc said:

We are sailing in January on the Infinity. Leaving from Ft. Lauderdale and returning there as well. I thought I read that we didn't need one if we were departing and returning in the U.S. Can anyone confirm that?

 

Thanks!

 

 

I wondered about this because we have done Boston to Bermuda and back to Boston on several cruises, we have another coming up next year. We always had passports since our first cruise, I thought they were required but maybe not. I do know that if there is an emergency and we need to get a flight out of Bermuda, a US passport will be required to fly home. If you're in that situation and don't have a passport, you have to get the US Embassy involved in getting a copy of your passport for you. So it gets tricky if you get stranded somewhere due to an emergency. 

[lais]

A government issued ID ( drivers license) and a birth certificate.  Not a birth certificate from the hospital. 

Just remember if you are injured in one of the countries you are going to and need to get home you will need a passport.   

Also look on the Celebrity website.  They are very clear on what type of ID you need.   You can google that too. 

Edited December 2, 2018 by lais

[Northern Aurora]

While I realize that our OP is cruising in January, I just wanted to comment that in this day and age we really all need passports.  This issue often rises on the CC Alaska board, and I am always surprised at how many folks don't seem to have passports.  

[lais]

Many people may be new travelers/cruisers and don’t know about needing a passport.   So we on cruise critic need to help them along with their new endeavors if we can when they post here. 

[lisiamc]

5 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

While I realize that our OP is cruising in January, I just wanted to comment that in this day and age we really all need passports.  This issue often rises on the CC Alaska board, and I am always surprised at how many folks don't seem to have passports.  

 

I think “Do I need a passport?” is a different question than “Should I get a passport?”  The OP asked if it was a requirement for their particular cruise, and the answer is no.  But I’d agree that having a passport is always a good idea.

[sanger727]

You don’t NEED a passport for a closed look caribbean cruise if you are a US citizen. If you were to miss the ship in port you would be unable to fly to the next port to catch up. If you miss the ship or have a medical emergency and had to fly home, you would have to jump through a few extra hoops but you would eventually get home. 

 

The evaluation of the cost of passports vs the risks of traveling without one are up to u. I have a passport because I travel on non cruise international trips as well. If I just went on a cruise every once in awhile I prob wouldn’t have one.

[waterbug123]

9 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

Birth Certificate must be an original with a raised seal. No photocopies accepted.

 

For the record, it must be an official birth certificate, issued by the local/county/state office of vital records or whatever it's called where one lives. (i.e. not a hospital issued "souvenir" birth certificate). BUT-  not all issuing bodies use a raised seal; some use a stamp or watermark and that's perfectly acceptable.  Just wanted to clarify because the "must have a raised seal" thing gets thrown out there all the time but isn't entirely accurate. 

[cruisestitch]

Thanks for the clarification.

[sft429]

 

2 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

For the record, it must be an official birth certificate, issued by the local/county/state office of vital records or whatever it's called where one lives.

 

At least on Carnival, and for children under the age of 16, that isn't even true.  A photocopy of the birth cert is acceptable.

 

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

Edited December 2, 2018 by sft429

[SC_Floaters]

Often leaving many countries is very easy with a minimum of Identification...

 

The BIG problem is entering the United States without a passport (when flying). 

 

I keep a photo of my Passport on all my Ipads/Iphones. It can not be used for ID but it will make it easier at any embassy to get a replacement.

 

 

[m8zenblue]

Be safe, take your passport, you never know what could happen.

[Jim_Iain]

14 hours ago, funji1 said:

Does this mean a notarized copy will not be accepted by Celebrity?

I'm a notary and can say that a notary is not permitted to notarize any official document including a passport or Birth Certificate.   

 

There is a procedure to notarize an affidavit of the custodian of a document  but would be up to US Customs if they accept. Please check with CBP  

Edited December 2, 2018 by Jim_Iain

[davekathy]

22 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I'm a notary and can say that a notary is not permitted to notarize any official document including a passport or Birth Certificate.   

 

There is a procedure to notarize an affidavit of the custodian of a document  but would be up to US Customs if they accept. Please check with CBP  

I thought that is incorrect information. Thanks for the clarification. 

[Jim_Iain]

2 minutes ago, davekathy said:

I thought that is incorrect information. Thanks for the clarification. 

Yea.. the affidavit of custodian of document is basically -   I would swear you in and you make a declaration that YOU made a true and correct copy of the document.  The reason I stated that it would be up to U.S. Customs if they accept is that in the link someone posted to the CBD site it says they accept a copy of the Birth Certificate (which surprises me).  

 

It was interesting that the article says they accept the  Enhanced Drivers License "Real ID" 

 

The OP should also read the below as by the question asked they may not qualify.   They indicated that they were leaving and returning to the US.   The actual requirements are that the ship leave and return to the same port.  This particular reference does not indicate a copy is acceptable. 

