Passport Clarification Needed..

Sorry - that's just the way it is. We had the BCs, but both leaving and returning, we tried to present them at customs and we were told "Only photo ID, please." We have Ohio licenses, and I don't think that they are special in any way. (Of course, you have to present a BC to get a license in Ohio.)

 

My final advice, though, is save yourself the worry and get a passport.

If one does their due diligence one needn't worry at all. You don't present anything to Customs boarding the ship, but every cruise that I've been on we needed to show all of our documentation to security to get into the terminal and then at check-in. That you didn't have to present your birth certificates is strange and a breach of security.

If one does their due diligence one needn't worry at all. You don't present anything to Customs boarding the ship, but every cruise that I've been on we needed to show all of our documentation to security to get into the terminal and then at check-in. That you didn't have to present your birth certificates is strange and a breach of security.

I had to look it up to clarify the terminology. Apparently, when boarding the ship, it was called Immigration Inspections & Homeland Security. They are the ones who asked for our ID.

In fact, it was I.I. who pulled me out of line because I was beeping. They waived their wands a few times (still beeping) and declared "Eh... must be a fluke," and let me through. Suddenly, my homeland doesn't feel so secure. :eek:

Most of our extra time was spent at the cruise line's check-in. They took our IDs and our childrens' BCs and had to enter every bit of information in VERY SLOWLY.

Returning, we had to go through I.I. and Customs, although on our recent cruise, we had filled out a form with nothing to declare, so they waved us right through customs.

Perhaps having kids with us got us some breaks. At the airports, the whole family was allowed to bypass the security check and went right through the TSA PreCheck lane, even though we did not have PreCheck passes.

I know that according to DHS rules, proof of citizenship is required, and we did have it with us because I was certain that they would ask. But as I said, they never did. I feel sorry for the poor officers, having to spend the entire day in that hot terminal. I would probably be lax, also.

But my main point is... GET A PASSPORT. (A booklet - I think that passport cards are a waste of money.) We were leaving last minute, though, and didn't want to pay extra for getting expedited passports.

A good example of why one should carry a passport is: there was a gentleman on our ship who had imbibed a little too much and fell off some stairs, broke his leg, and had to be taken to an offboard hospital mid-cruise. Hopefully, he had a PP, or I imagine that he had a rough time getting back into the US. The moral of the story is, better safe than sorry.

I had to look it up to clarify the terminology. Apparently, when boarding the ship, it was called Immigration Inspections & Homeland Security. They are the ones who asked for our ID.

 

In fact, it was I.I. who pulled me out of line because I was beeping. They waived their wands a few times (still beeping) and declared "Eh... must be a fluke," and let me through. Suddenly, my homeland doesn't feel so secure. :eek:

 

Most of our extra time was spent at the cruise line's check-in. They took our IDs and our childrens' BCs and had to enter every bit of information in VERY SLOWLY.

 

Returning, we had to go through I.I. and Customs, although on our recent cruise, we had filled out a form with nothing to declare, so they waved us right through customs.

 

Perhaps having kids with us got us some breaks. At the airports, the whole family was allowed to bypass the security check and went right through the TSA PreCheck lane, even though we did not have PreCheck passes.

 

I know that according to DHS rules, proof of citizenship is required, and we did have it with us because I was certain that they would ask. But as I said, they never did. I feel sorry for the poor officers, having to spend the entire day in that hot terminal. I would probably be lax, also.

 

But my main point is... GET A PASSPORT. (A booklet - I think that passport cards are a waste of money.) We were leaving last minute, though, and didn't want to pay extra for getting expedited passports.

 

A good example of why one should carry a passport is: there was a gentleman on our ship who had imbibed a little too much and fell off some stairs, broke his leg, and had to be taken to an offboard hospital mid-cruise. Hopefully, he had a PP, or I imagine that he had a rough time getting back into the US. The moral of the story is, better safe than sorry.

