Passport Clarification Needed..

[ChristineS72]

Can anyone tell me how long passports are taking now a days?

[cherylandtk]

2-3 weeks

[SDale]

From the cbp.gov, I obtained the following definition from a FAQ posted on 12/3/09:

A closed loop cruise is one that begins and ends in the US, returning from contiguous territories or adjacent islands. Canada and Mexico are contiguous. Adjacent islands are listed as follows:

 

Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Marie-Galantine, Martinique, Miquelon, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Christopher, Saint Eustatius, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Maarten, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and other British, French and Netherlands territory or possessions bordering on the Caribbean Sea.

[caribtravel]

Not necessarily true. We just received notification from our TA that our Crown Priincess cruise in April doe not qualify for the passport exception and we do need one. We already have passports, so no big deal to us. I am not sure why it doesn't quailify. It is a Western Caribbean cruise to Roatan, Grand Caymen and Cozumel.

 

You are both right, yes Roatan is part of WHI--BUT only until March 6. After 3/6 Roatan, Panama, other Latin America will no longer be part of WHI (fortunately we leave 1/30)

 

To make things more "interesting" be aware that different countries have different time lines for how long your passport must be valid. For instance, Roatan is a few months. (One more reason not to miss the ship at end of the day;))

[cherylandtk]

The source of this March 6 'change' is a mystery to us all....we have seen the TA announcements, we have seen the links to the cruise line charts, but there is no posted link or reliable source for that information. The CBP has a more current FAQ page that says nothing about this upcoming change, and it was just updated on 1/6/10.

https://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1139&p_created=1238714641&p_sid=fBXu2rzj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=572&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTcsMTcmcF9wcm9kcz0wJnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9JnBfY3Y9JnBfcGFnZT0xJnBfc2VhcmNoX3RleHQ9Y2xvc2VkIGxvb3A*&p_li=&p_topview=1

 

One really odd thing I noticed is that the Princess chart states that for the Western Caribbean cruise going to Roatan Passports are NOT required, but that just a DL and BC is NOT enough. It says that an EDL or Passport Card WILL be acceptable. This makes no sense at all because EDLs and passport cards are supposed to be limited to adjacent islands and contiguous countries, the so-called 'WHTI countries'. This chart is almost exactly opposite of the US CBP/DHS rules.

 

If I had to make an educated guess I would say that 1) Roatan might be making a new requirement or 2) Somebody at Princess goofed.

 

In any event, if you are headed to Central America on a cruise any time soon, you would be wise to take a full passport book with you.

[cherylandtk]

Further to the above post:

I just received a response back from CBP in regards to my enquiry on this March 6, 2010 change. There is no change to the US regulation, no loophole being closed, no limitation to only certain countries within the caribbean basin.

 

The response did say there 'likely is a change to the passport requirements of the destination countries'. But that is all they said; not that there is a change to any specific country. A search of Belize and Honduras embassy websites brought little additional information and some conflicting information. <Sigh> So we are left with what the US State Dept. site says, and while it may be overkill on the requirements, at least you are assured that by following that set of rules you will have enough documentation to take the trip.

 

Do note that the US State Dept website says passport for both Honduras and Belize; the TA and Princess information says passport, passport card or EDL, but not BC/ID.

[navybankerteacher]

It is hard to understand people's reluctance to get passports. At $100 for ten years, it is $10 per year, or less than 84 cents per month: about the cost of a candy bar, less than that of a Big Mac.

 

Get one, keep it current, stop asking stupid questions about how to do without one.

[cherylandtk]

Have had one for over 40 years now.;)

 

And the only stupid question is the one left unasked.

[purpleblanket]

I haven't read through this entire thread so forgive me if this has already been addressed.

 

Our passports say our first name and our middle names and then the last name.

Exactly like our birth certificates. Does anybody know if this will be a problem for boarding passes as there is not enough "spaces" to put the entire name as shown on the passport. Will it be ok to have the boarding pass in just the first name and last name?

We are flying from Canada so definitly need the passport and I'm wondering if anyone knows if it will be a problem with flight boarding pass as well (because there isn't enough spaces for first middle and last names)

I guess when we had our pass ports made that we should have just done the first and last name.