 

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/74/kw/closed loop cruise documents  

[philamyc]

Thanks everybody! 

[DrKoob]

A quick note if you are in a special situation.

 

My sister-in-law's, sister-in-law is a U.S. citizen but she was born in a British hospital when her father was stationed in the UK while he was in the army. When she attempted to board a Princess cruise to Alaska with a birth certificate, she as turned away. Her birth certificate was British. Showed she was born in the UK. Even though she protested that she was a U.S. citizen because her father was in the U.S. military, they still denied her boarding when she and her extended family were taking the cruise to celebrate HER 40th birthday. 

 

I know that this is a HIGHLY unusual situation but she could have avoided the entire thing by having a passport. So sad. Get a passport. 

 

Jim

[Luvcrusn]

Get a passport even though as others have said, it's not required according to what you stated. The unforeseen happens all too often. If you have a passport it will make dealing with the unexpected much easier at a time when you may already be stressed to the max. Better to be prepared, have it and not need it than the alternative.

[K12Guy]

53 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

A quick note if you are in a special situation.

 

My sister-in-law's, sister-in-law is a U.S. citizen but she was born in a British hospital when her father was stationed in the UK while he was in the army. When she attempted to board a Princess cruise to Alaska with a birth certificate, she as turned away. Her birth certificate was British. Showed she was born in the UK. Even though she protested that she was a U.S. citizen because her father was in the U.S. military, they still denied her boarding when she and her extended family were taking the cruise to celebrate HER 40th birthday. 

 

I know that this is a HIGHLY unusual situation but she could have avoided the entire thing by having a passport. So sad. Get a passport. 

 

Jim

Such good advice, Jim. The other thing about a passport is that it can be used in place of other forms of identification. For those folks who don't have a driver license or state issued I.D. the passport is the very best form of ID possible, and they are good for ten years. Not a bad deal, all considered. So, let's say Joe Average misplaces his driver license while visiting another state. He can't get it replaced until he gets back to his state. In the mean time he drives back to his state and gets stopped by a state trooper for a traffic violation. He explains the lost license and offers his PASSPORT as a form of identification. The trooper can run a driver check based on that information and see that Joe does have a valid driver license, if not in his possession. The trooper can issue a warning and send Joe back home. Without the PASSPORT who knows how this might go? Just a thought.

[waterbug123]

20 hours ago, sft429 said:

 

 

At least on Carnival, and for children under the age of 16, that isn't even true.  A photocopy of the birth cert is acceptable.

 

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

 

Interesting. But as Celebrity check-in agents are CBP officers, I have to wonder what the response would be.

 

17 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I'm a notary and can say that a notary is not permitted to notarize any official document including a passport or Birth Certificate.   

 

There is a procedure to notarize an affidavit of the custodian of a document  but would be up to US Customs if they accept. Please check with CBP  

 

I always wondered about this.  My understanding was that what gets notarized is your signature, not the document yourself, and that's more or less what you've confirmed. 

 

9 hours ago, DrKoob said:

A quick note if you are in a special situation.

 

My sister-in-law's, sister-in-law is a U.S. citizen but she was born in a British hospital when her father was stationed in the UK while he was in the army. When she attempted to board a Princess cruise to Alaska with a birth certificate, she as turned away. Her birth certificate was British. Showed she was born in the UK. Even though she protested that she was a U.S. citizen because her father was in the U.S. military, they still denied her boarding when she and her extended family were taking the cruise to celebrate HER 40th birthday. 

 

 

 

Does she not also have a consular report of birth abroad?  This "birth certificate" of sorts is what people in that situation can get from the US government in lieu of a a US-issued birth certificate.  

 

[Charles4515]

20 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

It was interesting that the article says they accept the  Enhanced Drivers License "Real ID" 

 

 

 

An Enhanced Drivers Licence and a Real ID licence are not the same thing. They are different. A Real ID licence can not be used in place of a Passpor or Passport Card  for closed loop cruises. Only Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington issue them.  Those states issue both Real ID and Enhanced Drivers Licenses. Only the Enhanced Drivers Licenses in those states can be used on closed loop cruises. Real ID licences in those states can not be used on closed loop cruises without a birth certificate.

[floridaag]

Having a passport is optimal.  As noted above, birth certificates are acceptable for this itinerary but they are very picky with the birth certificates and it often creates a problem.  Just off the Infinity and I was talking with a coupe from Ohio that were travelling with birth certificates and were almost not allowed to board because of an issue with the wife's certificate.  They had to call the state office and were lucky that they got someone who helped so quickly.  It was a close call and they thought they were not going to be allowed on the ship