To the best of my knowledge there are no longer any Immigration Inspectors as they went away when DHS was formed and there is no need for Immigration inspection for US citizens returning on a closed loop cruise (I read somewhere that CBP Officers would be taking on many of those duties at ports of entry). Customs has always given our documents a very cursory inspection upon our return because all passengers are vetted through a multitude of databases during the cruise so there is no need for a detailed inspection upon return (on our last cruise the five of us made it past the CBP Officer in about 2 minutes).

I would think the moral of the story would be watch how much you drink and be careful on stairs;). The decision to get a passport or not should be based on the individual's travel needs after they have rationally considered all of the pros and cons. As for the fellow who broke his leg I am sure he faced a delay in returning to the US if he didn't have a passport but the State Department does have the authority to waive the passport requirements for an emergency or for humanitarian reasons so I doubt his return was as rough as you'd think it was.

To the best of my knowledge there are no longer any Immigration Inspectors as they went away when DHS was formed and there is no need for Immigration inspection for US citizens returning on a closed loop cruise (I read somewhere that CBP Officers would be taking on many of those duties at ports of entry). Customs has always given our documents a very cursory inspection upon our return because all passengers are vetted through a multitude of databases during the cruise so there is no need for a detailed inspection upon return (on our last cruise the five of us made it past the CBP Officer in about 2 minutes).

 

I would think the moral of the story would be watch how much you drink and be careful on stairs;). The decision to get a passport or not should be based on the individual's travel needs after they have rationally considered all of the pros and cons. As for the fellow who broke his leg I am sure he faced a delay in returning to the US if he didn't have a passport but the State Department does have the authority to waive the passport requirements for an emergency or for humanitarian reasons so I doubt his return was as rough as you'd think it was.

You are correct. There are no longer any "immigration inspectors". U.S. Customs and Border Protection, part of DHS, performs the routine immigration and customs clearance duties at all land, sea and air entry points into the US, and has since it was formed effective March 1, 2003.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is responsible for immigration and citizenship issues...such as granting legal resident status, admitting refugees, processing citizenship applications. They have nothing to do with the routine entry of people and goods into the U.S.

It is very unusual for any U.S. citizen carrying proper documentation for their form of travel, whether passport or birth certificate to be subject to anything more than a routine cursory inspection of their documents when entering the U.S.

Hello,

First time posting here, so I hope this is the appropriate section. I did some research before posting, but was unable to find a specific answer for my exact situation. So, I'm hoping I can find it here!

I leave for Bermuda on 5/17/2015, with NCL departing from and returning to New York - so it's a closed-loop cruise. This was a shotgun decision, I just found out & booked today. The issue is that my passport is expired, and seeing as I only have a week until departure, I'm not sure I can get my passport that quickly. Even if I can, I understand the fees are expensive.

What I need to know (and this question is directed at cruisers who have visited Bermuda this year, only because I want to be sure the rules haven't changed since 2014) is will I be able to go ashore in Bermuda with only a NYS driver's license and a room key? When I went to the Bahamas with NCL we only needed our license & room key to pass through customs.

If clarification is needed on anything, I'd be happy to explain, I'm just looking for a direct answer so I know whether I have to take a trip into the city Monday to order a passport, or if I can cancel the appointment!

Thank you in advance!

Hello,

 

First time posting here, so I hope this is the appropriate section. I did some research before posting, but was unable to find a specific answer for my exact situation. So, I'm hoping I can find it here!

 

I leave for Bermuda on 5/17/2015, with NCL departing from and returning to New York - so it's a closed-loop cruise. This was a shotgun decision, I just found out & booked today. The issue is that my passport is expired, and seeing as I only have a week until departure, I'm not sure I can get my passport that quickly. Even if I can, I understand the fees are expensive.

 

What I need to know (and this question is directed at cruisers who have visited Bermuda this year, only because I want to be sure the rules haven't changed since 2014) is will I be able to go ashore in Bermuda with only a NYS driver's license and a room key? When I went to the Bahamas with NCL we only needed our license & room key to pass through customs.

