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Do I need a passport?, Alaska cruise with stop in Canada


mmmenjou

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Hi there, I am leaving for an Alaskan cruise in 1 week on Royal Caribbean International and I just had a quick question. If we are leaving from Seattle and ending in Seattle, with one stop in Victoria British Columbia Canada, is a passport required? I was told by booking agent all I needed was a birth certificate and I.D., but got mixed answers when doing a google search. Also if a birth certificate is the only document required, how will excursions in Canada work? Would I even be able to get off the boat in Canada? Thanks.

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You may need a passport if you take certain excursions, like the railroad one that goes into Canada. But since this is what's known as a closed loop cruise, one that starts and ends in the same US port, a passport is not required.

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You have to make sure that your birth certificate is a certified one (issued by a government agency and not by the hospital).

 

The only problem you will have is if you take an excursion that orginates in an Alaskan port and crosses the border into Canada, because crossing the border by land/air does require a passport.

 

You can get off the ship at the port in Canada because you didn't cross the border by land or air.

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this may help

 

Canadian law requires that all persons entering Canada carry both proof of citizenship and proof of identity. A valid U.S. passport, passport card or NEXUS card (see below) satisfies these requirements for U.S. citizens. If U.S. citizen travelers to Canada do not have a passport, passport card or approved alternate document such as a NEXUS card, they must show a government-issued photo ID (e.g. Driver’s License) and proof of U.S. citizenship such as a U.S. birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or expired U.S. passport. Children under 16 need only present proof of U.S. citizenship.

 

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html#entry_requirements

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

 

Unless you are flying into or out of Canada then you need a passport

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When you enter Canada, a border services officer may ask to see your passport and a valid visa (if you are arriving from a country from which one is required). If you are a United States citizen (U.S.), you do not need a passport to enter Canada; however, you should carry proof of your citizenship such as a birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship or naturalization or a Certificate of Indian Status, as well as a photo ID. If you are a permanent resident of the U.S., you must bring your permanent resident card with you.

All travellers, including U.S. citizens, are encouraged to visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site at www.cbp.gov for information on the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative and its traveller requirements to enter or return to the United States.

 

 

http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/publications/pub/bsf5082-eng.html#s1x1

 

If in doubt contact the the proper authorities for the rules as they apply to you

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In Skagway you can take the YP&YR to the summit as you only enter into British Columbia by a few yards and do not clear customs.

The reason that it is a good idea to have a passport is if you had to return to the US for unforseen reasons from Canada is that the US requires a passport, even for US citiizens, to re-enter the US from Canada.

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you will probably need a passport if you enter BC or the Yukon by bus from Skagway.

 

john

If you are a United States citizen (U.S.), you do not need a passport to enter Canada; however, you should carry proof of your citizenship such as a birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship or naturalization or a Certificate of Indian Status, as well as a photo ID. If you are a permanent resident of the U.S., you must bring your permanent resident card with you.

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What I am seeing here is some travelers who are unaware of the new border security in the United States. It looks to me like people completely missed the report that now if a United States citizen crosses the Canadian or Mexican border by air, land, or sea, that movement will require a passport. That also applies to the Bahamas, Bermuda, etc. if a cruiser is going to the Caribbean (except for the USVI and Puerto Rico, of course). This is what I read in my local newspaper when the final portion of the law became effective, so if I am wrong, blame the reporters. I can't remember when this law took effect.

My guess would be you do not need a passport as long as you stay on the ship, but to be sure, you should talk to your travel agent. There is no reason a TA would not know if a passport is needed if he or she specializes in cruises. I hope you will not need one in Canada because it would cost nothing to just bring your BC and DL instead.

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What I am seeing here is some travelers who are unaware of the new border security in the United States. It looks to me like people completely missed the report that now if a United States citizen crosses the Canadian or Mexican border by air, land, or sea, that movement will require a passport. That also applies to the Bahamas, Bermuda, etc. if a cruiser is going to the Caribbean (except for the USVI and Puerto Rico, of course). This is what I read in my local newspaper when the final portion of the law became effective, so if I am wrong, blame the reporters. I can't remember when this law took effect.

My guess would be you do not need a passport as long as you stay on the ship, but to be sure, you should talk to your travel agent. There is no reason a TA would not know if a passport is needed if he or she specializes in cruises. I hope you will not need one in Canada because it would cost nothing to just bring your BC and DL instead.

Andrea, Blame the Reporters. A round trip cruise from a US port does not require a passport for a US citizen. It was one of the major exceptions that your reporter failed to report when this took effect June 1 2009. ;)

Here is the Homeland Security website, look under "Special Groups"

http://getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_sa.html

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My 2 cents on this:

 

My father just sent his passport out for renewel and will likley be without. IN talking with Princess rep they told us in his case his naturalization papers or birth certificate would be enough to board the ship. The one detail, he CAN'T of course every leave the country or get of the ship in Victoria.

