Visa

[taftstreet]

Does anyone know if we have to apply for visa to tour each island we visit on a Caribbean cruise? I know some countries are starting to require visas but can’t imagine a 4 hour tour of 8 each island require a visa to visit from a cruise tour. 

[Outerdog]

No.

[CruiserBruce]

No, and many countries that might require a visa for an overnight or longer land visit, don't require one for a standard cruise ship visit.

 

I haven't noticed a sudden increase in countries requiring visas. Don't be confused with Electric Travel Authorizations, or similar named items. They are not visas.

[edinburgher]

7 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Don't be confused with Electric Travel Authorizations, or similar named items. They are not visas.

I have seen various posts recently where ETAs have commonly been referred to as "visas" especially in relation to the soon to be introduced ones for Europe.(ETIAS)

 

CruiserBruce is asbsolutely correct in that these are not visas, only authorisations to travel and they are actually for folks who do NOT require visas, which is why it is always wise to check which country nationals are exempt from visas in certain cases (such as not having a criminal record) and can instead apply for the alternative travel authorisation.

 

The US and some other countries such as Australia have required these for a number of years already.  They are usually quck and easy to apply for online, are inexpensive, and often  valid for a few years. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by edinburgher

[ldubs]

Kind of funny.   A visa allows someone to enter a country and an ETA/ETIAS allows those who don't need a visa to enter a country. 

[jcl410]

17 hours ago, taftstreet said:

Does anyone know if we have to apply for visa to tour each island we visit on a Caribbean cruise? 

The first question is "are you a US citizen?"

 

If so, then I am unaware of any Caribbean destination that requires a Visa (or electronic substitute). 

 

The EU has announced the US Citizens (along with 29 other countries) will be required to obtain an electronic visa waiver starting in 2024; I don't know if that will have any bearing for cruises.

 

A good place for information for visa requirements  is the US State Department's web site:

 

travel.state.gov

 

Aloha,

 

John

 

 

[edinburgher]

5 hours ago, ldubs said:

A visa allows someone to enter a country and an ETA/ETIAS allows those who don't need a visa to enter a country. 

Sorry, but wrong.  You missed the point being made above that ETA/ETIAS/ESTA or  whatever you care to call them as different countries call them by different names, only give authorisation to travel to the country which issued it, they do not guarantee entry on arrival, but a valid  visa would. They can also be known as "visa waivers"  because if you qualify for one through nationality or for any other reason, you do not need to go through all the hoops and spend $$s to obtain a visa.

 

As an example, if we were flying from the UK to the US and were not in possession of a valid ESTA allowing us to travel to the US we would be refused boarding at our departure airport. And even with that ESTA and being permitted to travel to the US, on arrival at the US airport our actual entry into the USA would be at the discretion of US Immigration.

 

As clear as mud I know but I didn't make the rules.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by edinburgher

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

You missed the point being made above that ETA/ETIAS/ESTA or  whatever you care to call them as different countries call them by different names, only give authorisation to travel to the country which issued it, they do not guarantee entry on arrival, but a valid  visa would

You're wrong . Having a visa does not guarantee you'll be granted entry to a country on arrival...at least not to the USA, and I suspect that is also the case in other countries. Here's what the US Department of State has to say about it:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/frequently-asked-questions/about-basics.html#Entering

"A visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to the U.S. port-of-entry, and the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immigration inspector authorizes or denies admission to the United States. See Admissions on the CBP website."

 

Edit: Per this UK immigration attorney, the same lack of guarantee applies to those entering the UK:

https://www.davidsonmorris.com/entry-clearance/#:~:text=Having been granted entry clearance,guarantee entry into the UK.

 

"Does entry clearance guarantee entry into the UK?

Having been granted entry clearance by way of a visa or entry certificate, this will entitle you to travel to a UK port of entry to seek admission. However, this does not necessarily guarantee entry into the UK. As previously explained, the authority to admit someone to the UK ultimately rests with the IO at the port of entry. This is commonly referred to as leave to enter."

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by njhorseman

[taftstreet]

Thank you all for the information. I will definitely check with the US Homeland Security. I am US citizen but wanted to be sure as time is catching up and a lot of travel rules are changing come 2024. Hope to see you all soon.

Sonia and Peter

[Mary229]

17 hours ago, jcl410 said:

The first question is "are you a US citizen?"

 

If so, then I am unaware of any Caribbean destination that requires a Visa (or electronic substitute). 

 

The EU has announced the US Citizens (along with 29 other countries) will be required to obtain an electronic visa waiver starting in 2024; I don't know if that will have any bearing for cruises.

 

A good place for information for visa requirements  is the US State Department's web site:

 

travel.state.gov

 

Aloha,

 

John

 

 

You are exactly right about which country you hold citizenship.   Though many US and EU citizens can enjoy the ease of a digital visa that is not the case for all citizenships, regardless of where you reside.

