Passport Expiration

We are traveling to Europe next September and coming home on the Koningsdam transatlantic which sails on October 3, 2017..

Our passports expire 4/15/18 and we will be disembarking on 10/18/17 in Fort Lauderdale. Do we need six months between the expiration date and our arrival date in Florida or are our passports still valid because we are returning to the USA?

Thanks for your help.

Your passports are still valid and you will be allowed to return to the US with less than 6 months until their expiration. This only becomes an issue when traveling to destination countries that follow the six-month validity rule

You need to determine your last date in port (not disembarkation in the US) with respect to the requirement for the 6-month validity on your passports as some countries require this - you can check their embassy websites to find out. HAL may require this for embarkation but you will be okay for disembarkation in the US. They claim it is in the event you need to be moved to a different country for medical or whatever, and as some countries require the 6 months; HAL is just covering all bases. Recommend you send an email to HAL and ask. HAL will respond via email so you can bring that with you if you get any questions at embarkation.

It would be easiest to get new passports but it is up to you. Have faced this on a few occasions and it does not 'make my day' to have to renew earlier than I wanted but preferred to be potentially hassle free.

HAL does not always give accurate information regarding passport requirements. This may be off-topic but it could be of interest to some people. Friends taking a one-way Canada to US cruise were informed by HAL that they needed six months validity. The US government says Canadian passport holders do NOT (their emphasis; I'm not shouting) require this validity unless entering by air. HAL would not back down and informed my friends that they would be denied boarding so they had to quickly renew passports.

I was in a similar position with Cunard, travelling Quebec to New York with five months left on our passports. Through our TA, Cunard recognised the US exception for Canadians, but just in case I printed out the information. I didn't need it because the check-in clerk at Quebec made the comment: "Even though you don't have six months left it doesn't matter because you are going by ship."

Even if the last European country you visit has a 6-month requirement, you will have departed with more than six months validity remaining if you board the K'dam on October 3, 2017 and your passport is good till April 15, 2018. As you don't need six months to renter the US, you have no need to renew your passport for your trip.

These are all valid replies but it comes down to the simplest thing you can decide. Do you want your cruise to be interrupted or cut short because a customs agent anywhere in your travels to say you cannot enter or travel through their country because of a six month rule? Being close to or in that rule increases the chance of an issue to be present. A renewed passport is certainly cheaper than a denied boarding/entry while on your vacation.

These are all valid replies but it comes down to the simplest thing you can decide. Do you want your cruise to be interrupted or cut short because a customs agent anywhere in your travels to say you cannot enter or travel through their country because of a six month rule? Being close to or in that rule increases the chance of an issue to be present. A renewed passport is certainly cheaper than a denied boarding/entry while on your vacation.

The OP's passport will have in excess of six months validity remaining when entering and departing all countries other than the US, where there is no requirement.

HAL does not always give accurate information regarding passport requirements. This may be off-topic but it could be of interest to some people. Friends taking a one-way Canada to US cruise were informed by HAL that they needed six months validity. The US government says Canadian passport holders do NOT (their emphasis; I'm not shouting) require this validity unless entering by air. HAL would not back down and informed my friends that they would be denied boarding so they had to quickly renew passports.

 

I was in a similar position with Cunard, travelling Quebec to New York with five months left on our passports. Through our TA, Cunard recognised the US exception for Canadians, but just in case I printed out the information. I didn't need it because the check-in clerk at Quebec made the comment: "Even though you don't have six months left it doesn't matter because you are going by ship."

The OP's passport will have in excess of six months validity remaining when entering and departing all countries other than the US, where there is no requirement.

I bolded some of David's post as this is the real issue, IMO.

Fourmenco is absolutely correct about the requirements but will HAL accept that?

On my latest booking, my TA inserted that the passport must be good for 6 months after the end of the cruise. Apparently this is a HAL requirement. They are not going to take any risks.

I called HAL FWIW and they said passports must be not expire less than 6 months after the end of the cruise.

