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Less than 6 months on passport


Sikwemu
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Cunard advise having more than 6 months on your passport when you travel. Both the UK & USA passport/border force (or whatever they call themselves now) state categorically that this is NOT needed for UK citizens to the USA.

 

I've spoken to Cunard and can't get by the company line of 6 months etc. etc. To be fair to the girl when I gave her the relevant sites to look up she did so and expressed amazement....nobody had ever bought that up before and she had no idea why the relevant brochure paragraph didn't have "excluding the USA" with regard to having to have 6 months. You can guess the rest though that all she can say is.....

 

Has anybody done a Transatlantic-with immediate flyback-with less than 6 months on the passport? This was going to be a birthday present for a 13 year old but even though the websites say it's okay and the ESTA site had no problem with it I'm now uneasy

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We did a Canadian cruise on the QM2 out of Brooklyn last year and got the same line from Cunard. More than 6 months on your passport, please. I renewed just to be sure I wasn't going to run into trouble. I knew I'd need to renew anyway, but didn't want any problems, so I erred on the side of caution........

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Why not just renew the passport and then you won't need to worry?

 

It's a last minute cancellation on the Aug 27 Transatlantic-the granddaughter doesn't go back to school until the 7th-and child renewals aren't allowed via the passport premium service. Of course it will be updated but school holidays and Cunard Transatlantics don't often match and it was just too good a chance to miss. Unfortunately though it looks as if it will have to be which is so unfortunate when "legally" she is fine. Hence the question as to if anybody had done it.....

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From ask.cunard.com

Q. How long should my passport be valid for?

If you are a British Citizen, a full passport is required for all cruises. All British Passports must be valid for travel and have at least six months validity after you return home at the end of your holiday. It is recommended that you have some blank pages in your passport for entry and exit stamps. All British Citizens require a full 10 year British Passport for all cruises. Children need their own passports. It is important that names and initials on the passport exactly match those on your tickets...

 

Although I cannot find the exact thread at the moment, I do recall a poster stating that her husband had to get his passport renewed even with it coming just 4 days short of six months validity. Yet there was another thread where someone had just four months but he was allowed on as he was returning to his home country.

 

This is standard practice as cruise lines want to be assured a passenger's passport is still valid should they be delayed in a foreign country. (The most common reasons are unplanned encounters with the local health care system or with law enforcement authorities.)

 

I wish I had better news but whomever cannot get their passport renewed is probably going to be denied boarding - especially with a minor involved.

Edited by BlueRiband
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http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html

 

 

Check the expiration date on your passport carefully before traveling to Europe. 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.

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The problem with ringing Cunard is that you are unlikely to get anyone who can actually help. Most of the answers are just standard and any deviation from that is unlikely.

 

The bit about having 6 months left on the passport is in Cunard's Frequently Asked Questions and is no doubt there because different countries have different requirements. The longest validity that any country requires is 6 months from the date you leave the country - hence that being the answer from Cunard. It's a catch all which covers every eventuality - if you have 6 months left when you leave you will be fine anywhere you travel.

 

It doesn't take into account all the countries which don't need 6 months validity and the USA is one of those for a British Citizen. The rules for the USA, provided that you have a valid ESTA, say "Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. You don’t need any additional period of validity on your passport beyond this"

 

Cunard's own booking conditions say "Passengers must ensure that they have a valid passport and any other necessary travel documents (such as visas) for their Package"

 

You have a valid passport so are absolutely fine to travel. That isn't to say that someone at the check in won't try to make life difficult simply because they don't know any better. I assume that you have filled in all the advance booking information, including the passport validity, on Cunard's website? If it was an absolute requirement then surely it should have been flagged up there?

Edited by milamber
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Your replies, thank you, illustrate the problem of so many rules and advisories. It gets so a blanket statement is used as a catch all. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa/entry-requirements

is the UK site and http://london.usembassy.gov/faq-passports.html is the USA site. Both agree with each other and totally different from Cunard.

 

I'm talking to people tomorrow but am fast coming to the conclusion that I daren't risk it for a (nearly) 13 year old whatever the official paperwork may say. I'll probably report back here as it might help somebody or give them ideas if they ever have the chance of a last minute

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The problem with ringing Cunard is that you are unlikely to get anyone who can actually help. Most of the answers are just standard and any deviation from that is unlikely.

 

The bit about having 6 months left on the passport is in Cunard's Frequently Asked Questions and is no doubt there because different countries have different requirements. The longest validity that any country requires is 6 months from the date you leave the country - hence that being the answer from Cunard. It's a catch all which covers every eventuality - if you have 6 months left when you leave you will be fine anywhere you travel.

 

It doesn't take into account all the countries which don't need 6 months validity and the USA is one of those for a British Citizen. The rules for the USA, provided that you have a valid ESTA, say "Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. You don’t need any additional period of validity on your passport beyond this"

 

Cunard's own booking conditions say "Passengers must ensure that they have a valid passport and any other necessary travel documents (such as visas) for their Package"

 

You have a valid passport so are absolutely fine to travel. That isn't to say that someone at the check in won't try to make life difficult simply because they don't know any better. I assume that you have filled in all the advance booking information, including the passport validity, on Cunard's website? If it was an absolute requirement then surely it should have been flagged up there?

 

It's the making life difficult bit that is making me very wary with a youngster. As you say, and as I found out, the company line is always the one quoted so why should the boarding staff be different? I'm more than capable of holding my own but how will it come over to the grand-daughter listening in? It's just a shame that time is so short but I will give it a shot tomorrow

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Just a FYI when traveling to another country with a minor I would make sure to have a notorized letter from parents saying child is traveling with you as in most countries grandparents do not have any legal rights for grandchild. also have medical rights in case of medical emergency .

