Passport suggestion?

My 16 yo son seems to have lost his passport. We last used it for travel about 2 years ago. He took it for ID when getting his driver's license and somehow it dis not get back where it belonged.... I feel like it must be in our house somewhere, but so far haven't found it. Should we bite the bullet and purchase a new one? Or can someone reassure me that his license plus original birth certificate will really be okay for our Christmas Caribbean cruise. Thanks for any advice.

If it a closed loop you will definitely be fine. I don't know when he first got his passport, but they are only good for 5 years for kids under 18. Keep looking you may still find it.

Unexpired drivers license and the correct birth certificate will be fine.

Which port are you leaving from?

Unexpired drivers license and the correct birth certificate will be fine.

 

Which port are you leaving from?

It is a closed loop, from Miami.

Even though you will be fine with the government ID and birth certificate, you have plenty of time to order a replacement. I would order a replacement.

Being on a closed loop cruise from Miami, your son will have no boarding issues with his valid drivers license and original birth certificate. Period.

You will be fine.

If it a closed loop you will definitely be fine. I don't know when he first got his passport, but they are only good for 5 years for kids under 18. Keep looking you may still find it.

Not going to help the OP, but I wanted to correct the above statement. Passports for kids 16 and over are good for 10 years like the adult passport. I know I waited until my daughter was over 16 for her renewal (new) passport.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Forums mobile app

Just make sure the name on the booking is exactly the same on the license Middle name and all. They must match exactly even if just the first letter to the middle e.

It's not a huge ordeal, but a bit of a pain to get a replacement. You have to fill out a form explaining what happened, pay for a new one, and the new one will be stamped inside as a replacement passport to apparently make sure you are reminded over and over not to do it again.

You will be fine with a driver's license and birth certificate to board the ship. Should the unexpected happen, he won't be able to fly home easily, and foreign officials may accept his ID, but they can take some time to verify it. For my money it is not worth leaving the country without a passport.

Youwill be fine because there would be no chance that for some reason you would have to fly home . If he did he would not be flying homme. Knowing 99 .9 percent of the time there is no problem so why not sidk it with birth cert and drivers license

If you know for sure it's in the house somewhere keep searching for it and plan to use the drivers license/BC as backup. Chances are the passport will pop up when you least expect it.

How many years until his passport will expire? If you think it is unlikely to be found and will expire soon would go ahead and get replacement.

Just make sure the name on the booking is exactly the same on the license Middle name and all. They must match exactly even if just the first letter to the middle e.

as per carnival... middle names or middle

initials don't matter

The only sure way to find the lost passport is to buy a new one :)

Youwill be fine because there would be no chance that for some reason you would have to fly home . If he did he would not be flying homme. Knowing 99 .9 percent of the time there is no problem so why not sidk it with birth cert and drivers license

I'm not 100% sure from the context of your comment, but if you say that he could not fly home in an emergency then that would be incorrect information.

The cruise line has an agents to assist in an emergency, we've experienced this first had as a fellow cruiser had a death in his family while sailing to Cozumel. He was taken from the ship to the airport after providing his drivers license and birth certificate. Carnival had made the arrangements in advance, the delay was less than two hours and he was headed back home.

It does take time and people to make this happen, and a passport remains a good investment, but for the infrequent cruiser with no plans to travel abroad it's not required.

.

The only sure way to find the lost passport is to buy a new one :)

Exactly my thought, lol!

How many years until his passport will expire? If you think it is unlikely to be found and will expire soon would go ahead and get replacement.

He was 14 when we got it. That means it will expire when he is 19. With another comment reminding me that passports over the age of 16 will last for 10 years, it probably makes sense to go ahead and get a new one anyway.

I'm not 100% sure from the context of your comment, but if you say that he could not fly home in an emergency then that would be incorrect information.

 

The cruise line has an agents to assist in an emergency, we've experienced this first had as a fellow cruiser had a death in his family while sailing to Cozumel. He was taken from the ship to the airport after providing his drivers license and birth certificate. Carnival had made the arrangements in advance, the delay was less than two hours and he was headed back home.

 

It does take time and people to make this happen, and a passport remains a good investment, but for the infrequent cruiser with no plans to travel abroad it's not required.

.

Thank you for that information. We got the passports two years ago for another Cruise. We used them to go to Canada once for the fun of it when we were two hours from the border, LOL. I do not expect us to do any formal traveling abroad outside of cruising. Aside from the expense of purchasing another passport, the hassle of it is almost worse.

Thank you for all the great feedback. One more question... He has a passport card. I understand that is to be used for land Crossings only. But in the rare event that he would need to make a quick air exit from a port, does the passport card help to make that process go any faster than without?

Thank you for all the great feedback. One more question... He has a passport card. I understand that is to be used for land Crossings only. But in the rare event that he would need to make a quick air exit from a port, does the passport card help to make that process go any faster than without?

He can actually use the passport card for the cruise and forego using the birth certificate. The fact that he is in the system would help the process go faster. As you indicate you have no other plans for travel outside of cruising I personally wouldn't worry about the passport for this trip, but you have to determine if you are comfortable with the low risk associated with not having a passport (and the only consequence of not having a passport is a potential delay in returning home).

He was 14 when we got it. That means it will expire when he is 19. With another comment reminding me that passports over the age of 16 will last for 10 years, it probably makes sense to go ahead and get a new one anyway.

I would double check this part. We had to get for our 13 year old this year and I thought everything said 18 for 10 yr and 5 yr if under (which is why we waited for daughter who just turned 18 and will need one next year).

Thank you for all the great feedback. One more question... He has a passport card. I understand that is to be used for land Crossings only. But in the rare event that he would need to make a quick air exit from a port, does the passport card help to make that process go any faster than without?

The passport card can be used for land and closed loop sea, but not air. I don't know if having it would expedite the process, but it should be easier than BC/DL since you have it.

Keep searching for the passport book. I'd be concerned about identity theft too, which is harder to check for a minor.

I would double check this part. We had to get for our 13 year old this year and I thought everything said 18 for 10 yr and 5 yr if under (which is why we waited for daughter who just turned 18 and will need one next year).

Direct from travel.state.gov:

"Passports for children under 16 are only valid for 5 years.

Passports for applicants 16 and older are valid for 10 years."

Direct from travel.state.gov:

 

"Passports for children under 16 are only valid for 5 years.

Passports for applicants 16 and older are valid for 10 years."

Thanks:)