Passport Expiration Date

[Typhoon1]

Your passport will renew on 6-30-20 (only 30 days in June -;)) It renews 10 years from the day, month and year in which the renewal is granted. If you don't have a trip planned within 6 months of the expiration date, I would guess that you can wait until the last possible minute, if saving those last "six months" is important to you.

 

This is correct. I'll lose the six months rather than wait too long and have my passport delayed for some unforeseen reason.

 

I've got to board a ship.

[Johanna7]

Canadian passports are only good for 5 years but not really. When you apply, it takes about 15 to 18 days to receive it.

 

I only know of Australia & New Zealand who require 6 months validity left from the time you leave their country. Not when you enter.

 

It means our passports are really only good for just over 4 years. They cost a lot more than $75 to get another. It used to be that you had to apply for each and every one and get a guarantor and signed by certain people like judges, lawyers, bank managers, Oh, they are not longer able to do it, and so on.

 

Now, if you apply before the thing expires, you don't need the above. Just a new picture which must meet certain criteria, your old passport, in my case, my Canadian Citizenship form and so on. Last time (2006) I had to go to the church where I got married in 1959 and get my marriage certificate as I became a Canadian Citizen before I got married. The thing about that was that the church is a 5 minute walk from our house and they said it would take a while as they had to go in the archives. Another later, they found and had found it. Anyway, I have it if required.

 

I really envy people in the US and Great Britain who have a validity of 10 years (okay, maybe only 9 and a bit).

[LVSue]

TLHB70,

 

Since June 1, 2009, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) has required that Americans traveling to Canada by land or by sea carry one of the following documents as proof of citizenship:

• A US passport book
  
• A US passport card
  
• A NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST card
  
• An enhanced driver’s license (only available in certain states)
  

Some sites say there is an exception for closed-loop cruises: Americans traveling to Canada on a closed-loop cruise (one that begins and ends in the same US port) can travel with their driver’s licenses or state-issued ID cards and their birth certificates or naturalization certificates. HOWEVER, I was unable to find that on any government site.

 

And HAL's site is short and sweet:

 

All Holland America Line guests must have passports for travel. A passport is required by the United States Department of State for all air and sea travel. The Caribbean is included in this travel requirement. For re-entry into the United States, a passport is required.

 

Please refer to the following website for updated information on passport requirements: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.

Last July, when I still hadn't received my passport back, which I had sent in April, I was able to access information that it was in process at the State Dept. site, and HAL was fine with that printout. That was crisis time because of the new law, and I don't know if they would make any exceptions now. Better call ASAP!

[TLHB70]

I just called HAL again after reading LVSue's post. The rep that I just spoke with confirmed what the first rep told us. She just stressed that the birth certificate had to be certified copy. I even asked if our friend could get off the ship in Victoria. The HAL rep assured me that she could. She said that my friend will be fine with a certified copy of her birth certificate and a valid driver's license.

[LVSue]

TLHB70, you are right as far as I can tell. The info I took from what I thought was the HAL site was a group cruise site. Here's what HAL says:

 

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises: U.S. citizens on cruises in the Western Hemisphere that originate and terminate in the same U.S. port are not required to have a passport to sail, but will need proof of citizenship such as a passport card or an enhanced driver’s license (EDL). If a U.S. citizen does not have a passport, passport card or enhanced driver’s license, they may use as proof of citizenship an original or copy of a birth certificate, or certificate of naturalization along with a government-issued photo ID. A passport is still the preferred document. PLEASE NOTE that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise is visiting.

 

Likewise for Canada: When you enter Canada, a CBSA officer may ask to see your passport and a valid visa, if one is necessary. If you are a citizen of the United States, you do not need a passport to enter Canada. However, you should carry proof of your citizenship, such as a birth certificate, certificate of citizenship or naturalization, as well as photo identification.

 

I guess I was in such a swivet last year because my birth certificate was not state-issued (rather hospital-issued), therefore not valid either. Plus, everyone still hadn't figured out the new rules. Sorry if I worried you. :(

[hockey grannys go 4]

Im pretty sure A US citizen does not require a passport to get into canada only a valid driver licencse prof of US citizenship. However to get back into your own country you beter have a passport the border guards are not to happy with you if you don't and you could spend a fair amount of time getting back home.

[TLHB70]

No problem, LVSue. After reading your post, I just thought it would be a smart idea to confirm what we had been told before. It would be better to confirm than to get to the pier and find out we were misinformed. Our friends have never been on a cruise before, nor have they been to Alaska. I would not want them to miss it over this issue.

[Berk987]

:)I'm back on this thread after 5 months. Just wanted to let you know my brand new Canadian passport came in last Monday. Very quick turnaround. I used the easy renewal (printed it off online) and sent in my "almost ready to expire" passport with it. Fedex it from Chicago to Quebec on 9/16/10. The fee was taken out of my credit card last week. The Fedex came back to me on 9/27. 8 working days total which also included delivery time. Wohoo....Canadians ROCK !!! :)