Has anyone encountered this as a problem?

 

Thanks for your help

 

Debbie

[cherylandtk]

Your flight reservation should match exactly as to what your ID says; but some airlines are not yet fully capable of updating to these new rules. Call your airline and ask if they can or need to update your name.

 

On the cruise, it is not as important; they do not have the same security level and can understand that James J. Smith is the same as James John Smith. Just don't book it as Jim Smith.

[cherylandtk]

After checking nearly daily for more information re: RT cruises and passport requirements changing I still see nothing from the US, but I did find a new post regarding what I suspect is Belize. This is a post from a brand-new cruiser apparently going to Belize on RCCL, so there may be something to the rumors. Again, to be safe, take a passport, at least until the rules get sorted out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=22838539&postcount=5

[cherylandtk]

Too late to edit above post.....that poster came back and advised Cartagena, Colombia was the port that caused the requirement.

[smeyer418]

Too late to edit above post.....that poster came back and advised Cartagena, Colombia was the port that caused the requirement.

which makes sense since its not in the defined WHTI area that allows birth certificate and ID only...

[njhorseman]

which makes sense since its not in the defined WHTI area that allows birth certificate and ID only...

 

But Belize and Roatan (Honduras) are also not on that list, yet to date cruisers have been able to go to those countries with only a BC and ID as long as they are on a closed loop itinerary.

[smeyer418]

But Belize and Roatan (Honduras) are also not on that list, yet to date cruisers have been able to go to those countries with only a BC and ID as long as they are on a closed loop itinerary.

I think they were added later. They weren't on the first list....and they still aren't in South America like Columbia is....

[cherylandtk]

Perhaps a bit of clarification on the "WHTI country list" is in order. Prior to the WHTI, the countries in the Caribbean basin and the adjacent islands/contiguous countries (Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the 17 Caribbean countries) had different handling and processing of persons returning to the US. US citizens could, in the past, get by with limited or no documentation, and foreign nationals had different processing and could leave and return on the same entry visa without a full re-entry process.

 

When the WHTI first was proposed, that special handling would have gone by the wayside completely. It would have been passport or nothing if you left the US borders, period. The air rule was implemented with this. But then the second and subsequent phases of the WHTI were revised, changed, and amended. The passport card was instituted for adjacent islands and contiguous countries(now called the WHTI area), in essence, keeping the special handling for those countries (but not by air). Then the cruise exception came into play, which created a new special handling area for RT cruises, which was the entire Western Hemisphere.

 

It is important to note that these are two entirely different exceptions; Western Hemisphere for RT cruises, the 'old' CC/AI for land and private sea crossings, sometimes known as the "passport card countries",and called on the State site as the "WHTI area".

 

Both of these exceptions are outcomes of the WHTI, but State calls the CC/AI region the "WHTI area" because it is the subject of many travel document inquiries, but it is not the ONLY area newly defined by the WHTI. State issues passports and passport cards. So when people call up and say they are going to for example, Bermuda on a yacht, State tells them it is in the WHTI area and they can use a passport card. But the WHTI area, again, is specific to the use of the passport card on private border crossings, NOT RT cruises which are an entirely different exception. There is no US special treatment or handling of Belize and Roatan per the WHTI and never has been. ANY country within North, Central, South America or an island within the Western Hemisphere is eligible for the RT cruise exception upon return to the US. None of which negates the option of any destination country or any cruiseline to have different requirements.

[cherylandtk]

My thanks to Scottbee, who posted this information in another thread...but it appears there is a change in passport requirements for Canadians going to Mexico as of March 2010. This may be the source of the "March 6 change" claimed by several TAs and at least one Princess document. However, it is specific to CANADIAN citizens, not US. And it is a tit-for-tat response as Canada began to require visas for Mexican nationals with only one week notice last year...

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/mexico-mexique/consul/visas.aspx

[elcuchio24]

Get a passport. When a cop in Panama wants to see your paperwork, you'll be happy you have one and not a copy of your birth certif with your little baby footprint.