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I've had a fun day talking to a lot of people and the ones that have come out of it worst are Cunard. I've never had to "tackle" shore side staff before and now I know why many posters on here write as they do about them.

 

The American Embassy was chatty, helpful and well aware of what Cunard have on their website. They emphasised-it's a shame keyboards can't do Ma'am with an American accent- that the US doesn't need 6 months remaining on the passport of a British Citizen. He said that they are fully aware many believe the US is far too restrictive in travel but companies like the one you are dealing with make for problems that aren't there.

 

The UK passport office were brilliant. They also did the "no, no, you don't need 6 months so travel and enjoy". Explained that it was looking to be impossible because of the 6 months rule they have which he thought was totally ridiculous as "surely it would loose them money?" We did end agreeing on the stupidity of coverall rules which is the reason they couldn't do a one day issue passport. Somebody somewhere decided if they did that service they could be accused of assisting illegal child trafficking etc. so they don't do it. He said he was sure a 13 year old could say if she were being taken on the QM2 against her will but rules is rules. He also, totally off the record, wondered if anybody had ever suggested to Cunard that their action is restricting legitimate "free travel". I am now a full card carrying fan of the Passport Office

 

Now for Cunard. I managed to get a little way up the tree but boy, oh, boy; the first two organisations gave a 100% impression that they were there to help but Cunard obviously do not have this in their mission statement. Even the (supposed) Customer Service manager I ended with earned a zero for listening, never mind their supposed function. All the expected "6 months passport must remain" was religiously trotted out and it was totally irrelevant what the 2 governments said and that there had been no trouble getting an ESTA. 6 months is needed in case you have to put into a port that needs 6 months. Told them I appreciated that for World cruises etc. etc. but this was a Transatlantic and, checking the map, there didn't appear to be anybody that demanded 6 months in the near vicinity.

 

I'd obviously realised within two minutes of beginning the "Cunard leg" it was a no go but I had to see how far I could go. I was told it was also irrelevant that Cunard US didn't seem to have a 6 month requirement because it would be in the small print somewhere. As I was getting bored I asked for a name to write to and was told no!!! just address it to Customer Service. I finally did get a name and I will write just to throw the passport man's suggestion at them. Yes, it's their ball and if you don't like their rules you don't have to play with them!

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...

I'd obviously realised within two minutes of beginning the "Cunard leg" it was a no go but I had to see how far I could go. I was told it was also irrelevant that Cunard US didn't seem to have a 6 month requirement because it would be in the small print somewhere. As I was getting bored I asked for a name to write to and was told no!!! just address it to Customer Service. I finally did get a name and I will write just to throw the passport man's suggestion at them. Yes, it's their ball and if you don't like their rules you don't have to play with them!

 

Sadly the only way to correct the "idiocy" that exists in many corporate bureaucracies is for large numbers of customers to take their business elsewhere.

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Thanks for reporting back on your exasperating experience with Cunard "service". You report is similar to others who have tried to find somebody with the knowledge and authority to address their problem.

 

Unfortunately Cunard's parent company, Carnival Corporation, is based in the USA. Thanks to our contingency fee civil tort system, the six month validity rule sounds like it's based on "CYA" protection for Cunard rather than on the immigration laws of the UK or USA. :(

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It's a last minute cancellation on the Aug 27 Transatlantic-the granddaughter doesn't go back to school until the 7th-and child renewals aren't allowed via the passport premium service. Of course it will be updated but school holidays and Cunard Transatlantics don't often match and it was just too good a chance to miss. Unfortunately though it looks as if it will have to be which is so unfortunate when "legally" she is fine. Hence the question as to if anybody had done it.....
Hi Sikwemu, please excuse me asking these questions, I don't know enough about the subject of child passport renewals, or the "passport premium service".

 

Does this mean that it is impossible for anyone renew a child's passport quickly, say within a week of applying?

 

Even if they make an appointment and then visit a passport office in person?

 

What sort of timescale did the UK passport office give for child passport renewals?

 

Thanks in advance, this could be useful knowledge for future reference.

 

Good luck!

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Hi Sikwemu, please excuse me asking these questions, I don't know enough about the subject of child passport renewals, or the "passport premium service".

 

Does this mean that it is impossible for anyone renew a child's passport quickly, say within a week of applying?

 

Even if they make an appointment and then visit a passport office in person?

 

What sort of timescale did the UK passport office give for child passport renewals?

 

Thanks in advance, this could be useful knowledge for future reference.

 

Good luck!

 

Child renewals (under 16) can be done on the extra payment weekly service but not on the one day-make an appointment for it-premium service. All due to child-trafficking worries according to my new passport office best friend.

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Child renewals (under 16) can be done on the extra payment weekly service but not on the one day-make an appointment for it-premium service. All due to child-trafficking worries according to my new passport office best friend.
Hi again Sikwemu,

 

Thank you for posting that information, should be useful (for a family I know).

 

I had no idea that it took one whole week to renew a child's passport. A week? Gosh, one would have to move pretty fast as soon as one was aware of that deadline in order to get it back on time.

 

I'll check with the family, and pass this on.

 

(My own passport will need renewing before next summer, however I have long planned to do so before it gets to less than six months validity left)

 

Thank you again :)

Edited by pepperrn
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people who travel a lot keep their passports up to date

 

ain't never had a passport question/issue

 

Amen Brother.:eek: I have had mine continually in force since infancy. Thanks to my parents for starting that trend.:D

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