passport for Bermuda!

[discjoker]

Oh, so I don't need that digital converter box for my TV either?

 

Plug your passport into your TV and see what happens. ;)

[njhorseman]

We are sailing boston to bermuda on June 12th

I was told by my TA to get passports.

Because there are so many interpretations to the passport rules it is best to have the passport.

I didn't want to get one for DS (he turns 15 in Sept) I would have liked to wait until he was 16 to get the 10 years out of it but, I didn't feel it was worth the risk. So, I bit the bullet and spent the money on 4 passports.

NOW. We are going to have to come up with money to travel elsewhere to make the passports worth it!!!:D

If you are travelling on a birth certificate be careful and make sure that it has a RAISED seal. back in 2005, we cruised on Disney and I had to send away for a new birth certificate for myself because my original was so old that you could no longer feel the raised seal! * I don't know how the paper was so old when I was certainly NOT! ;)

 

 

Your TA was just giving you a CYA answer. Of course a passport is best, but they are not required. The rules are clear, whether he/she understands them or not.

[maggiecatenjay]

http://help.cbp.gov/cgi-bin/customs.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1139&p_created=1238714641&p_sid=2ucSP1yj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9OCw4JnBfcHJvZHM9MjMmcF9jYXRzPTI4MyZwX3B2PTEuMjMmcF9jdj0xLjI4MyZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PWNydWlzZQ**&p_li=&p_topview=1

 

US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION - CUT AND PASTED:

 

What documents do I need for a cruise?

Question I'm taking a "Closed Loop" cruise, do I need a passport?

Answer Most cruises beginning and ending in the U.S. are considered "Closed Loop," meaning they begin and end at the same port in the U.S. For instance, if you board a cruise ship at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and after visiting at least one foreign port of call, such as Bermuda, or Cancun, return back to Fort Lauderdale, you have taken a closed loop cruise.

 

If, on the other hand, you - say - board a cruise ship in San Diego, California, sail through the Panama Canal (stopping at a foreign port during the cruise), and end the cruise in Miami, Florida, you have not taken a closed loop cruise and the following information does not apply to you. As of June 1, you need a passport. Period. (Even if you are an infant.)

 

U.S. and Canadian Citizens on closed-loop cruises will be able to enter or depart the country on the cruise with proof of citizenship, such as an original or copy of your birth certificate and, if 16 or older, a government issued photo ID. The United States does not require you to have a passport. (A Consular report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State or a Certificate of Naturlization is also acceptable.)

 

HOWEVER, it is possible that one or more of the Caribbean Islands on your itinerary, does require you to have a passport to enter their country. In that case, it is very possible that the cruise line will require you to have a passport to board, even if it is not a U.S. requirement. You should always check with your cruise ship, travel agent and or destination country to confirm the requirements for entry into the foreign countries you will be visiting.

 

If you are a Legal Permanent Resident of the U.S., the U.S. government does not require you to have a passport for any travel, including air, land or sea travel, however, you are even more likely to be required by your destination country to have one. A Caribbean island that does not require a U.S. Citizen to have a passport, may well require a U.S. LPR to have one, and a visa as well.

 

If you are neither a U.S. or Canadian citizen or a U.S. LPR, you will need a passport for any type of cruise, closed loop or not. If you are traveling under the visa waiver program, your I-94W (immigration form) that you were issued when you first entered the U.S. can be used for re-entering the U.S. at the end of your cruise - as long as the cruise ends before your 90 day admission period has expired and you did not travel beyojnd adjacent islands or contiguous territory, and you were not outside the U.S. for more than 30 days. If the cruise takes you beyond that 90 day admission period, you will have to apply for a new admission, and you will have to convince the CBP Officer that you were not just taking the cruise in an attempt to circumvent the 90 day limit for VWP travelers.

 

Finally, if you are a VWP traveler who entered the U.S. by land from either Canada or Mexico, an ESTA is not required for re-entering the U.S. as a cruise ship passenger. ESTA is only required for travelers upon their initial arrival in the U.S. by air or sea.

 

 

Answer ID 1139 Date Created 04/02/2009 07:24 PM Last Updated 04/17/2009 01:33 PM