[cruisingbythesea]

I agree. Get a passport. Right now many cruises to Caribbean are considered closed loop and requirements are more lax, but requirements could change.

 

Here is issue with Birth Certificates especially for women. Your birth last name and last name on Drivers License is generally different. You must now have an official document that links the two names together, most often a marriage certificate. If you can not prove this link, you will be denied boarding on some cruise lines.

 

Do you really want to take that chance.

 

Also as a reminder, when signing up for the cruise and using your Passport as your document, you must register in the name on your passport, or again have documents proving why the names are different. (i.e. you just married and signed up for the cruise in your married name but passport is still in maiden name. In this case, sign up in name on passport or be prepared to prove why not. Middle name and Jr are not as big of an issue but first and last name are).

 

Cheers.

[debshomespun]

When boarding our Navigator 1-25-10 cruise, there were 55 people denied boarding because they did not have proper documentation. Most of them were women who had their birth certificates and DL, but the names did not match. They did not have a copy of their marriage certificate or divorce papers. A couple of them were able to get the proper documentation faxed to the port authority and were allowed to board. The others were not allowed to board, and I am assuming would not be given a refund. It is your responsiblility to have proper documentation, and the passport is the best one!

[Travelcat2]

I haven't read through this entire thread so forgive me if this has already been addressed.

 

Our passports say our first name and our middle names and then the last name.

Exactly like our birth certificates. Does anybody know if this will be a problem for boarding passes as there is not enough "spaces" to put the entire name as shown on the passport. Will it be ok to have the boarding pass in just the first name and last name?

We are flying from Canada so definitly need the passport and I'm wondering if anyone knows if it will be a problem with flight boarding pass as well (because there isn't enough spaces for first middle and last names)

I guess when we had our pass ports made that we should have just done the first and last name.

Has anyone encountered this as a problem?

 

Thanks for your help

 

Debbie

 

The airlines check your names -- very carefully -- before boarding the flight. How it prints on your boarding pass has no effect.

 

It is best to have your full name on your passport -- it lessens the possibility of duplicate names in the system (i.e. it is more likely that there are more than one "John Doe" than "John Matthew Doe"). Hmmm, that was a strange example. . . ., but, you get the point:)

[markandstacie00]

;) I have been through 3 pages of this subject, and am hoping for a very short answer. I just found out that due to a government paperwork error, I was denied a passport from a child support case from 15 years ago. Until I can unravel this, I will not have a passport. So my question is simply, can I expect no problems going on an Eastern Caribbean cruise RT from Florida wiith a license and original birth cert?

[cherylandtk]

Presuming you are Mark, then your valid DL and BC should be just fine. HOWEVER, you said 'original BC' and that makes me caution you that original BCs are not given out to the family, they are filed with the registrar. If you think you have an original, make sure it is not a hospital issued certificate, which is NOT A BC. Make sure your BC states it is a certified copy issued by the state, county or city where you were born. Not the hospital issued certificate, not a photocopy, not a short-form. (Also presuming you do not have any other unusual differences; not born overseas, not adopted with a name change, etc. etc.)

Edited February 25, 2010 by cherylandtk

[PrincessE]

Get a passport. When a cop in Panama wants to see your paperwork, you'll be happy you have one and not a copy of your birth certif with your little baby footprint.

 

I'd like to take exception to all of you who post flippant comments about, "Oh just go get a passport already!"

 

It's not always that easy for some people. Some folks cannot have a passport, for a variety of reasons. The only way they can cruise is with the closed loop voyage allowance.

 

So please think before you retort. Life isn't always so black and white for everyone. Don't assume anything.

 

And by the way...who takes their passport into port anyway? I've traveled the world and never taken my passport off the ship.

[new22003]

For various reasons people don't want to get a passport. Its none of my business why and you didn't post a question to get preached at. Also I didnt see many ask "should I get one". (Yes I have had one for years.) So I thought I would give some a CLEAR answer.

 

I have taken multiple cruises this year with groups of people who didn't have passports. We have been to Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras, and Mexico without problems. As of March 2010 I can say you DO NOT need a passport for those ports. That is from personal first hand experience.

Edited March 17, 2010 by new22003