 

If clarification is needed on anything, I'd be happy to explain, I'm just looking for a direct answer so I know whether I have to take a trip into the city Monday to order a passport, or if I can cancel the appointment!

 

Thank you in advance!

Your room key and drivers license are all you need to go ashore in Bermuda, but you will need proof of US citizenship to board the ship in New York and to present to the CBP officer when you disembark in NY at the completion of your cruise. If you were born in the US, you'll need an official government-issued birth certificate (not a hospital-issued birth certificate). If you're a naturalized citizen you'll need your certificate of naturalization. If you happen to have an enhanced drivers license (NY is one of the states that issues them) that also works as proof of citizenship.

My passport expires on 1/26/16

Leaving Thursday for a Mediterranean cruise.

7/9-7/19 so I"m right at the borderline for the 6 months validity.

Does it make sense to visit the US Passport Agency and get a new one or just wait until I come back and send in for a renewal?

My passport expires on 1/26/16

 

Leaving Thursday for a Mediterranean cruise.

 

7/9-7/19 so I"m right at the borderline for the 6 months validity.

 

Does it make sense to visit the US Passport Agency and get a new one or just wait until I come back and send in for a renewal?

Your current passport is fine. You can send for renewal after you come back.

I just decided to go to Bermuda in August. My passport expires in December (which is less than 6 months). Will that work? or what should I do?

I just decided to go to Bermuda in August. My passport expires in December (which is less than 6 months). Will that work? or what should I do?

Presuming you are a US citizen, your passport does not need any extra time on it for a Bermuda/Caribbean cruise. You will be fine.

I just decided to go to Bermuda in August. My passport expires in December (which is less than 6 months). Will that work? or what should I do?

Presuming you are a US citizen, your passport does not need any extra time on it for a Bermuda/Caribbean cruise. You will be fine.

Just one word of caution. There are some cruise lines that require all passengers to hold passports that have 6 months remaining validity even if the countries you're traveling to don't require it. Without knowing the cruise line the question can't be answered with certainty.

Just one word of caution. There are some cruise lines that require all passengers to hold passports that have 6 months remaining validity even if the countries you're traveling to don't require it. Without knowing the cruise line the question can't be answered with certainty.

Good rule.... you never know when you might be stranded at sea for 6 months. ;)

Okay I know we will be better off getting my wifes passport but my question is with applying for that passport and her name changes. From what I hear you will need to have marriage licenses showing the name changes. Let me attempt to simplify this a little.

Marriage 1 - Not sure on divorce date but did take place in the same state we live in now. Just a different County. Shouldn't be too hard to get. This of course is the first name change and the license should list her maiden name.

Marriage 2 - Again not sure on divorce date but marriage took place in a different state. This is the 2nd name change and she thinks this one shows her maiden last name which should match her birth certificate. Where do we go to get copies of marriage licenses from different states?

Marriage 3 - Third times a charm! :) However this license shows her ex husbands last name on it and not her maiden name. So the last names are different than her Birth Certificate.

My question is this... Do we need to get all 3 marriage licenses to show her name changes to bring with us to apply for her passport. We were thinking about just using her drivers license and birth certificate to cruise until I got thinking about her name changes. With this confusion I think we would be best off getting the passport I just want to make sure what documents I need to take with us. We dont sail until Oct so we still have time. Other than that we have her certified copy of her birth certificate issues by the state. Just really confused on this name change thing.

Worried with the name changes that this is going to be a painful process so I want to make sure I have the appropriate documents on hand when we apply.

Thanks!

Okay I know we will be better off getting my wifes passport but my question is with applying for that passport and her name changes. From what I hear you will need to have marriage licenses showing the name changes. Let me attempt to simplify this a little.

