Can I cruise to Alaska without a passport?

[Charles4515]

7 minutes ago, new_cruiser said:

What I read says it is the same as using an EDL - it can be used at a land border crossing so it doesn't need a birth certificate.

You can't use it  that way as documentation for a closed loop cruise. 

Edited July 15, 2023 by Charles4515

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, new_cruiser said:

Mostly true - there are some alternative items that could be used. One alternative is an Enhanced Driver's License or ID can be used instead of a passport. Presently, only some states on the Canadian border issue Enhanced Driver's Licenses/IDs. Another is a trusted traveler card (e.g. Nexus, Global Entry).

 

Full list is here:

https://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/canada-travel-requirements.html

In theory yes, the passport card and EDL should work but the website for the tour operator specifies passport.

[Ferry_Watcher]

12 hours ago, klfrodo said:

The Global Entry card is WHTI compliant though, right?

 

Global Entry is not WHITI compliant (NEXUS and SENTRI cards are compliant). 

Just recently (July '23) I had a passenger who only had a Global Entry card and was denied boarding.  The passenger, while a naturalized US citizen, sadly was not traveling with their US passport, and would have needed their original Naturalization Certificate (not a copy) to prove citizenship..

 

[new_cruiser]

34 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

In theory yes, the passport card and EDL should work but the website for the tour operator specifies passport.

A Passport card is a Passport. My husband and I used Passport Cards in 2017 to board a Vancouver to Seward cruise and to take a train/van Skagway excursion. 

[njhorseman]

22 minutes ago, new_cruiser said:

A Passport card is a Passport.

No it isn't because if it were a passport it could be used for international air travel, which it can't. That having been said it should be usable for land and sea crossings, but the tour operator still has the right to ask for a passport.

Another example of passport cards not being accepted is that many upscale/luxury cruise lines require all passengers to have a passport with at least 6 months remaining validity even if a passport card...or for that matter as little documentation as a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID is legally permitted as documentation for the cruise. For example try boarding an Oceania US-based closed loop cruise using a passport card and you're going to be denied, even though the passport card satisfies all government requirements for the cruise.

 

So to repeat...NO...a passport card is not a passport.

[new_cruiser]

22 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

No it isn't because if it were a passport it could be used for international air travel, which it can't. That having been said it should be usable for land and sea crossings, but the tour operator still has the right to ask for a passport.

Another example of passport cards not being accepted is that many upscale/luxury cruise lines require all passengers to have a passport with at least 6 months remaining validity even if a passport card...or for that matter as little documentation as a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID is legally permitted as documentation for the cruise. For example try boarding an Oceania US-based closed loop cruise using a passport card and you're going to be denied, even though the passport card satisfies all government requirements for the cruise.

 

So to repeat...NO...a passport card is not a passport.

It was a luxury cruise line (Crystal) and it wasn't a closed loop cruise. It was a cruise from a Canadian port to a US port, not a closed loop cruise where a DL and birth certificate could be used. 

 

We did have our passport books with us just in case but passport cards were still pretty new to us and we wanted to see if they would work.

[njhorseman]

42 minutes ago, new_cruiser said:

It was a luxury cruise line (Crystal) and it wasn't a closed loop cruise. It was a cruise from a Canadian port to a US port, not a closed loop cruise where a DL and birth certificate could be used. 

 

We did have our passport books with us just in case but passport cards were still pretty new to us and we wanted to see if they would work.

I can't speak to whatever Crystal's rules may have been when you took your cruise, but whatever they were it doesn't change the facts.. The fact is that any cruise line has the right to require documentation beyond what may minimally satisfy the laws and regulations and some definitely require a passport, not a passport card, for all itineraries. 

[SelectSys]

15 hours ago, klfrodo said:

The Global Entry card is WHTI compliant though, right?

I am thinking that the problem with GE is that many nationalities can obtain that card.  

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/eligibility

 

Of course you I am sure that a computer look up would show the underlying citizenship of the holder, but it's government process.  

 

To me REAL ID drivers licenses might be a little tougher as that assumes the state databases are tied to the feds but it is not clear is the state keeps track of citizenship status rather than simply being a legal resident.

[SelectSys]

2 hours ago, new_cruiser said:

A Passport card is a Passport. My husband and I used Passport Cards in 2017 to board a Vancouver to Seward cruise and to take a train/van Skagway excursion. 

