Do you have to go through immigration?

[heatherandfred]

Do you have to do it, if you're not going on any tours or even leaving the ship? I remember going through immigration a few years back for one of the ports that I went to, but I got off the ship.

 

I know that some people like to hide and pretend that they don't hear the announcements for the immigration cattle call.

[98Charlie]

At many ports immigration is handled by a ship's officer and a local immigration authority.

 

When we have had a stop in the US or US possesion after being in a foreign port we have had to make a personal appearance.

 

In both cases, no one is allowed off the ship until everyone has been cleared.

 

So, the short answer is yes, you have to make a personal appearance if requested.

 

Charlie

[Keith1010]

It is not too often that you need to go through this. There are a few places around the world where each passenger must show up at immigration and the ship will not be clearled unless each person is accounted for. And the same is for when the ship is returning back to a US Port. Yes, you must go.

 

Keith

[Philip217]

It doesn't matter if you plan to leave the ship or not.

Once the ship has entered the terrirorial waters of a country, EVERYONE onboard that ship has officially entered that country. So the local immigration people want to see everyone.

Some countries claim you have entered their sovereign territory at the 3 mile limit, some at the 12 mile limit, and even a few at the 100 and 200 mile limits. But that doesn't really matter. Once the ship has entered national waters, EVERYONE must go through Immigration.

[Keith1010]

It doesn't matter if you plan to leave the ship or not.

Once the ship has entered the terrirorial waters of a country, EVERYONE onboard that ship has officially entered that country. So the local immigration people want to see everyone.

Some countries claim you have entered their sovereign territory at the 3 mile limit, some at the 12 mile limit, and even a few at the 100 and 200 mile limits. But that doesn't really matter. Once the ship has entered national waters, EVERYONE must go through Immigration.

 

This is not the case. I just came back from a World Cruise where we went to 50 or so countries and we did not go through immigration in every port of call.

 

Rather, in each port, the local authorities came on the ship and reviewed all of the passports which were held for us by the cruise ship personnel thoughout the cruise.

 

And, there were a couple of places (Israel and one other that I can't remember off the top of our head) where each passenger had to meet with the local authorities a day or so before we reached the country.

 

And, we went through Immigration when the ship ended in the United Kingdom. To simplify the process this was done on the ship the day before we reached the UK.

 

But to say that each person will go through a formal immigration at each and every port is wrong.

 

Now, I do agree that in those places where you must see the local authority in person all passengers and crew must go through this process even if you are not getting off the ship.

 

The point I'm making though is this does not happen for every country that you are stopping at.

 

Keith

[kitty9]

If you're doing a Caribbean cruise, the only time you physically go through US Immigration is when you stop at your first port that's a US Protectorate, such as St Thomas. Everyone on board has to physically go to the inspection room at the appointed time and show your passport/birth certificate. They check off your name as you walk through, and if you don't appear, they will hunt for you and bring you to the room. Once you go through, you're given a card that says you've been through the process. You cannot get off the ship without that card. As for other places, I've not been to one island in the Caribbean where I had to go through their local Immigration---local agents come on board and look at passenger manifests and that's all that's required. It's the same thing if you're on a cruise that stops at a port that requires individual visas. Even if you don't plan on getting off the ship at that port, you will still need a visa as you are in that country's territory by being on a ship that's in their waters.

[photographia]

I just got back from a cruise originating in Athens, which made one stop in Turkey, at Kusadasi. When we were disembarking, the cruise line gave each one of us a lapel sticker with the cruise-line logo on it--that constituted our "visa" to enter Turkey. We made no contact with any immigration people, either Greek or Turkish. When returning to the ship, we showed the port security people our boarding card, and they saw our stickers, and instantly let us pass.

Meanwhile, our passports had been taken by the cruise line when we embarked at Athens, and were kept locked in their safe. Apparently they had some encounter with Greek immigration, because I realized later that they had stamped mine when I left the last Greek island before getting to Turkey, and then stamped it again at the following Greek island, after leaving Turkey. But I was not there when this took place. And there is no Turkish stamp in my passport (bummer!).

[splash79]

On a Caribbean cruise, will they stamp your passport during this process, then?

[CPT Trips]

If you're doing a Caribbean cruise, the only time you physically go through US Immigration is when you stop at your first port that's a US Protectorate, such as St Thomas. Everyone on board has to physically go to the inspection room at the appointed time and show your passport/birth certificate. They check off your name as you walk through, and if you don't appear, they will hunt for you and bring you to the room. Once you go through, you're given a card that says you've been through the process. You cannot get off the ship without that card. As for other places, I've not been to one island in the Caribbean where I had to go through their local Immigration---local agents come on board and look at passenger manifests and that's all that's required. It's the same thing if you're on a cruise that stops at a port that requires individual visas. Even if you don't plan on getting off the ship at that port, you will still need a visa as you are in that country's territory by being on a ship that's in their waters.