 

Marriage 1 - Not sure on divorce date but did take place in the same state we live in now. Just a different County. Shouldn't be too hard to get. This of course is the first name change and the license should list her maiden name.

 

Marriage 2 - Again not sure on divorce date but marriage took place in a different state. This is the 2nd name change and she thinks this one shows her maiden last name which should match her birth certificate. Where do we go to get copies of marriage licenses from different states?

 

Marriage 3 - Third times a charm! :) However this license shows her ex husbands last name on it and not her maiden name. So the last names are different than her Birth Certificate.

 

My question is this... Do we need to get all 3 marriage licenses to show her name changes to bring with us to apply for her passport. We were thinking about just using her drivers license and birth certificate to cruise until I got thinking about her name changes. With this confusion I think we would be best off getting the passport I just want to make sure what documents I need to take with us. We dont sail until Oct so we still have time. Other than that we have her certified copy of her birth certificate issues by the state. Just really confused on this name change thing.

 

Worried with the name changes that this is going to be a painful process so I want to make sure I have the appropriate documents on hand when we apply.

 

Thanks!

AFAIK they don't ask for them with the application, I know that we didn't send ours in with DW's application. We just sent her naturalization certificate and copy of her drivers license. I would have them ready just in case they asked for them, though. I would also allow a little extra time if you are planning a trip in case processing takes longer.

AFAIK they don't ask for them with the application, I know that we didn't send ours in with DW's application. We just sent her naturalization certificate and copy of her drivers license. I would have them ready just in case they asked for them, though. I would also allow a little extra time if you are planning a trip in case processing takes longer.

Thanks for the reply. I did call the Acceptance Facility (which is the Clerk of Superior Court) in our area to ask this question. They told me that as long as we had the Birth Certificate and as long as the drivers license she was using shows her current name then that's all we would need. However on the application she did have to list all of the last names she has used in the past. Hope to maybe do all of this in the next couple days and will follow up.

For a first time passport all you need is the BC and current valid ID. And, of course, the list of all prior names used. But you don't need to provide proof of those prior names...your current ID is proof of current, legal name. If you should subsequently change your name, then you do need proof of the name change to update or renew the passport. Sounds like your wife should be set to go.

Hopefully i'm posting this in the right place, its my first time here :)

My Wife, her parents, and I are planning to book a trip on the Oasis of the Seas to the eastern Caribbean (Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Marteen (leaving from Ft. Lauderdale)) in mid December this year. My wife is Chinese but lives here on a H1B work visa that doesn't expire until later next year. Her parents are coming to visit us from China and will be here on a traveling Visa. So my question is does my Wife or her parents need to get any additional visas to visit any of the three islands? Thank you for any help!

Hopefully i'm posting this in the right place, its my first time here :)

 

My Wife, her parents, and I are planning to book a trip on the Oasis of the Seas to the eastern Caribbean (Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Marteen (leaving from Ft. Lauderdale)) in mid December this year. My wife is Chinese but lives here on a H1B work visa that doesn't expire until later next year. Her parents are coming to visit us from China and will be here on a traveling Visa. So my question is does my Wife or her parents need to get any additional visas to visit any of the three islands? Thank you for any help!

I would highly recommend that you check with each of the immigration authorities for the islands you are visiting. You might also want to check with US officials to see if the intended travel voids the US visas in any way.

Has anyone taken or know anything about the 90 night cruise departing July 1, 2016 on Oceania's Insignia. I am interested, but the reviews of the Insignia seem pretty mixed for that price cruise.

Has anyone taken or know anything about the 90 night cruise departing July 1, 2016 on Oceania's Insignia. I am interested, but the reviews of the Insignia seem pretty mixed for that price cruise.

You might want to ask that question on the Oceania board instead of in a thread dedicated to passport info;).

Sorry, I am new to this and was having trouble figuring out how and where to post! I also noticed a typo in my ID and I guess it is there for life now! I will move to to the Oceania board. Thanks.

