Is birth certificate acceptable?

[carefree lady]

I may not get my passport renewed on time. This would be a closed loop from Miami. Has anyone ever sailed with a birth certificate? I know other lines allow this, but I not sure about Oceania.

[Nashna]

You can have your passport expedited.  Even if O approved your sailing with a berth certificate,  you don't want to be in a position where you might be stuck (illness happens, people miss the ship) in a foreign country without a passport.  

[LHT28]

I believe Oceania requires passports  for all

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/terms-conditions

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/sites/default/files/2023-02/oceania-guest-ticket-contract-new.pdf

[Flatbush Flyer]

18 minutes ago, carefree lady said:

I may not get my passport renewed on time. This would be a closed loop from Miami. Has anyone ever sailed with a birth certificate? I know other lines allow this, but I not sure about Oceania.

NO. All passengers on all itineraries must have a valid passport.

[Classiccruiser777]

32 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

NO. All passengers on all itineraries must have a valid passport.

Bingo!

 

Apply early for your passport, or make sure your current one will be valid at least six months beyond your travel dates and has two or more blank pages. Your cruise company may also require you to have a passport even if U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does not. Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html

[AMHuntFerry]

Here's the info that will lead you on the correct path to getting your passport before your trip:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html

[OhState1]

There is a passport office in Miami.  You can make an appointment within 5 days of travel.  I think they issue them on the spot.  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/miami.html

[carefree lady]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

[Harters]

18 hours ago, carefree lady said:

I know other lines allow this

That really surprises me. A birth certificate provides absolutely no proper evidence of identity of the person boarding.

[LHT28]

7 minutes ago, Harters said:

That really surprises me. A birth certificate provides absolutely no proper evidence of identity of the person boarding.

It proves they were born in the USA   They also need a government issued photo I.D.

 

 This phenomenon is for  US citizens   only on closed looped  cruises unless the cruise line requires  all pax  to have passports  eg; Oceania

 

the rest of the World  have passports

[Harters]

10 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

They also need a government issued photo I.D.

Thanks for that explanation. Yes, of course, a birth certificate would confirm the details on a photo ID. 

 

By the by, until today, the only photo ID my partner has is the passport. She got her driving licence many years back, before it included a photo. She's only got the photo version, today, as she had to reapply for a licence on becoming 70. Unlike many other Europeans, Britons do not have national identity cards.

[Rosroz]

I find this topic both amazing but not entirely surprising .

NOBODY no matter where they come from should be allowed to enter another country without a passport , and why on earth should you expect to be allowed to do so. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Harters said:

That really surprises me. A birth certificate provides absolutely no proper evidence of identity of the person boarding.

Just like an original prescription bottle provides no easy proof of what’s inside it. 

[Cliff-FLL]

5 hours ago, Rosroz said:

I find this topic both amazing but not entirely surprising .

NOBODY no matter where they come from should be allowed to enter another country without a passport , and why on earth should you expect to be allowed to do so. 

It's been a very standard practice in many places in the Western Hemisphere.  US citizens and Canadians used to cross each other's borders with nothing more than a driver's license and a similar arrangement existed between the US and Mexico.  Further, agreements between the US and some Caribbean islands allowed for passport-less entry provided there was some form of ID.  Since 9/11, many of these agreements are no longer in force.  The US now issues, in addition to passports, a passport "card", that is about the size of a state driver's license and has a photo.  It's good for travel throughout North America as well as a number of Caribbean countries and Bermuda - but only traveling by auto or by sea.  

[njhorseman]

7 hours ago, Rosroz said:

I find this topic both amazing but not entirely surprising .

NOBODY no matter where they come from should be allowed to enter another country without a passport , and why on earth should you expect to be allowed to do so. 

The nearly 450 million residents of the EU under most circumstances are free to travel anywhere in the Schengen Area without a passport and normally without even any border controls. 

[Harters]

And there's no passport requirement for British & Irish people visiting each others countries (although passports are advised in case proof of nationality was required by border control staff).

[Hambagahle]

On 5/17/2023 at 3:55 PM, Rosroz said:

I find this topic both amazing but not entirely surprising .

NOBODY no matter where they come from should be allowed to enter another country without a passport , and why on earth should you expect to be allowed to do so. 