 

You don't go through immigration in the USVI if your previous port was also US. You only go through if you are entering the US from a foreign country. When required, everyone must show up.

[Philip217]

Keith,

 

You got me on a a technicality. Although it is true that EVERYONE must go through immigration upon a ship entering a new country, the local officials have several options:

1. They can inspect some or all of the passports and call it a day.

2. They can inspect passports held by the ship.

3. They can require only a selected number of passengers to present themselves for inspection.

4. On rare occasions they can skip the process completely.

 

Generally the local immigration officials have agreements with the ships that the passengers' room cards or keys are vaild as tourist visas so long the ship remains in the port. On other occasions they will require each passenger to pick up a card or sticker (which function as a visa) as they disembark the ship. In some countries the passengers are required to trade their passports for temporary visitor passports as they disembark.

And a few require the shipping company to arrange tourist visas for each passport.

 

But at the end of the day - in answer to the original question - one cannot avoid immigration procedures by claiming he is not entering the country as he does not plan to leave the ship.

[kitty9]

CPT Trips, you misread my post. I said "such as St Thomas" which means St Thomas, among other ports, (even Key West if that's the first US port after going to foreign ports) are places where you might have to go through US Immigration inspection.

 

 

Splash, you don't get stamps at any Caribbean port. When we're talking about Immigration inspection, it's US Immigration and not a foreign port's Immigration. Many times, you don't even get stamps in Europe anymore.

[CPT Trips]

never mind :)

[CPT Trips]

CPT Trips, you misread my post. I said "such as St Thomas" which means St Thomas, among other ports, (even Key West if that's the first US port after going to foreign ports) are places where you might have to go through US Immigration inspection.

 

 

I think I read it correctly. "If you're doing a Caribbean cruise, the only time you physically go through US Immigration is when you stop at your first port that's a US Protectorate, such as St Thomas."

I did not see mention of "after going to foreign ports" in the quoted post and want to clarify that. Didn't want folks worrying about immigration if on a cruise with a sequence of US stops.

[Cruisin Oma]

This is not the case. I just came back from a World Cruise where we went to 50 or so countries and we did not go through immigration in every port of call.

 

Rather, in each port, the local authorities came on the ship and reviewed all of the passports which were held for us by the cruise ship personnel thoughout the cruise.

 

And, there were a couple of places (Israel and one other that I can't remember off the top of our head) where each passenger had to meet with the local authorities a day or so before we reached the country.

 

And, we went through Immigration when the ship ended in the United Kingdom. To simplify the process this was done on the ship the day before we reached the UK.

 

But to say that each person will go through a formal immigration at each and every port is wrong.

 

Now, I do agree that in those places where you must see the local authority in person all passengers and crew must go through this process even if you are not getting off the ship.

 

The point I'm making though is this does not happen for every country that you are stopping at.

 

Keith

 

The OP was pointing out that regardless if you get off the ship or not, once the ship has left the (US) and entered international waters, (when you come back to a US Port) you will have to go through immigration - even if you never got off the ship.

 

The OP never said you had to go through formal immigration personally in every port/country.

[warringtonian]

When we visited Murmansk only the people actually going ashore had to go though immigration and that's in a country that is very strict about who goes in and out. About half a dozen uniformed Russians came aboard and most of them disappeared somewhere. When I asked a ship's officer what they were doing he said "Oh, they're in the restaraunt, stuffing their faces!"

[Philip217]

warringtonian,

Actually every passenger went through immigration in Russia - but only those who went ashore did it in person. For those who stayed onboard, the officials either inspected their passports (if the ship held them), or were given a detailed passport list, highlighting those who did not leave the ship.

 

Russia is a good example of a country where the concern is not that a cruise passenger might want to defect or overstay his visa. They are more worried about something that a passenger might want to take ashore (large quantities of cash or restricted items) or bring back onto the ship (restricted anytiques for example). As a result, they are mainly interested in personally seeing anyone who goes ashore.

[JanineM]

When we stopped in St. Thomas in March there were two people who didn't appear at immigration. There were many announcements made, until the pair apparently hauled their butts out of bed and presented themselves. :)

 

It was a woman and man with different last names ... hope the multipe announcements didn't cause them any domestic trouble! ;)

[splash79]

Thanks for the clarification, Kitty9!