Another passport question

Thanks for all of the replies. As it turned out, I received one answer from the Italian Consulate that went with the 3 month requirement set out for Italy on the Canadian government website.Then later the same day, I received another e-mail from the Italian Consulate stating that 6 months is required. I decided to go with the 6 month requirement, and paid for the passport renewal today.

Thanks for all of the replies. As it turned out' date=' I received one answer from the Italian Consulate that went with the 3 month requirement set out for Italy on the Canadian government website.Then later the same day, I received another e-mail from the Italian Consulate stating that 6 months is required. I decided to go with the 6 month requirement, and paid for the passport renewal today.[/quote']

 

Sounds like a good plan :). Enjoy your cruise and time in Itlay. :)

I wouldn't take any chances -- renew your passport now.

We have renewed our passports a couple of times early.

Better to be safe than sorry.

I'm very surprised that you received to different answers from the Consulate, but you obviously did well to pursue the issue.

Although we don't take spur-of-the-moment trips very often, being retired and able to leave at will, we do look at last minute travel opportunities. We now renew our passports before reaching the last six months of validity, just in case.

It has been all over our news stations about a couple leaving LA to go to France -- trip had been planned over a year ago. Happened in May.

They thought 3 months was good enough but when they got to the airport, they were told that they needed new passports -- must be 6 months. They quickly got new ones and were able to take their trip -- a little later than planned.

Their object was to see Grand Prix races in Monaco.

It has been all over our news stations about a couple leaving LA to go to France -- trip had been planned over a year ago. Happened in May.

They thought 3 months was good enough but when they got to the airport, they were told that they needed new passports -- must be 6 months. They quickly got new ones and were able to take their trip -- a little later than planned.

Their object was to see Grand Prix races in Monaco.

It's hard to know who to depend on for accurate information. According to various official US, Canadian, UK, French and EU government websites, if you are a non-EU national wishing to visit or travel within the EU, you will need a passport valid for at least 3 months after the date you intend to leave the EU country you are visiting and the passport must have been issued within the previous 10 years.

The only reference to 6 months that I found came as a recommendation from the Department of State:

Entry into any of the 26 European countries in the Schengen area for short-term tourism, a business trip, or in transit to a non-Schengen destination, requires that your passport be valid for at least three months beyond your intended date of departure. If your passport does not meet the Schengen requirements, you may be refused boarding by the airline at your point of origin or while transferring planes. You could also be denied entry when you arrive in the Schengen area. For this reason, we recommend that your passport have

at least six months’validity remaining whenever you travel abroad.

Why the couple travelling from LA was refused boarding is beyond me, unless the airport employee(s)involved interpreted the recommendation as a requirement.

=Fouremco;51138280]If officials at the Italian Consulate in Vancouver say 3 months, I wouldn't pursue the issue any further. If you want further reassurance, however, call the Embassy here in Ottawa at (613) 232 2401.[/quo]

I think the offi ials with whom you have communitccatedee know much better thabn we do. IF you do nto accedpt what they say, why would youthink what anyhhonehere, on a public ingternet forum knows BETter? We are no authority. GGhe Officials agg ghe Igtalian C onsulate have augfthorigty aere beter thAN us.

 

Why would youalue any opinion here above one gi ven bythose with athority? I would re new the passport. So easy, fast to do. Why mess around? For me this eould be a no brainer.

 

Good you arfe getting new pasports. That will alleviate any conc ern ab oug eing allowed to board.

 

Have a great trip.

 

The last two times I renewed, I had oug 3-4 months left on the old one bugt I didn't care. I did my last renewal in May or June trhis year

v

If officials at the Italian Consulate in Vancouver say 3 months, I wouldn't pursue the issue any further. If you want further reassurance, however, call the Embassy here in Ottawa at (613) 232 2401.[/quo]

I think the offi ials with whom you have communitccatedee know much better thabn we do. IF you do nto accept what they say, why would youthink what anyhhonehere, on a public ingternet forum knows BETter? We are no authority. GGhe Officials agg ghe Igtalian C onsulagte have augfthorigty aere beter thAN us.

 

Why would youalue any opinion here above one gi ven bythose with augthority? I would re new the passport. So easy, fast to do. Why mess around?

=Fouremco;51138280]If officials at the Italian Consulate in Vancouver say 3 months, I wouldn't pursue the issue any further. If you want further reassurance, however, call the Embassy here in Ottawa at (613) 232 2401.[/quo]

I think the offi ials with whom you have communitccatedee know much better thabn we do. IF you do nto accedpt what they say, why would youthink what anyhhonehere, on a public ingternet forum knows BETter? We are no authority. GGhe Officials agg ghe Igtalian C onsulate have augfthorigty aere beter thAN us.

