Passport Question

[M&MGirl1]

I'm booked on a Royal Caribbean cruise that leaves March 15th. Went to fill in the online check in info today and realized that my passport expires at the end of June. I know when flying to Europe, etc. that your passport has to be valid for at least 6 months past the end of your trip. Is that the same for a closed loop cruise out of the U.S. if you are using your passport as your form of ID? I can get a renewal expedited, but between the overnight shipping fees and the fee for expediting the renewal it would end up costing almost double. I do have a certified copy of my birth certificate and my driver's license, but hate to just use that in case of an emergency that would require flying home early.

[Shmoo here]

I'm booked on a Royal Caribbean cruise that leaves March 15th. Went to fill in the online check in info today and realized that my passport expires at the end of June. I know when flying to Europe, etc. that your passport has to be valid for at least 6 months past the end of your trip. Is that the same for a closed loop cruise out of the U.S. if you are using your passport as your form of ID? I can get a renewal expedited, but between the overnight shipping fees and the fee for expediting the renewal it would end up costing almost double. I do have a certified copy of my birth certificate and my driver's license, but hate to just use that in case of an emergency that would require flying home early.

 

Where does the cruise go? If you're doing a Caribbean, closed-loop cruise, you just need to have a valid passport to re-enter the US at the end of the cruise, doesn't matter how soon it expires, just if it's valid.

[Badger-Badger]

We had no problems using my daughters' passports a couple weeks ago when sailing to the Bahamas from Miami on Norwegian. Their passports are expiring the beginning of February. We did have their birth certificates with as a back up, but that was not needed.

[cb at sea]

Shoot..a closed loop cruise doesn't even require a passport. You're fine. You can use your BC with your DL...not a problem!

[M&MGirl1]

Fantastic! I'll just plan on using my current passport and bring along my birth certificate in case of any unforeseen issue then. Paying to expedite a renewal would have seriously cut into my adult beverage fund for the trip :-)

[sparks1093]

Fantastic! I'll just plan on using my current passport and bring along my birth certificate in case of any unforeseen issue then. Paying to expedite a renewal would have seriously cut into my adult beverage fund for the trip :-)

 

No need to bring the birth certificate, the passport is really all that you need.

[fridaythe13th]

No need to bring the birth certificate, the passport is really all that you need.

 

Apparently her passport expires less than six months before she travels. It needs to be renewed 6 months out. She is bringing her BC just in case she can't use her passport. It should be good for 15 years, not 14 yrs 6 months... just sayin'

[sparks1093]

Apparently her passport expires less than six months before she travels. It needs to be renewed 6 months out. She is bringing her BC just in case she can't use her passport. It should be good for 15 years, not 14 yrs 6 months... just sayin'

 

It is good for ten years and is valid for re-entry into the US up until the day it expires. Other countries can and do impose a six month remaining rule to ensure that travelers will be able to leave. None of the countries visited on a closed loop cruise impose such a requirement (and it would be silly for them to do so since US citizens can use a birth certificate and government issued photo ID in lieu of a passport). As long as the passport is valid on the day the cruise returns to the US it's good and the only thing that is needed.

[Capt_BJ]

I renewed dw and my passports recently

 

regular processing was 17 days . . . from when I dropped at post office to in my mail box

 

all done thru the mail. I sent 'em in priority

 

they come back priority with normal processing now . . .

 

you can track 'em online once PP Agency logs 'em in ... very accurate IME.

 

{just make sure everything is 'right' ... pay to get the picture done right and no name changes . . . . if you get kicked for special handling because of a problem the time goes WAY up}

 

the 6 month rule does not come from the US side. Many counties that don't require a VISA for entry are actually granting a 6 month tourist visa when you arrive. But this only works if the passport stays valid for this amount of time . . . their rule, not ours

Edited January 15, 2015 by Capt_BJ

[NMLady]

Apparently her passport expires less than six months before she travels. It needs to be renewed 6 months out. She is bringing her BC just in case she can't use her passport. It should be good for 15 years, not 14 yrs 6 months... just sayin'

 

Passports do not have to be renewed six months out unless you are traveling to a country with that requirement

Caribbean countries do not require a passport to be good past travel date.

 

Ours were to expire Oct 25, 2014, We had no trips planned so didn't send them in for renewal until the beginning of October They were renewed with no problems or comments.

Edited January 15, 2015 by NMLady

[Capt_BJ]

Passports do not have to be renewed six months out unless you are traveling to a country with that requirement .. Caribbean countries do not require a passport to be good past travel date.

 

 

some do ... watch out for the French . . . . some of the islands in the Carib' are French and visited only by smaller ships ..... but we got a last minute warning from WINDSTAR once that we would not be allowed off the ship in a French Island unless we had a passport with a 6 month window .... and we got this warning just a few weeks b4 the cruise.

[fridaythe13th]

It is good for ten years and is valid for re-entry into the US up until the day it expires. Other countries can and do impose a six month remaining rule to ensure that travelers will be able to leave. None of the countries visited on a closed loop cruise impose such a requirement (and it would be silly for them to do so since US citizens can use a birth certificate and government issued photo ID in lieu of a passport). As long as the passport is valid on the day the cruise returns to the US it's good and the only thing that is needed.

 

Passports do not have to be renewed six months out unless you are traveling to a country with that requirement

Caribbean countries do not require a passport to be good past travel date.

 

Ours were to expire Oct 25, 2014, We had no trips planned so didn't send them in for renewal until the beginning of October They were renewed with no problems or comments.

 

Thanks for clarifying. :D

[cherylandtk]

Leave the BC at home unless you are planning on losing your passport somewhere along the way; Passport trumps BC even on closed loop cruises. As others noted, there is no 6 months additional expiry requirement on a closed loop cruise.

[LocoLoco1]

Food for thought folks: We were STRANDED for 6-days account Iceland Volcano a few years ago. Stuck in an Airport In-Transit Terminal with 4000 other unshowered souls on Army cots, Fed by Red Cross; kinda like Tom Hanks in 'The Terminal' but stinkier. No luggage except Carry-on. Prohibited to leave the lock down area of the Airport. Period. Unexpired Passport and Visas etc can be a true lifeline in such moments. I'll say, "At the very least..Have Passport or Birth Cert. photocopys on you, carry some Cash$$, and a Debit/Credit Card with a CHIP whenever roaming in any foreign country. BTW A CellPh. with a SIM Card is today's 'Get Outa Jail' card. Here's hoping you NEVER need em, but t'was 2nd such crazy deal for me in 40/yrs. Locomotiveman Tom n Peggy