Data point for replacement passports (Expedited service):

Applications mailed from west coast USPS 2 day delivery - 10/13/15

Received in Philadelphia 10/16/15

Checks cleared 10/20/15

Passports mailed USPS 10/22/15

New passports received USPS 10/24/15

Old passports will be returned in a separate mailing.

Granted this is the "slow" time for renewals, but we are very pleased with the timing.

I see that a lot of the replies to this post are from 2007. But I'm sure that a lot of people just now are reading this. So I will provide an update. As of October, 2015, you do NOT need a passport to get on a cruise ship in Florida, sail the Caribbean in different ports, and returns to Florida all on the same cruise. If you do not have a passport, you will need a photo ID (driver's license) and a CERTIFIED copy of your birth certificate. In other words, it needs to have that embossed seal from the county clerk. If you got the birth certificate at the hospital, it is not official!

Those are the legal requirements. HOWEVER: If God forbid something happens were you get off the boat in another country, and then you don't get back on the boat. You have a very major problem. And this could easily happen if you forgot the time and missed the departure, or you got hurt and had to seek medical attention, or had a police involvement (drink too much?). Now you are in another country without a passport. By the time you somehow make it to the US Embassy and secure travel papers, you may be stuck in the country for a couple days. At your own expense. It can also be very frustrating to be in another country several days without your phone charger, or extra money, etc.

Bring a passport!

Someday, even my post here will become outdated and someone will want to know the answer to the original question. So for those people: Go to the official US Government State Department website, and you will have up to date travel requirements and recommendations. It will list all the passport issuing offices near you (not just post offices!), where passports are required, and immunization recommendations and hazardous conditions (political unrest, violence, hurricanes).

I see that a lot of the replies to this post are from 2007. But I'm sure that a lot of people just now are reading this. So I will provide an update. As of October, 2015, you do NOT need a passport to get on a cruise ship in Florida, sail the Caribbean in different ports, and returns to Florida all on the same cruise. If you do not have a passport, you will need a photo ID (driver's license) and a CERTIFIED copy of your birth certificate. In other words, it needs to have that embossed seal from the county clerk. If you got the birth certificate at the hospital, it is not official!

 

Those are the legal requirements. HOWEVER: If God forbid something happens were you get off the boat in another country, and then you don't get back on the boat. You have a very major problem. And this could easily happen if you forgot the time and missed the departure, or you got hurt and had to seek medical attention, or had a police involvement (drink too much?). Now you are in another country without a passport. By the time you somehow make it to the US Embassy and secure travel papers, you may be stuck in the country for a couple days. At your own expense. It can also be very frustrating to be in another country several days without your phone charger, or extra money, etc.

 

Bring a passport!

 

Someday, even my post here will become outdated and someone will want to know the answer to the original question. So for those people: Go to the official US Government State Department website, and you will have up to date travel requirements and recommendations. It will list all the passport issuing offices near you (not just post offices!), where passports are required, and immunization recommendations and hazardous conditions (political unrest, violence, hurricanes).

The birth certificate doesn't need to have a seal, it just needs to be issued by a government entity and according to the regulations even a copy is acceptable (but the original is recommended for other reasons). Losing track of time and overdrinking are things 100% within your control and if you have chosen to travel without a passport your diligence in port should be greater for the reasons you cite.

If you do have a medical issue that causes you to miss the ship you would need to obtain assistance from the Consulate but how long you will be delayed depends heavily on the circumstances and the Consulate does have the authority to waive the passport requirements in an emergency or for humanitarian reasons. This potential delay is a better argument for good travel insurance (which still applies even with a passport since there is no assurance that one will be able to just jump on a plane).

Finally, it is better to consult the CBP website for this issue since they are the ones that will be clearing you when you get back to the US.

I have a passport that expired more than 10 years ago (I think). Anyone know whether I apply as a 'new' passport on the application? I don't want the government thinking I am trying to scam anyone!