[edinburgher]

14 hours ago, njhorseman said:

You're wrong .

Holding my hands up.  You must work in either US Immigration or UK Immigration  to be as knowledgeable on the finer details, but they are certainly important and you are right to share them. I really didn't intend to give misinformation, far from it, was actually trying to correct misinformation but it appears that in trying to do so, I kicked a hornet's nets and muddled things even more,so thank you for clarifying for others that neither a valid visa nor a travel document will guarantee entry, unless presumably the traveller is a national or a permanent resident.of the country they are trying to enter in which case they would have a passport.and/ or other relevant documentation to support this.

 

I was only seeking to clarify that a travel document is not a visa, and in general much simpler and less expensive to apply for with the bonus of often being valid for a few years, which of course a visa can also be, although a longer duation or multiple entry visa  usually costs more than a shorter duration or single visit  visa. Makes me wonder why we went to so much effort and expense over the years obtaining visas for the likes of India and China. After twice having to apply for both countries, we decided that we would never again travel to either due to the hassle and cost each time. Perhaps these visas did allow us guaranteed entry but I am not going to check the websites of either to check as we will never return.

 

Travellers should absolutely verify entry requirements on on official Government websites only, of whichever country (ies) they intend to visit ,especially now they know that even a full-on visa doesn't guarantee entry to some countries.   And as rules can change  maybe check more than once.

 

The authority to admit someone to the UK ultimately rests with the IO at the port of entry. This is commonly referred to as leave to enter."  

 

I won't be going into this in detail as the subject is both enormous and highly complex, but in brief "leave to enter" is more applicable, not to genuine short stay visitors, but to those seeking entry for a longer period in a different category such as student, spouse, employee or in other categories. They are usually required to attend an in- person interview at a UK Embassy or Consulate  in their own country,bringing with them all the relevant info and documents they have been instructed to bring with them.  This procedure should in no way impact genuine vacationers on short duration visits.

Edited October 23, 2023 by edinburgher

[njhorseman]

7 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

You must work in either US Immigration or UK Immigration

No, I'm just an ordinary citizen who spent a few years in the travel business as a travel agency owner and became familiar with this subject in order to be able properly advise my clients about visa requirements.

I'm in no way suggesting that denial of entry at the border to someone holding a valid visa or other entry document such as an ESTA or eTA is a common occurrence or something that the average traveler should be concerned about. I'm only saying it can happen. For example an ESTA is normally valid for two years with multiple entries permitted. Visas may be valid for multiple years and multiple entries. What if you were a perfectly admissible entrant at the time you first were granted a visa or ESTA but you were later charged with a crime ? You very well may now be deemed inadmissible by an immigration officer at the border.

Even a traveler who is not required to have a visa or visa waiver document can be denied entry at the border. This is a fairly common occurrence for US citizens with drunk driving convictions who attempt to enter Canada. Canada considers this to be a serious crime. As a US citizen I can travel to Canada with my valid passport without a visa or eTA, but I can be turned away at the border for having a DUI conviction. It's not all that uncommon for cruisers to not be allowed off the ship at ports of call in Canada because Canada considers them unfit for entry. They can't be denied boarding at the US homeport because cruise lines don't have access to the federal government's criminal record database, but Canada does have access to it. The Canadian Border Services Agency check the passenger manifest they receive after the ship departs its homeport against the database and can decide that a passenger is not admissible.

[edinburgher]

3 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

I'm in no way suggesting that denial of entry at the border to someone holding a valid visa or other entry document such as an ESTA or eTA is a common occurrence or something that the average traveler should be concerned about. I'm only saying it can happen.

Of course it can and I have seen a number of threads by cruise pax asking "can I visit Canada with a DUI?" but this is now going way off topic as I responded trying to clarify the misconception that somehow an "electronic travel document" is the same as a "visa". Anyone reading this thread will now know that there is a difference and that  they are not one and the same.

[ldubs]

16 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Sorry, but wrong.  You missed the point being made above that ETA/ETIAS/ESTA or  whatever you care to call them as different countries call them by different names, only give authorisation to travel to the country which issued it, they do not guarantee entry on arrival, but a valid  visa would. They can also be known as "visa waivers"  because if you qualify for one through nationality or for any other reason, you do not need to go through all the hoops and spend $$s to obtain a visa.

 

As an example, if we were flying from the UK to the US and were not in possession of a valid ESTA allowing us to travel to the US we would be refused boarding at our departure airport. And even with that ESTA and being permitted to travel to the US, on arrival at the US airport our actual entry into the USA would be at the discretion of US Immigration.

 

As clear as mud I know but I didn't make the rules.

 

 

 

Nope, I didn't miss anything.  

[edinburgher]

1 minute ago, ldubs said:

Nope, I didn't miss anything.