 

Why would youalue any opinion here above one gi ven bythose with athority? I would re new the passport. So easy, fast to do. Why mess around? For me this eould be a no brainer.

 

Good you arfe getting new pasports. That will alleviate any conc ern ab oug eing allowed to board.

 

Have a great trip.

 

The last two times I renewed, I had oug 3-4 months left on the old one bugt I didn't care. I did my last renewal in May or June trhis year

I think that you are addressing the OP, so I'm not sure why you are quoting me. :confused::confused:

It has been all over our news stations about a couple leaving LA to go to France -- trip had been planned over a year ago. Happened in May.

They thought 3 months was good enough but when they got to the airport, they were told that they needed new passports -- must be 6 months. They quickly got new ones and were able to take their trip -- a little later than planned.

Their object was to see Grand Prix races in Monaco.

Interesting KK,

I noticed that my TA on her confirmation stated that for my cruise I MUST have a passport that was good for 6 months. It was not a recommendation.

I already have the forms printed out. We don't fool around with this stuff for the few $ it costs versus the $ of a cruise, tours, hotel and flights :)

Thanks for alerting people.

We renewed our CAD passports for 10 years recently. In the past we have always renewed six months out. We often do last minute travel and there are countries that have the six month rule. We do not want this detail to derail a travel opportunityh. Early renewal is not as bad on a10 year as it is on a five year.

As aside, applied at a sub passport office on a Monday and got my passport back one week and one day later by registered mail. Just the usual service level....I did not pay for expedited service.

Why the couple travelling from LA was refused boarding is beyond me, unless the airport employee(s)involved interpreted the recommendation as a requirement.

Information as of 28SEP16 / 2133 UTC

National USA (US) /Embarkation USA (US)

Destination France (FR)

France (FR)

 

Passport required.

- Passports and other documents accepted for entry must be

valid for a minimum of 3 months beyond the period of

intended stay.

 

Visa required, except for Nationals of USA with a normal

passport for a maximum stay of 90 days. (SEE NOTE 53781)

NOTE 53781: The max. stay is granted within 180 days.

Minors:

- Alien minors up to/including 17 years of age can be included

in parent's passport, provided travelling with their

parents.

 

Additional Information:

- Valid visas in full, invalidated travel documents are

accepted provided accompanied by a new travel document.

- Schengen visa is also valid for French Guiana, French West

 

- Visitors are required to hold proof of sufficient funds to

cover their stay and documents required for their next

destination.

Warning:

- Passports and/or passport replacing documents issued more

than 10 years prior to date of travel are not accepted.

- Passports and/or passport replacing documents issued more

than 10 years prior to date of travel are not accepted.

- Visitors not holding return/onward tickets could be refused

entry.

Correct: It's a HAL recommendation. We have actually tested this with a passport that had less than 6 months validity, on a cruise for which neither country had a requirement for any extra validity beyond the intended stay.

Globaliser,

I'm happy to hear you've tested this! Could you please tell me when and where, and if you think there's any possibility the policy has changed since you sailed? We are embarking on a South American cruise on HAL in less than two weeks, and I just saw this "requirement" in our cruise documents. Chile (embarkation), Uruguay (port of call), and Argentina (disembarkation) have no requirement for passport validity beyond length of stay.

I theoretically still have time to renew my passport in person, but would rather not take the risk of something going wrong with the renewal unless it is absolutely necessary.

I have spoken with 3 HAL customer service reps who have no knowledge of a HAL 6 month policy, and told me to go by country requirements, but it worries me that the six month requirement is in writing in their documentation. I am also sending an email to HAL in case they will confirm and I will have it in writing.

Thanks,

BVK

I have spoken with 3 HAL customer service reps who have no knowledge of a HAL 6 month policy, and told me to go by country requirements, but it worries me that the six month requirement is in writing in their documentation. I am also sending an email to HAL in case they will confirm and I will have it in writing.

 

Thanks,

BVK

If you printed your Express Docs you already have it in writing. Under the general heading of PERSONAL TRAVEL IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS you'll find a paragraph stating:

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.

As I said in the new thread that you started this morning, "Their ship, their rules."

Globaliser,

I'm happy to hear you've tested this! Could you please tell me when and where, and if you think there's any possibility the policy has changed since you sailed? We are embarking on a South American cruise on HAL in less than two weeks, and I just saw this "requirement" in our cruise documents. Chile (embarkation), Uruguay (port of call), and Argentina (disembarkation) have no requirement for passport validity beyond length of stay.

 

I theoretically still have time to renew my passport in person, but would rather not take the risk of something going wrong with the renewal unless it is absolutely necessary.