Not always true - within Schengen you travel without having to show your passport or ID card...  For starters there is no Immigration at borders unless you are coming from outside Schengen...

[susiesan]

On 5/17/2023 at 3:02 PM, Harters said:

That really surprises me. A birth certificate provides absolutely no proper evidence of identity of the person boarding.

NCL allows on closed loop Caribbean cruises. They advertise them as no passport needed cruises.

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, susiesan said:

NCL allows on closed loop Caribbean cruises. They advertise them as no passport needed cruises.

Not just NCL, but every mass market cruise line, and not just closed loop Caribbean cruises but closed loop Bermuda cruises, New England/Canada cruises and closed loop Alaska cruises.

 

US citizens cruising on the overwhelming majority of cruises departing US ports are permitted to sail using a birth certificate and photo ID, passport card or enhanced driver's license in lieu of a passport.

 

Obviously, it can be done not solely because a cruise line declares it can, but because the governments of the US and the ports of call permit it.

Edited May 21, 2023 by njhorseman

[Flatbush Flyer]

49 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Not just NCL, but every mass market cruise line, and not just closed loop Caribbean cruises but closed loop Bermuda cruises, New England/Canada cruises and closed loop Alaska cruises.

 

US citizens cruising on the overwhelming majority of cruises departing US ports are permitted to sail using a birth certificate and photo ID, passport card or enhanced driver's license in lieu of a passport.

 

Obviously, it can be done not solely because a cruise line declares it can, but because the governments of the US and the ports of call permit it.

Agreed: No passport required (just like no travel insurance required). But, most savvy international travelers recognize their true value and don’t leave home without either.

[Rosroz]

On 5/17/2023 at 11:50 PM, Harters said:

And there's no passport requirement for British & Irish people visiting each others countries (although passports are advised in case proof of nationality was required by border control staff).

Yes it is allowed , don’t agree with it personally

[Rosroz]

9 hours ago, Hambagahle said:

Not always true - within Schengen you travel without having to show your passport or ID card...  For starters there is no Immigration at borders unless you are coming from outside Schengen...

That is the case , I however don’t agree with it

[Rosroz]

For anybody whose entered the US and has felt they have been treated like a criminal , spoken to rudely and made to feel most unwelcome by Border Control , will,  I’m sure cannot understand why some people from certain countries think it’s perfectly acceptable to travel to others without a passport , shame that country expects their visitors to stand at the passport booth in a humbling manner, and certainly wouldn’t allow anyone to gain entry on anything other than a passport plus a VISA, enter their own country .

I must admit I love going on cruises via a US gateway , but at times , think why , due to the treatment I’ve encountered many times . 

 

Please don’t take this personally , anyone, I have friends from across the pond and I enjoy meeting people from all over the globe which I can get on a cruise, I certainly don’t enjoy U K only passenger cruises.

[Harters]

A few years back, I visited France & Belgium mainly to take photos for a book I was writing. One particular building was almost literally on the border. Driving down the road to get to it, from my hotel in Belgium, over the course of about 5 miles, I crossed and recrossed the border about four times. The border in that area was a small stream, no more than a couple of metres wide, which meandered about. When I got to the place, I was in France. Took a couple of photos and then decided to walk down the little track at the side of the building to get another view. Doing that meant I walked back into Belgium. Having border controls in such situations would be the height of silliness - presumably in decades past, before the benefits of Schengen & free movement, you'd have had to detour many miles to go through a border checkpoint.

Edited May 21, 2023 by Harters

[Hambagahle]

4 hours ago, Rosroz said:

That is the case , I however don’t agree with it

Why ever not ?We (Switzerland)  are members of Schengen and Schengen keeps us safe.  I can't imagine having to dig out my passport to go to France when my ID card will do.  Not that there are border checks - there are not - only for customs - but in France everyone has to carry an ID on them.   So do we here for that matter...  I am Swiss and don't see this as a problem.

Just because the UK isn't a Schengen member doesn't mean Schengen is bad.  It isn't!  It is wonderful and I do not want to go back to pre Schengen days when we were questioned at the border if we wer going to Chamonix for lunch or to buy butter!!  or play golf.