 

Enjoy the cruise but foget any plans in Victoria or ones that involve leaving the US borders

 

Hi there, I am leaving for an Alaskan cruise in 1 week on Royal Caribbean International and I just had a quick question. If we are leaving from Seattle and ending in Seattle, with one stop in Victoria British Columbia Canada, is a passport required? I was told by booking agent all I needed was a birth certificate and I.D., but got mixed answers when doing a google search. Also if a birth certificate is the only document required, how will excursions in Canada work? Would I even be able to get off the boat in Canada? Thanks.
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WOW! There's a lot of bad info around, isn't there?

 

CherylandTK gave you the one and only completely correct source of info about this.

 

Please note this sentence in the section "Closed Loop cruises" which reads:

 

"Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the foreign countries your cruise ship is visiting."

 

U.S. citizens entering Canada must have a passport (see exception in the next paragraph). Reason? The U.S.A. won't let their own citizens back into the country without one, and Canada doesn't want to get stuck with them! Sorry, LHT28, but you're mistaken about those Alaska land crossings which go to Emerald Lake or other points in the Yukon. Passport required.

 

Often in Victoria, Canada Customs and Immigration don't bother to check passports. This is not laziness or a hole in the North American security grid. The ship's manifest is sent ahead, and Customs and Immigration know if there are any "persons of interest" aboard. This includes people with drunk driving convictions and non-payment of child support to a Canadian child. Also, as Putterdude points out, you don't need a passport for the Y&WPRR summit trip, because you don't get off the train and enter Canada.

 

I know a tiny percentage of the people reading this page can't get passports. mmmenjou, are you one of them? Did you honestly not even think about the possibility of a passport being required until a week before the cruise?

 

Or, did you decide you wanted to cruise, but didn't want to spend the money on something you don't "need"?

 

If you're reading Cruise Critic, you now need a passport.

 

As Putterdude points out, you can't fly home from anywhere outside the U.S. without one. Those who've said, "In an emergency, I'll just visit a U.S. Embassy, and they'll get me home in a jiffy!" have found how wrong that is. Since you're new to CruiseCritic, you probably haven't read those heart wrenching stories, nor do you have any idea how much $$$$ can be spent trying to get home.

 

Spending money to cruise, then completely avoiding a port of call or one of the best excursions on the trip?.....Well, it's still not too late to get those passports.

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My 2 cents on this:

 

My father just sent his passport out for renewel and will likley be without. IN talking with Princess rep they told us in his case his naturalization papers or birth certificate would be enough to board the ship. The one detail, he CAN'T of course every leave the country or get of the ship in Victoria.

Enjoy the cruise but foget any plans in Victoria or ones that involve leaving the US borders

I am not sure why you think this, but he most certainly CAN get off the ship in Victoria. If one's documents are incorrect they don't just hold you on the ship for that port, they don't let you on AT ALL. If you get on the ship, you can get on and off in every port the cruise stops at.

 

I think you may be mixing up the rules between cruising and land crossings. For cruising, including getting on and off at ports, your father falls under the WHTI exception and may visit Victoria. But if he loves the city so much he wants to drive back across the border or take a ferry back after he gets to Seattle, he cannot do that without a passport.

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If you are a United States citizen (U.S.), you do not need a passport to enter Canada; however, you should carry proof of your citizenship such as a birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship or naturalization or a Certificate of Indian Status, as well as a photo ID. If you are a permanent resident of the U.S., you must bring your permanent resident card with you.

 

US citizens were checked by passport when returning to the States, [skagway]. One US couple on a tour had to return to the ship for passports before they could get on the bus.

 

john

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I think I would rather just get a passport than deal with all the ifs, what ifs, maybes or possibilities.

 

But that's just me...

 

That is the 100% solution and I fail to see how anyone who cruises or travels would not want one. We started to get one years ago when our children started to travel to Europe...just in case we had to go over to bail them out ;) and still keep renewing them. (thats the passports not the kids)

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US citizens were checked by passport when returning to the States, [skagway]. One US couple on a tour had to return to the ship for passports before they could get on the bus.

 

john

Did they show other I.D. as stated on the Government website or was that not taken into consideration?

 

I would print out the requirement & show the border guards in case they to are confused by their governments rules

Would not surprise me they keep changing the rules

 

We have a passport so just show it when entering the USA or returning to Canada

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Did they show other I.D. as stated on the Government website or was that not taken into consideration?

 

I would print out the requirement & show the border guards in case they to are confused by their governments rules

Would not surprise me they keep changing the rules

 

We have a passport so just show it when entering the USA or returning to Canada

 

All had to have passports to get on the bus, and were shown to both Canadian, and US customs. No other ID was produced.

 

john

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All had to have passports to get on the bus, and were shown to both Canadian, and US customs. No other ID was produced.

 

john

 

seems strange they border authorities do not follow their own rules

well maybe not so strange ..do they even read the rules:confused:

 

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/whti_bg/

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