Multiple countries on cruise - passports!

[jmpiterniak]

We’re on the Nieuw Statendam Mediterranean Mosaic sailing Sept. 27th. It’s RT from Rome but goes to several countries - Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Italy.

 

Do we bring our passports off the ship for customs /ID at each port? I’m thinking we must have to ... anyone know?

 

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

You might have to in Croatia (we did when we were last there) and Montenegro (haven't been there). Not in Italy or Greece- have been to both.

 

It won't be for Customs, which is about your property. It would be for ID and Immigration type issues.

[mom says]

It's not Customs. It's Immigration/ Passport Control. The ship will let you know, via the daily schedule that's left in your cabin, what documents you'll require in order to leave and re board the ship at the next port and the Immigration /passport protocols you will need to follow, if any.

Edited August 8, 2019 by mom says

[cruisemom42]

Many European countries are part of an agreement whereby people going from one country to another do not have to show documentation. In other cases, the ship may handle those formalities on your behalf by requesting your passport. They then present all of the passports to the authorities to review.

 

Review is more likely when you are going from a country outside the Schengen Zone to one inside, or possible from a country that is not within the EU to one that is (such as from Turkey to Greece) or vice versa.

 

At any rate, the ship knows the requirements and will advise you accordingly. It is very important to either listen to the port information talks or read your daily sheet so you understand what is required....but in general there are no long line-ups of people having to get passports cleared and stamped.

 

Edited August 8, 2019 by cruisemom42

[FlyerTalker]

14 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Many European countries are part of an agreement whereby people going from one country to another do not have to show documentation. In other cases, the ship may handle those formalities on your behalf by requesting your passport. They then present all of the passports to the authorities to review.

 

Review is more likely when you are going from a country outside the Schengen Zone to one inside, or possible from a country that is not within the EU to one that is (such as from Turkey to Greece) or vice versa.

 

PLEASE.  Do not confuse and interchange "EU" and "Schengen Zone".

 

There are countries that are part of the EU but not Schengen and vice versa.  They are not the same.

 

Here's a nice Venn diagram to illustrate - there are many others out there covering different agreements.

 

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

PLEASE.  Do not confuse and interchange "EU" and "Schengen Zone".

 

There are countries that are part of the EU but not Schengen and vice versa.  They are not the same.

 

Here's a nice Venn diagram to illustrate - there are many others out there covering different agreements.

 

 

 

I am not confusing them. If you read my response carefully I am not using them interchangeably. I specifically said Schengen Zone OR EU. I am well aware of the difference between the two, although I couldn't off the top of my head list all of the countries involved and their relation to each other!

 

 

 

[Zach1213]

10 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I am not confusing them. If you read my response carefully I am not using them interchangeably. I specifically said Schengen Zone OR EU. I am well aware of the difference between the two, although I couldn't off the top of my head list all of the countries involved and their relation to each other!

 

 

My pea brain always thinks Ireland is Schengen. Always. Doesn't matter how often I go, or even how often I go between Ireland and the UK...and how much more it (currently, at least) makes sense for Ireland not to be Schengen...I always think they are for some reason.

[ducklite]

27 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:

 

My pea brain always thinks Ireland is Schengen. Always. Doesn't matter how often I go, or even how often I go between Ireland and the UK...and how much more it (currently, at least) makes sense for Ireland not to be Schengen...I always think they are for some reason.

 

Until there is a hard border (which would cause a war as it would violate the Good Friday Agreement) or a united Ireland (which is far more likely as 56% of NI voted remain and polls indicate the percentage of people who would prefer a single country on the island over a hard border or backstop or Brexit crash out is growing by the week) the Republic of Ireland can't be part of Schengen.  I fly into DUB regularly on Aer Lingus, and the queue for non-EU is never more than 2-3 people in front of me.  It takes longer to get from the jetway to the immigration lanes than it does to get through immigration.  🙂  

[Zach1213]

Just now, ducklite said:

 

Until there is a hard border (which would cause a war as it would violate the Good Friday Agreement) or a united Ireland (which is far more likely as 56% of NI voted remain and polls indicate the percentage of people who would prefer a single country on the island over a hard border or backstop or Brexit crash out is growing by the week) the Republic of Ireland can't be part of Schengen.  I fly into DUB regularly on Aer Lingus, and the queue for non-EU is never more than 2-3 people in front of me.  It takes longer to get from the jetway to the immigration lanes than it does to get through immigration.  🙂  

 

Oh I get why it isn't...my little tiny brain just constantly thinks it is, and has for years. And I just don't know why I can't remember that.

[SRF]

15 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I am not confusing them. If you read my response carefully I am not using them interchangeably. I specifically said Schengen Zone OR EU. I am well aware of the difference between the two, although I couldn't off the top of my head list all of the countries involved and their relation to each other!

 

EU/non-EU has nothing to do with it.

 

EU to EU can require a passport if one is Schengen and one is not.   ONLY within the Schengen zone can you transit from one country to another without hitting passport control.

[cruisemom42]

6 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

EU/non-EU has nothing to do with it.

 

EU to EU can require a passport if one is Schengen and one is not.   ONLY within the Schengen zone can you transit from one country to another without hitting passport control.

 

My point is that in the Med you can run into the need for passport control EITHER going from non-Schengen to Schengen within EU OR going from non-EU to EU (for example, from Alexandria Egypt to Iraklion Crete).