Passport card has some limited uses and is only good for land crossings.  I keep one in my wallet for proving my identity in Mexico along with my Global Entry to return home.  That said, I  always travel internationally by plane or cruise with the actual book.

Edited July 15, 2023 by SelectSys

[sparks1093]

4 hours ago, new_cruiser said:

It was a luxury cruise line (Crystal) and it wasn't a closed loop cruise. It was a cruise from a Canadian port to a US port, not a closed loop cruise where a DL and birth certificate could be used. 

 

We did have our passport books with us just in case but passport cards were still pretty new to us and we wanted to see if they would work.

Yes, a passport card may be used for open jaw sailings like the one that you took, but that doesn't mean they are the same as passports. I was simply pointing out that they aren't mentioned by the tour operator, but they should work because they are allowed for that type of travel.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Passport card has some limited uses and is only good for land crossings.  I keep one in my wallet for proving my identity in Mexico along with my Global Entry to return home.  That said, I  always travel internationally by plane or cruise with the actual book.

No, they are also good for sea ports of entry when returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean which means they are good for certain cruises as well.

[Smitheroo]

On 7/14/2023 at 10:37 AM, floatn said:

You're traveling out of the country and you need to prove your citizenship to return. A driver's license simply doesn't prove that. But a birth certificate, provided you were born in the US, DOES. So, a birth certificate is required, or some other form of citizenship proof. The driver's license is to prove your identity, nothing more.

It used to be that a driver's license was all you need to cross into Canada and back into the U.S. But that was many years ago. Once we were crossing on a family vacation and my mother, born in Scotland, forgot her papers (she didnt drive)  We were nervous thinking they would not allow her in, or she'd have trouble getting back into the U.S. but no. They took her word that she was a US citzen. Different times for sure

 

 

[fruitmachine]

On 8/25/2023 at 10:14 PM, Smitheroo said:

It used to be that a driver's license was all you need to cross into Canada and back into the U.S. But that was many years ago. Once we were crossing on a family vacation and my mother, born in Scotland, forgot her papers (she didnt drive)  We were nervous thinking they would not allow her in, or she'd have trouble getting back into the U.S. but no. They took her word that she was a US citzen. Different times for sure

 

 

I had a similar scenario - visiting a couple in up-state New York exactly 40 years ago, and they took me to the theatre for the night.  Candida, by George Bernard Shaw.  Half way there, they asked if I had my passport with me.  I didn't.  Turns out we were heading to Candida in Canada!

Long story short, at the Canadian border they refused me entry for lack of a passport and sent me back over the bridge to the US border.  At the US border ... you guessed it ... they refused me entry for lack of a passport!! 

 

Their computer systems were down for the weekend, and they were unable to check that I was in the country legally.  It was only after a long explanation and the good-will of the officer that I didn't have to spend the weekend in a continuous ping-pong between border crossing points!

[sanger727]

On 7/15/2023 at 9:40 AM, new_cruiser said:

A Passport card is a Passport. My husband and I used Passport Cards in 2017 to board a Vancouver to Seward cruise and to take a train/van Skagway excursion. 

It’s really important to note that a passport card IS NOT a passport. It’s similar to the enhanced drivers license where it can be used at land and sea borders. You cannot use a passport card to fly. 

[Smitheroo]

On 7/15/2023 at 4:08 PM, sparks1093 said:

No, they are also good for sea ports of entry when returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean which means they are good for certain cruises as well.

That is what my travel partner had on a recent cruise. I had my passport. We were checking in and he was told "that's fine but if anything happens to you in Mexico you wont be allowed to fly home"  He wasnt too worried because he lived in California

[sparks1093]

14 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

That is what my travel partner had on a recent cruise. I had my passport. We were checking in and he was told "that's fine but if anything happens to you in Mexico you wont be allowed to fly home"  He wasnt too worried because he lived in California

And unfortunately what he was told was wrong. There are provisions in the regulations that allow the authorities to waive the passport requirement for emergencies or for humanitarian reasons, so arrangements can be made for returning by air (there will be a delay while this is done, of course).

