Passport required for entry into Aruba

[panamatiger]

Here's a heads up I "borrowed" from Another thread

Just It makes more sense to have a passport than not while traveling.

Looks like Aruba wants US Citizens to have one. Here is the link

 

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1153.html

 

We are going to Aruba in April 2012. I found these countries still to be passport exempt:

 

St. Vincent & the Grenadines

... NOTE: Be aware that Caribbean cruises that begin and end in the US (closed loop

cruises) do not require that you travel with a valid passport. ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1028.html - Nov 18, 2011 Barbados

... NOTE: Be aware that Caribbean cruises that begin and end in the US (closed loop

cruises) do not require that you travel with a valid passport. ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1022.html - Nov 18, 2011 Dominica

... NOTE: Be aware that Caribbean cruises that begin and end in the US (closed loop

cruises) do not require that you travel with a valid passport. ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1102.html - Nov 18, 2011 French West Indies

... NOTE: Be aware that Caribbean cruises that begin and end in the US (closed loop

cruises) do not require that you travel with a valid passport. ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1746.html - Nov 18, 2011 Belize

... Cruise ship passengers: US citizens on closed-loop cruises (ie, cruises that begin

and end at the same US port) will be permitted to depart or enter the US ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1055.html - Nov 18, 2011 British Virgin Islands

... NOTE: Be aware that Caribbean cruises that begin and end in the US (closed loop

cruises) do not require that you travel with a valid passport. ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1079.html - Nov 18, 2011 Grenada

... States. This requirement will be extended to sea travel (except closed-loop

cruises), including ferry service, on June 1, 2009. Until ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1128.html - Nov 18, 2011 Mexico

... All US citizens traveling outside of the United States by air, land or sea (except

closed-loop cruises) are required to present a Western Hemisphere Travel ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_970.html - Nov 18, 2011 Dominican Republic

... This requirement was extended to sea travel (except closed loop cruises),

including ferry service, during the summer of 2009. US ...

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1103.html - Nov 18, 2011

 

I remember showing a passport the last time we were in Grand Cayman as well

 

panama

[bntacruising]

If you are going to Aruba for a vacation, you definitely will need a passport. My wife and I go every year for 2 weeks in July. Obviously no passport would be needed if on a cruise.

[cherylandtk]

Just a piece of advice; the State Dept. Country specific information (such as listed above) is not accurate for cruise travel. Some pages list the cruise exception, but some do not. Look at the page for St. Maarten, and it says passports are needed, but makes no mention of the cruise exception. Same goes for Aruba. You won't go wrong using the State Dept. Pages, but you will go further than required.

[Arubalisa]

I believe the reference "All sea travelers must also now have a passport or passport card" is intended for owners, operators and passengers aboard non-commerical cruise ships such as private yachts etc.

 

When in doubt, seek clarification from your cruise line.

[6rugrats]

Just a piece of advice; the State Dept. Country specific information (such as listed above) is not accurate for cruise travel. Some pages list the cruise exception, but some do not. Look at the page for St. Maarten, and it says passports are needed, but makes no mention of the cruise exception. Same goes for Aruba. You won't go wrong using the State Dept. Pages, but you will go further than required.

 

Agree, no passport needed for US passengers on a closed loop cruise to Aruba.

[Suzanne123]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I was wondering if a passport that expires two months after our cruise r/t FLL visiting Auba and Curaçao would be acceptable, or do we need to take a raised seal birth certificate?

I understand that a passport is not necessary, but if we choose to use one, must it be valid for six months after the cruise?

Thanks.

[6rugrats]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but I was wondering if a passport that expires two months after our cruise r/t FLL visiting Auba and Curaçao would be acceptable, or do we need to take a raised seal birth certificate?

I understand that a passport is not necessary, but if we choose to use one, must it be valid for six months after the cruise?

Thanks.

No, it only needs to be valid during the duration of your stay in Aruba.

 

http://www.visitaruba.com/traveling-to-aruba/entry-requirements-and-visas/

[Suzanne123]

Thanks so much!

[Lsimon]

I don't know what the technical requirements are, but we've taken at least one Caribbean cruise a year since 2004 and a few before then. We've been to Aruba several times. Never on any Cruise anyplace in the Caribbean have we ever been asked to show our passport other than embarking or disembarking in Florida or San Juan.

 

In fact we've taken four Europe cruises in that time and other then initial embarkation and disembarkation we've never been asked to show our passports on the cruise part of our trips. Although we know that in at least a few ports we've been at in Europe we were required to have our passports available.

[CaliforniaAC]

Might be helpful to have one though.

 

If I am remembering correctly from our cruise in March, Aruba and Curacao and the rest of the ports we stopped in required our cruise cards and a form of valid picture identification to get back into the port to get on the ship.

 

There was a young couple who were having a hard time getting back into the gate (which port I can't recall) because his drivers license was expired, and he didn't have his passport on him.

 

As for requirements- if anyone is going to a foreign country, if they are asked to officially show proof of citizenship for any reason, I'd consider that a requirement.

[Av8tor]

Cruising without your passport might be technically OK, HOWEVER, if you were to ever miss the ship or get hospitalized you'd need one to take an flight home...

[Arubalisa]

There was a young couple who were having a hard time getting back into the gate (which port I can't recall) because his drivers license was expired, and he didn't have his passport on him.

On our recent cruise, out of 7 ports, the only place where we were asked for ID other than our cruise card was St. Thomas.

 

I was under the impression my dh had grabbed my driver's license along with his out of our safe before getting off the ship.

 

When it came time to get back through the gate, the port security did not want to allow me through. Finally a supervisor realized something was holding up the line. He came over and pointed out to his officer that comparing cruise cards, we- my dh and I- both had the same last name and he had his driver's license with a photo as well as photo PADI dive cert. card. That was good enough for the supervisor.

 

Lesson learned. Always carry a photo ID and double check that you have it. Murphy's Law, you won't need it, but if you are ever asked for it, will probably be the day you forgot to bring it.