 

Which is what I thought I said, but apparently not clearly enough...

 

[George C]

18 hours ago, jmpiterniak said:

We’re on the Nieuw Statendam Mediterranean Mosaic sailing Sept. 27th. It’s RT from Rome but goes to several countries - Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Italy.

 

Do we bring our passports off the ship for customs /ID at each port? I’m thinking we must have to ... anyone know?

 

Thanks!

We have done all and all but Greece recently and never took passports, I like taking copy with us and leaving passport in cabin safe , sounds like a great cruise, loved Dubrovnik and Kotor both cool walled cities.

[2BACRUISER]

You say your cruise starts in Rome so when you land st Rome airport you will go thro immigration there after that so long as your cruise ship stays in the Med you won't show your passport until you go home via Rome or other Euro city possible exception any countries on southern med African side. Your ship will also advise. Keep a copy of your passport with you just in case but on the whomdsafer in your cabin safe. Hth 

[ducklite]

1 hour ago, 2BACRUISER said:

You say your cruise starts in Rome so when you land st Rome airport you will go thro immigration there after that so long as your cruise ship stays in the Med you won't show your passport until you go home via Rome or other Euro city possible exception any countries on southern med African side. Your ship will also advise. Keep a copy of your passport with you just in case but on the whomdsafer in your cabin safe. Hth 

Croatia and Montenegro are not part of the Schengen agreement, so your information is COMPLETELY inaccurate in relation to the OP.   

[jocap]

I haven't been to Croatia since before they joined the EU, so that's about 8 years ago, and they were tightening their rules before joining, so yes, everyone leaving the dock had to show passports- immigration sent officers on board every coach leaving the dock, and people were removed from the coach and made to walk back to the ship to collect them.

The ship's paper, announcements and a big sign at the gangway told people this, but still some people missed the warnings.

I do not know whether they have relaxed this since joining the EU.

[ducklite]

2 minutes ago, jocap said:

I haven't been to Croatia since before they joined the EU, so that's about 8 years ago, and they were tightening their rules before joining, so yes, everyone leaving the dock had to show passports- immigration sent officers on board every coach leaving the dock, and people were removed from the coach and made to walk back to the ship to collect them.

The ship's paper, announcements and a big sign at the gangway told people this, but still some people missed the warnings.

I do not know whether they have relaxed this since joining the EU.

The EU is not Schengen.  The EU has zero bearing on showing a passport or not.

[jocap]

1 minute ago, ducklite said:

The EU is not Schengen.  The EU has zero bearing on showing a passport or not.

No, Croatia were having to prove to the EU that they were tightning their controls in general- not just immigration- because of the many new laws which would come in force once they were members. 

They must have succeeded, because entrance to the EU was accepted a year or so after we visited.

[ducklite]

3 minutes ago, jocap said:

No, Croatia were having to prove to the EU that they were tightning their controls in general- not just immigration- because of the many new laws which would come in force once they were members. 

They must have succeeded, because entrance to the EU was accepted a year or so after we visited.

 

Again, the EU and Schengen are two utterly different things.  EU--Goods/Commodities  Schengen--Open Borders for people.  

[jocap]

1 minute ago, ducklite said:

 

Again, the EU and Schengen are two utterly different things.  EU--Goods/Commodities  Schengen--Open Borders for people.  

Yes, I'm aware of that.

I was trying to say why Croatia, which was recovering from a dreadful war, was trying to prove their progress to the EU by the tightening of various controls, so that they could enter.

I do not know whether they are as strict about passports these days.

[ducklite]

Just now, jocap said:

Yes, I'm aware of that.

I was trying to say why Croatia, which was recovering from a dreadful war, was trying to prove their progress to the EU by the tightening of various controls, so that they could enter.

I do not know whether they are as strict about passports these days.

 

Because they aren't part of Schengen, so they have border control.  Seriously, please go look it up and understand what Schengen is.

[zqvol]

On 8/7/2019 at 9:31 PM, jmpiterniak said:

We’re on the Nieuw Statendam Mediterranean Mosaic sailing Sept. 27th. It’s RT from Rome but goes to several countries - Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Italy.

 

Do we bring our passports off the ship for customs /ID at each port? I’m thinking we must have to ... anyone know?

 

Thanks!

 

No, if necessary the ship will keep them.

[CruiserBruce]

9 hours ago, zqvol said:

 

No, if necessary the ship will keep them.

 

Perhaps for Montenegro, but for Croatia, we had to show them ashore.

[jmpiterniak]

Haven’t heard back from travel agent on this one but am hoping HAL will instruct us on the daily sheets...

[SRF]

18 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

My point is that in the Med you can run into the need for passport control EITHER going from non-Schengen to Schengen within EU OR going from non-EU to EU (for example, from Alexandria Egypt to Iraklion Crete).

 

Which is what I thought I said, but apparently not clearly enough...

 

 

Again, EU has NOTHING to do with it.  Schengen to Schengen, no passport required.  ANY other border crossing, passport is required.

 

From Turkey (non-EU) to Egypt (non-EU), passport is required. 

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, jmpiterniak said:

Haven’t heard back from travel agent on this one but am hoping HAL will instruct us on the daily sheets...

Don't worry, HAL will definitely instruct you on whatever procedures are required.