Passport Question

[schwaja3]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here it is.

 

I have a cruise on the Escape on Dec 9, 2023. I just looked at my passport and realized that it expires March 3, 2024. Since this is about 3.5 months after we cruise, I am wondering if this is an issue. Should I renew this summer, or just go with it as it is. Are there any issues with having a passport expire 3 months after travel? 

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

[sailorusvi]

I would renew before I left on the Dec trip.

[ebay33]

Technically the cruise you are on does not require a passport, so a future expiration date won't make a difference on your specific cruise.

[ggTexasGal]

If you happen to be a "what if" kind of person (injured, ill while off ship), then having a Passport with at least 6 months prior to cruise completion, might be important.

[sailorusvi]

3 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

If you happen to be a "what if" kind of person (injured, ill while off ship), then having a Passport with at least 6 months prior to cruise completion, might be important.

 

That's one reason why I suggested to renew.   Or better yet, another opportunity to travel out-of-the country pops up and now you are in a mad rush to get it renewed because you have less than 6 months left.

[BirdTravels]

58 minutes ago, schwaja3 said:

I have a cruise on the Escape on Dec 9, 2023. I just looked at my passport and realized that it expires March 3, 2024. Since this is about 3.5 months after we cruise, I am wondering if this is an issue. Should I renew this summer, or just go with it as it is. Are there any issues with having a passport expire 3 months after travel? 

Since you are on a closed-loop Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral, NCL only requires that your passport to be valid for the duration of the cruise. It does not require you to have 6 months validity. There are no issues with a 3 month expiry. That is the only relevant point in the discussion and directly answers your question. You could even travel with a birth certificate on this cruise and no passport.

 

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents

 

[phillygwm]

My blood pressure rises whenever I'm near deadline for something so I consistently renew while it's still at my leisure, near the 6 month mark.  Same for Global Entry.  Some countries won't let you in if you have less than 6 months left.  Not necessarily relevant for the Caribbean but if you take other trips it could be.

[cruiseny4life]

I'm a cautious person, so I would just renew it this summer. Others above, are correct, that you don't need a passport, or that you don't need 6 months. I just never want a passport close to expiration, given that I may book travel internationally at any time. 

 

But these are just the ramblings of a middle-aged Millennial bored guy. 

[acct1975]

Just got this from the Dept of State website. not online renewal while they do a system upgrade. Not sure for how long

[gingersvp]

20 minutes ago, acct1975 said:

Just got this from the Dept of State website. not online renewal while they do a system upgrade. Not sure for how long

 

It says 6pm until 11pm on February 4th.

[acct1975]

I didn't know how urgent the renewal need was and thought to share...They were down on the 2nd too which make me worry that there's an issue. Nothing worse than doing the work and then losing it to a computer glitch

[sailorusvi]

13 minutes ago, acct1975 said:

Just got this from the Dept of State website. not online renewal while they do a system upgrade. Not sure for how long

 

Ugh. I let my passport expire during covid and just put it off.  Then we decided at the end of Dec to cruise  Feb 18.  6 weeks - yikes. On Dec 29th I apply for the renewal online and received an email that it was received.  They even charged me the $208 for expedited service that day.

 

Since then crickets.  The website has been down multiple times a week in the last 5 weeks. Some days can't even check the status (which still says received). 

 

Sigh.  It's my fault, I had plenty of time do do it, but kept putting it off. If I do not get it by Sunday I will contact them on Monday to schedule an in person appointment since I'm 2 weeks out as of tomorrow. 

 

Anyway, OP, do not be me.   Get it done long before your trip to be on the safe side.

[njhorseman]

21 minutes ago, acct1975 said:

Just got this from the Dept of State website. not online renewal while they do a system upgrade. Not sure for how long

It very clearly says "On Saturday February 04, 2023 at 6:00 PM until 11:00 PM" .

[acct1975]

1 minute ago, sailorusvi said:

 

Ugh. I let my passport expire during covid and just put it off.  Then we decided at the end of Dec to cruise  Feb 18.  6 weeks - yikes. On Dec 29th I apply for the renewal online and received an email that it was received.  They even charged me the $208 for expedited service that day.

 

Since then crickets.  The website has been down multiple times a week in the last 5 weeks. Some days can't even check the status (which still says received). 

 

Sigh.  It's my fault, I had plenty of time do do it, but kept putting it off. If I do not get it by Sunday I will contact them on Monday to schedule an in person appointment since I'm 2 weeks out as of tomorrow. 

 

Anyway, OP, do not be me.   Get it done long before your trip to be on the safe side.

sorry you're going through that. tough spot. Glad I'm choosing snail mail renewal

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, sailorusvi said:

 

Anyway, OP, do not be me.   Get it done long before your trip to be on the safe side.

The OP doesn't need to renew before their cruise. As others have already said, not only is the 6 month requirement not applicable for that itinerary, you don't need a passport at all.

[sailorusvi]

3 minutes ago, acct1975 said:

sorry you're going through that. tough spot. Glad I'm choosing snail mail renewal

 

I was so excited to do the online.    Technology is great, until it's not.