[GeezerCouple]

On 7/14/2023 at 9:02 AM, mjkacmom said:

To be fair, they will not be forced to live out their days in Canada, they will be able to fly home but will need to make extra arrangements.

What a shame.

This would have made it so easy for anyone from the USA wanting to move to Canada!

😉

 

GC

[Smitheroo]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

And unfortunately what he was told was wrong. There are provisions in the regulations that allow the authorities to waive the passport requirement for emergencies or for humanitarian reasons, so arrangements can be made for returning by air (there will be a delay while this is done, of course).

yeah, he didnt worry about it too much 

[Smitheroo]

19 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

I had a similar scenario - visiting a couple in up-state New York exactly 40 years ago, and they took me to the theatre for the night.  Candida, by George Bernard Shaw.  Half way there, they asked if I had my passport with me.  I didn't.  Turns out we were heading to Candida in Canada!

Long story short, at the Canadian border they refused me entry for lack of a passport and sent me back over the bridge to the US border.  At the US border ... you guessed it ... they refused me entry for lack of a passport!! 

 

Their computer systems were down for the weekend, and they were unable to check that I was in the country legally.  It was only after a long explanation and the good-will of the officer that I didn't have to spend the weekend in a continuous ping-pong between border crossing points!

that must have been a nightmare!

[sparks1093]

20 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

I had a similar scenario - visiting a couple in up-state New York exactly 40 years ago, and they took me to the theatre for the night.  Candida, by George Bernard Shaw.  Half way there, they asked if I had my passport with me.  I didn't.  Turns out we were heading to Candida in Canada!

Long story short, at the Canadian border they refused me entry for lack of a passport and sent me back over the bridge to the US border.  At the US border ... you guessed it ... they refused me entry for lack of a passport!! 

 

Their computer systems were down for the weekend, and they were unable to check that I was in the country legally.  It was only after a long explanation and the good-will of the officer that I didn't have to spend the weekend in a continuous ping-pong between border crossing points!

For a non-US citizen it can be interesting. My sister in law visited from Germany many years ago and we took them up to Canada. She forgot her passport at the house, so of course we were denied entry. The CBP officer on the other side understood completely and we were able to go home to get the passport. The second trip was uneventful.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Passengers are still arriving in Seattle with just a driver's license fully expecting to board a cruise ship heading to Alaska (all with a port-of-call in Canada).

A number of these folks will argue with pier staff that their driver's license with the "star" on it is all that they need - incorrect.  It may be a Real ID, but it isn't enough on its own to allow you to board a cruise ship.

Many of these folks will swear that 'someone' told them that just a DL would be all that they need.  Or, that they plan to stay on the ship during the stop in Canada, and so they don't need any 'stronger' ID like a passport.

And then there are the many passengers who, leave their passports or birth certificates in their luggage which now has been dropped off with the Longshore porters, and now can't check-in until that luggage has been found, taken off the the ship, and returned to the passenger.  Some passengers truly believe that they don't need to show proof of their citizenship until they actually arrive in Canada.  Again, incorrect.  All citizenship documents are looked at before passengers board the ship, and for those passengers who don't have them, or can't get a picture of their US birth certificate sent from home -it is a denied boarding.

So please, please bring your passport, passport card or US gov't issued birth certificate with your photo ID (gov't issued).  It will save a lot of frustration and heartbreak.

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Many of these folks will swear that 'someone' told them

I worked with the public before I retired and heard this so often. “Someone told them” which I knew was untrue. 

[ldubs]

On 8/27/2023 at 10:29 AM, fruitmachine said:

I had a similar scenario - visiting a couple in up-state New York exactly 40 years ago, and they took me to the theatre for the night.  Candida, by George Bernard Shaw.  Half way there, they asked if I had my passport with me.  I didn't.  Turns out we were heading to Candida in Canada!

Long story short, at the Canadian border they refused me entry for lack of a passport and sent me back over the bridge to the US border.  At the US border ... you guessed it ... they refused me entry for lack of a passport!! 

 

Their computer systems were down for the weekend, and they were unable to check that I was in the country legally.  It was only after a long explanation and the good-will of the officer that I didn't have to spend the weekend in a continuous ping-pong between border crossing points!

 

Oh wow.  You could have been like that movie where Tom Hanks had to live in the airport.  Except, you would have been in the middle of a bridge.  😃