Experience w Visa requirements for Canucks to Panama

[kanadakid]

Cruising in Jan to Panama Canal (Colon) as well as stops in Dominican Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.  My agent provided me with a link to a list of numbers for all Embassies, Consulates and suggested it is my responsibility to ensure that all Visa requirements etc. are met prior to cruising.  Seems like a lot of legwork and hoping to gain knowledge from others' experience to these ports.  I did see on another post that there is a $40 Visa requirement for Bermuda (I'm not stopping there) and dint see anything else. Has anyone else been on this particular run in the past year and could offer some advice?

[LHT28]

We have boarded in  US ports & stopped  in those countries  & never needed any VISA

We have done a full transit of the canal 3 times & partial 2 times

 

If you are embarking in one of the ports you may need something   you can check requirements at

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

[Fouremco]

None of these countries currently require Canadian visitors to have a visa. This is something that any good Canadian travel agent should know, and this is the type of information TA's are paid to provide, not foist off on the client. I'd be looking for a different TA in future.

 

The GOC travel website (https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories) is very useful, but there are some countries requiring visas that make an exception for cruise passengers. These exceptions are not necessarily reflected in the GOC travel website. Turkey is a good example, exempting cruise passengers staying for three days or less and remaining within the area of the port city, an exemption not mentioned in the GOC website (https://www.visasturkey.com/evisa-for-turkey-on-a-cruise/). Consequently, it's generally wise to go to the website of the country you are visiting to verify the requirements if your TA doesn't know.

[LHT28]

It is not the job of the travel agent to tell you if a VISA is required or not

 People have different types of Citizenship & should consult the Country they are visiting for requirements

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

It is not the job of the travel agent to tell you if a VISA is required or not

 People have different types of Citizenship & should consult the Country they are visiting for requirements

There can be complex situations where it is obviously far better for the traveller to determine whether or not a visa is required due his or her particular background, status in Canada and primary travel documents. On the other hand, if a run of the mill Canadian citizen is taking a cruise to highly popular North American destinations visited by multiple thousands of Canadians every year, any half decent TA should be able to provide this information. While it is not the TA's "job" as you put it, it is most certainly something he or she should know and should share with the traveller. If the TA doesn't know, I'd definitely be looking for a different TA.

[LHT28]

Just now, Fouremco said:

There can be complex situations where it is obviously far better for the traveller to determine whether or not a visa is required due his or her particular background, status in Canada and primary travel documents. On the other hand, if a run of the mill Canadian citizen is taking a cruise to highly popular North American destinations visited by multiple thousands of Canadians every year, any half decent TA should be able to provide this information. While it is not the TA's "job" as you put it, it is most certainly something he or she should know and should share with the traveller. If the TA doesn't know, I'd definitely be looking for a different TA.

I agree provided the traveller provide  ALL  information on their citizenship   the TA can check for them  what is required  if asked

As we know not everyone is forthcoming with all the details   just read some of the forums

JMO

 

[broberts]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

It is not the job of the travel agent to tell you if a VISA is required or not

 People have different types of Citizenship & should consult the Country they are visiting for requirements

 

The TA has to have established traveller citizenship & residency status in order to ethically sell international travel. It is the job of a good TA to inform customers of usual documentation requirements.

 

https://www.acta.ca/code-of-ethics#:~:text=ACTA members will respect all,strict professional integrity and courtesy.

 

[LHT28]

59 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

The TA has to have established traveller citizenship & residency status in order to ethically sell international travel. It is the job of a good TA to inform customers of usual documentation requirements.

 

https://www.acta.ca/code-of-ethics#:~:text=ACTA members will respect all,strict professional integrity and courtesy.

 

 

"ACTA members will: i) provide clients with generalized information with regard to passports and visas for the journey that they are booking and recommend that they seek the advice of a visa professional or a legal advisor in respect of any personal circumstances or questions that they may have regarding their journey; "

 

TA do you have a valid Canadian passport ?

Client: yes

info not disclosed   it expires in 2 weeks before the trip

 

 

[broberts]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

 

"ACTA members will: i) provide clients with generalized information with regard to passports and visas for the journey that they are booking and recommend that they seek the advice of a visa professional or a legal advisor in respect of any personal circumstances or questions that they may have regarding their journey; "

 

TA do you have a valid Canadian passport ?

Client: yes

info not disclosed   it expires in 2 weeks before the trip

 

 

 

Apparently your TA did not read the requirement. Most particularly "provide clients ...". 

 

A more likely scenario in which the TA provides generalized information.

 

TA: You will need a valid passport that does not expire (before) or (however many months required after) your return. Canadians require/don't require visas for ...

 

I would expect a good TA to also provide advice to non-citizen residents. Such as to check that their residency status allows exit and return and the possible need for multiple entry visas when sailing round trip out of countries that require a visa.