[sailorusvi]

1 minute ago, njhorseman said:

The OP doesn't need to renew before their cruise. As others have already said, not only is the 6 month requirement not applicable for that itinerary, you don't need a passport at all.

 

Sure for that trip, but you just do not know what the future holds.  Leaving with 3 months left  on the passport would be too close for comfort for me.  Or it could keep them from other trips. Might as well just get it done.   

 

 

[njhorseman]

12 minutes ago, sailorusvi said:

 

Sure for that trip, but you just do not know what the future holds.  Leaving with 3 months left  on the passport would be too close for comfort for me.  Or it could keep them from other trips. Might as well just get it done.   

 

 

The point is there's no need to rush. The OP can renew when they return. If they said they had another trip planned for shortly thereafter the answer might  be different. Why create nonexistent "what if" scenarios? They're still going to have almost three months remaining on the passport after they return from this cruise. Why should the OP lose months of validity on the current passport by renewing before they have to?

Edited February 3, 2023 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

If you happen to be a "what if" kind of person (injured, ill while off ship), then having a Passport with at least 6 months prior to cruise completion, might be important.

Why would it ever be important on this itinerary? They're not travelling to Europe or South America or Africa or Asia. It's a closed loop Caribbean cruise. Even if they had to fly home in an emergency all that is needed is a valid passport, even if it expires only a day after they return.

[sailorusvi]

9 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The point is there's no need to rush. The OP can renew when they return. If they said they had another trip planned for shortly thereafter the answer might  be different. Why create nonexistent "what if" scenarios? They're still going to have almost three months remaining on the passport after they return from this cruise. Why should lose months of validity on the current passport by renewing before they have to?

 

 

The OP asked for advice.

 

Based on my own stupidity of not renewing my passport on time and impulsively booking a last minute trip and the issues I am renewing so close to a trip, my advice is go ahead and renew in the summer.

 

None of the above may apply to them, but maybe they are type to impulsively book something last minute?  Who knows? They can take the advice or not, it doesn't impact me either way. 

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, sailorusvi said:

 

Ugh. I let my passport expire during covid and just put it off.  Then we decided at the end of Dec to cruise  Feb 18.  6 weeks - yikes. On Dec 29th I apply for the renewal online and received an email that it was received.  They even charged me the $208 for expedited service that day.

 

Since then crickets.  The website has been down multiple times a week in the last 5 weeks. Some days can't even check the status (which still says received). 

 

Sigh.  It's my fault, I had plenty of time do do it, but kept putting it off. If I do not get it by Sunday I will contact them on Monday to schedule an in person appointment since I'm 2 weeks out as of tomorrow. 

 

Anyway, OP, do not be me.   Get it done long before your trip to be on the safe side.

My next cruise departs next week and my passport was set to expire at the end of February, so I applied for a new one just after Thanksgiving.  I didn't pay for expedited service, but it only took about a month to get my new passport.  It arrived a month before our scheduled departure.  Even though we will be on a closed loop cruise to the Caribbean and Central America and NCL doesn't require a passport for this itinerary, I'm a "belt and suspenders" kind of guy.  I would never want to venture outside of the US without my passport in my pocket.  YMMV.

[beachmiker]

I had almost the same scenario happen to me on my sailing in December on the Escape.  My Passport was due to expire the following April, inside the 6-month window.  I brought my certified Birth Certificate with me just in case.  When I checked in at the port, I gave the agent my Passport. She scanned it and never asked any other questions.  Upon my arrival home, I applied for my new Passport a few days later. My problem was when I wanted to initially apply for my new passport, I was outside the window to renew, and when I was inside the window it was too close to sailing date to be comfortable of getting it returned on time. 

I have since applied for an expedited Passport and am waiting for it. Of course, it's taking longer than expected. BTW the States Department, for context, cashed my check on 12/27/2022.   Don't need it till April 15th, but still.

 

Hope this helps.

[spanishguy1970]

My passport was set to expire December 12, 2022 and I renewed it that April of 2022, reason was, they had announced delays in passport renewals.I sent my application, paid normal delivery and received my passport within 3 weeks. I also renewed it because I was set to go on a cruise October 2022, didn't want to take a chance and i think some countries require you passport to be at least 6 months from expiration date, if i am not mistaken.

[njhorseman]

10 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

My passport was set to expire December 12, 2022 and I renewed it that April of 2022, reason was, they had announced delays in passport renewals.I sent my application, paid normal delivery and received my passport within 3 weeks. I also renewed it because I was set to go on a cruise October 2022, didn't want to take a chance and i think some countries require you passport to be at least 6 months from expiration date, if i am not mistaken.

Some countries require the passport to be valid for at least six months, but by no means all. In the OP's case they're doing a closed loop Caribbean cruise which doesn't even require a passport, so the six month rule isn't applicable anywhere they're cruising.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, sailorusvi said:

 

The OP asked for advice.

 Preferably it should be good advice, not unnecessary handwringing about nonexistent scenarios.

The OP's question is this: " Are there any issues with having a passport expire 3 months after travel? ", and the answer for the OP's cruise is a resounding "No".