I know Seattle isn't the most reliable source but I certainly wouldn't want to be denied boarding. Our passports expire 5 and 1/2 months after the cruise. We have already made arrangements to renew them and are waiting for the new ones :)

The OP's passport will have in excess of six months validity remaining when entering and departing all countries other than the US, where there is no requirement.

I agree as the sixth month time period happens while the OP is at sea after leaving Funchal while heading to FLL. But was I was saying, being so close to the time period trigger the interpretation of the stated rule by any government official becomes more fluid and higher chance of an issue being raised.

I have no information of the success rate of debating laws or rules while at the counter with any customs official but doubt it is not that high. In the end, they have the power, the traveler does not.

The cost of $110 per person as an assurance that boarding will not be denied from HAL, from customs agents of Italy, Spain, Portugal any part of the way is a good one.

Why not just renew the passport and then not worry about it for the next 12 years or so?

Travel by Land or Sea:

Travel document requirements vary based on cruise itinerary and whether international flights are required. For voyages that are scheduled to end outside the U.S., a passport that is valid for six months beyond the completion date of your travel is required.

Go here for details:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/checklist.html

Have a good cruise.

I agree with the suggestion to renew early. There have been several posts about customs/immigration people not accepting a 6-months-minus-a-few-days passport, but what about the check-in staff? That's another place where someone could raise a question, and they aren't always up to date on details. It may be OK according to the law, but all you need is one person doubting the validity and you've got a hassle on your hands.

Have you tried completing the voyage personalizer? I wonder if that will give you a heads-up. Not that acceptance there is iron-clad proof you'll be OK. My old passport expired in early February. When I did the VP for my December cruise on Cunard, their system picked up my old passport number. A popup said something like "you should consider renewing your passport." I thought that was pretty funny, as the cruise was within 3 months, never mind 6. The popup should have said "you NEED TO renew your passport." I already had plans to renew in the works because I always watch the 6-month window.

If you're asking the question that means you are in doubt. To be sure I would renew my passport, save you all kinds of heart ache.

Allan

Thank you for all your replies.

Although I feel we would be ' within the time limit ' it certainly would be discouraging to have problems arise at embarkation.

It seems a shame to renew a passport nine or ten months early, but we will avoid any possible complications by doing so.

I agreed about renewing early and losing months of good "passport time" until I realized that the passport cost is less than a dollar a month. It is worth the extra few dollars for peace of mind by renewing early.

Thank you for all your replies.

 

Although I feel we would be ' within the time limit ' it certainly would be discouraging to have problems arise at embarkation.

 

It seems a shame to renew a passport nine or ten months early, but we will avoid any possible complications by doing so.

I know how you feel since we just did ours literally just under a year out but I think you are wise in your decision ;). At least now, we have 10 year passports so the renewal is a longs way away next time :)

Why not just renew the passport and then not worry about it for the next 12 years or so?

U.S. passports are good for only 10 years (and really only 9.5, as we see here), so not worrying for 12 years is not the solution. ;)

Thank you for all your replies.

 

Although I feel we would be ' within the time limit ' it certainly would be discouraging to have problems arise at embarkation.

 

It seems a shame to renew a passport nine or ten months early, but we will avoid any possible complications by doing so.

Fully endorse your decision to prevent any hassles.

Thank you for all your replies.

 

Although I feel we would be ' within the time limit ' it certainly would be discouraging to have problems arise at embarkation.

 

It seems a shame to renew a passport nine or ten months early, but we will avoid any possible complications by doing so.

Good decision. We were faced with pretty much the same situation a few years ago and came to the same decision. Ours was centered around a Med cruise and when we considered the thousands of dollars, much of it non-refundable, we had committed for airfare, pre and post cruise hotels, and cruise fare we decided it just wasn't worth the chance that there could be an issue.

Seems to me that what really matters is HALs rules. They are the ones that will let u onto the ship or not at embarkation. Everything else is downstream.

Sent from my LG-H812 using Forums mobile app