 

 

22 hours ago, ldubs said:

A visa allows someone to enter a country and an ETA/ETIAS allows those who don't need a visa to enter a country.

As you will read above, a visa does not allow automatic entry to some countries although it may allow entry to others.

 

ETIA.ETAs are so much simpler to obtain without having to go through as much hassle as trying to obtain a visa, and usually also much cheaper, but as stated above they are not guaranteeing entry either.

[ldubs]

Just now, edinburgher said:

 

 

As you will read above, a visa does not allow automatic entry to some countries although it may allow entry to others.

 

ETIA.ETAs are so much simpler to obtain without having to go through as much hassle as trying to obtain a visa, and usually also much cheaper, but as stated above they are not guaranteeing entry either.

 

For crying out loud, it was a good natured reference to two different things with different names that are used to visit a country.  Need a visa, get one.  Need an ETA/ETIAS, then get one.  Having  traveled to over 50 different countries, I know about visas, visa waivers, different rules for different countries.    

 

 

 

[edinburgher]

6 hours ago, ldubs said:

For crying out loud, it was a good natured reference

Sometimes not so easy to get the intention across using only the spoken word when vocal  intonations and facial expressions are not part of the picture leaving a statement open to misinterpretation .

 

That said, point taken. it was only a good natured reference which was unfortunately taken at face value.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, edinburgher said:

Sometimes not so easy to get the intention across using only the spoken word when vocal  intonations and facial expressions are not part of the picture leaving a statement open to misinterpretation .

 

That said, point taken. it was only a good natured reference which was unfortunately taken at face value.

 

 

I think you are investing way too much in this.  My original comment never said the ETIAS applied to all countries, which seems to be your main bone of contention.  That was something you added.   Additionally you responded that an ETIAS is easier to get than a visa.  That is true for most countries, and I never said otherwise.  However let's not forget a minor detail that the ETIAS applies to people who are currently visa-exempt.  And of course, being visa-exempt, there no need for them to secure a visa.  

 

 

 

[Charles4515]

Why worry about this now? ETIAS is not needed now. Last week it was postponed again until 2025. There could be further delays. Reminds me of the REAL ID saga. 

 

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/etias-europe-tourist-taxes-explained/index.html

Edited October 24, 2023 by Charles4515

[edinburgher]

On 10/24/2023 at 12:09 AM, ldubs said:

My original comment never said the ETIAS applied to all countries, which seems to be your main bone of contention.

I cannot find a reference to your original comment which indicated to me that you were saying the ETIAS applied to all countries, nor did I know I had a "bone of contention" but it appears that I gave that impression I did. 

 

If you look back at my original #4 post,you will read that I only expanded on the comment by Cruiser Bruce in an attempt to further clarify as the topic is quite an important one, in response to which you added your "good natured " response below which I didn't think clarified anything and may have confused others even more ,and as that was not the objective I responded to it.

 

Kind of funny.   A visa allows someone to enter a country and an ETA/ETIAS allows those who don't need a visa to enter a country. 

 

 Countries which will require an ETIAS whenever it comes into effect should be checked on the official ETIAS website, as it will not only apply to current Schengen membership countries, but also to a few others in different categories of membership or proposed membership of Schengen.

Edited October 25, 2023 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

14 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

Why worry about this now? ETIAS is not needed now. Last week it was postponed again until 2025. There could be further delays. Reminds me of the REAL ID saga. 

There could indeed be further delays, but at some point it WILL come into effect.

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, edinburgher said:

There could indeed be further delays, but at some point it WILL come into effect.

That’s nice. Gives Cruise Critic fear mongers  time to spread fear on the boards about it and members who don’t read the news and don’t know it is not required yet to be confused. 

[edinburgher]

3 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

That’s nice. Gives Cruise Critic fear mongers  time to spread fear on the boards about it and members who don’t read the news and don’t know it is not required yet to be confused. 

Up to each and every one of us to carry out due diligence.  We witnessed cruise pax being refused boarding at Dubai due to not having an  Indian visa.

[Charles4515]

4 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Up to each and every one of us to carry out due diligence.  We witnessed cruise pax being refused boarding at Dubai due to not having an  Indian visa.

That is always going to happen as some percentage of the population is unable to function at a level to carry out any diligence. There was one thread recently where a member who claimed to be a long time cruiser on a certain cruise line didn’t know that his GF needed a passport for a cruise that was not a closed loop cruise and she would be denied boarding. He blames the cruise line. 

[edinburgher]

16 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

He blames the cruise line. 

Well of course he would as neither he nor GF would think  "mea culpa". 

 

Having said that, is there not usually a statement hidden somewhere in the depths of the booking contract that informs pax of passport or visa requirements, or even just informing them they have personal responsibility for checking what documentation may be needed?