 

I have spoken with 3 HAL customer service reps who have no knowledge of a HAL 6 month policy, and told me to go by country requirements, but it worries me that the six month requirement is in writing in their documentation. I am also sending an email to HAL in case they will confirm and I will have it in writing.

 

Thanks,

BVK

You also need to be very concerned about whether the airline you are flying will allow you to board your flights! Your issue is not just with HAL :(

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I was researching this for my dad, who will have 5 months left on his passport at the time of the cruise.

Regarding the 3 month/6 month discrepancy, the state department website said that in many cases a visitor is allowed a 3 month (90 day) stay, so they assume you will stay that long and that your passport must be valid for 3 months beyond that time, hence 6 months on arrival, 3 months on departure.

My dad's case is that he is 87, has no intention of traveling out of the country after this cruise that he claims his "helicopter daughters" are making him take. He really is excited about it, that part is a joke, but the chances of him traveling internationally again are somewhere between slim and none. I did contact HAL and they said his passport would be fine for this cruise - Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and HMC.

I was researching this for my dad, who will have 5 months left on his passport at the time of the cruise.

 

Regarding the 3 month/6 month discrepancy, the state department website said that in many cases a visitor is allowed a 3 month (90 day) stay, so they assume you will stay that long and that your passport must be valid for 3 months beyond that time, hence 6 months on arrival, 3 months on departure.

 

My dad's case is that he is 87, has no intention of traveling out of the country after this cruise that he claims his "helicopter daughters" are making him take. He really is excited about it, that part is a joke, but the chances of him traveling internationally again are somewhere between slim and none. I did contact HAL and they said his passport would be fine for this cruise - Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and HMC.

That may be because of the closed-loop rule, not because 3 months left on his passport is OK.

That may be because of the closed-loop rule, not because 3 months left on his passport is OK.

Exactly. HAL won't even require a passport:

Passports or Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant

documents are required for cruises to Alaska, Bermuda, Canada,

Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico and the Panama Canal. U.S. and Canadian

citizens ages 16 and above may present one of the following valid

WHTI-compliant documents:

 

• Passport Card (valid for land and sea border crossings only)

 

•State Issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) – (valid for land and

sea border crossings only)*

 

•Other documents approved by the Department of Homeland

Security

 

For a list of approved documents visit:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/checklist.html

That may be because of the closed-loop rule, not because 3 months left on his passport is OK.

HAL said that he could use his passport, not a birth certificate and drivers license. Those countries simply require a valid passport for the period you will be there.

Globaliser,

I'm happy to hear you've tested this! Could you please tell me when and where, and if you think there's any possibility the policy has changed since you sailed? We are embarking on a South American cruise on HAL in less than two weeks, and I just saw this "requirement" in our cruise documents. Chile (embarkation), Uruguay (port of call), and Argentina (disembarkation) have no requirement for passport validity beyond length of stay.

Do I Need A Passport?

 

Each country has its own entry requirements, and guests assume personal responsibility for having the necessary documents when boarding. Holland America Line highly recommends that all guests carry a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the completion date of your travel. Having a passport will enable you to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port in the event you miss your scheduled embarkation or to fly back to the U.S. if you need to disembark the ship mid-cruise due to an emergency.

 

...

 

FOR NON-U.S./NON-CANADIAN CITIZENS: Holland America highly recommends that all guests carry a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the completion date of your travel. Please carefully verify the existing identification requirements for your particular travel situation.

 

...

You also need to be very concerned about whether the airline you are flying will allow you to board your flights! Your issue is not just with HAL :(

Remember that airlines deal with a lot more passengers who necessarily live much closer to the edge so far as passport and visa requirements are concerned. Cruise passengers, in contrast, are purely leisure travellers, usually have plenty of time to plan, and are typically much more risk-averse than many air passengers.

Like other posters, I wondered whether I needed to renew. We board the Koningsdam on Dec 14 and my passport expires May 14, 2017. I decided I'd better not risk it. The guy at the passport office told me that there was no requirement for the US, but maybe some of the islands have different rules. I don't suppose HAL will publish everybody's rules, so they say six months for everyone. My new passport will arrive next week, then when I've changed the Information with Nexus, no worries for ten years.

Like other posters, I wondered whether I needed to renew. We board the Koningsdam on Dec 14 and my passport expires May 14, 2017. I decided I'd better not risk it. The guy at the passport office told me that there was no requirement for the US, but maybe some of the islands have different rules. I don't suppose HAL will publish everybody's rules, so they say six months for everyone. My new passport will arrive next week, then when I've changed the Information with Nexus, no worries for ten years.

(bold is mine) To paraphrase those Mastercard commercials: Peace of mind...priceless!