Renewing Passport

[jtwanabe]

Cruise scheduled for end of May and one in late September. Passport expires

in late June.

 

When should I renew .... either one I'm taking a chance.

 

1) Will I have to give up my passport in order to renew.

2) What other docs. do I have to send in

3) Deal with the Gov. or deal with a service?

 

Thanks in advance

 

JT

Edited February 3, 2015 by jtwanabe

[SkyMaster]

Just renewed mine. Got the form at my local post office. Yes, I did have to send in my old passport. Had to go get the proper photo taken. (Got mine done at AAA for just a few dollars, but I think Walgreens Drugs, and probably lots of other "photo shops" could do it.) Renewal was relatively quick. Got my new one back in about two weeks, with no problems. Your first stop should be the post office to get the proper forms, and instructions. Your old passport will be returned to you, either with the new one, or as mine was, just a week or so later. Good luck, and "Git-R-Done". ;)

 

"SKY"

Edited February 3, 2015 by SkyMaster
Additional info

[PegNRay]

Just renewed mine. Got the form at my local post office. Yes, I did have to send in my old passport. Had to go get the proper photo taken. (Got mine done at AAA for just a few dollars, but I think Walgreens Drugs, and probably lots of other "photo shops" could do it.) Renewal was relatively quick. Got my new one back in about two weeks, with no problems. Your first stop should be the post office to get the proper forms, and instructions. Your old passport will be returned to you, either with the new one, or as mine was, just a week or so later. Good luck, and "Git-R-Done". ;)

 

"SKY"

 

You can also find the forms online. You can type in all your info and print it off along with the instructions.

[sweetsixteencruisers]

My dad just renewed his. His expires in March. We went on a cruise in October no problems. It took 2 weeks to get back. Did everything at the post office. The only thing that goes back with the the renewal application was the expiring passport.

[mishka422]

Travel.state.gov is the state department website. You can fill out and print the form from there. Get your photos done at Walgreen and mail it in. Easy. Takes about 2-3 weeks. Yes, you have to send your old passport in.

[ZJ13820]

Renew it right after you return from first cruise. That is all.

Edited February 3, 2015 by ZJ13820

[davekathy]

...and don't forget the $110.00 check for each passport renewal. We sent in everything required on 5 Jan. 2015 and got the new ones back 23 Jan. 2015. We got our old ones back 2 Feb. 2015. The old ones were returned with two holes punched in them. I shredded the old passports.

Edited February 3, 2015 by davekathy

[sparks1093]

Cruise scheduled for end of May and one in late September. Passport expires

in late June.

 

When should I renew .... either one I'm taking a chance.

 

1) Will I have to give up my passport in order to renew.

2) What other docs. do I have to send in

3) Deal with the Gov. or deal with a service?

 

Thanks in advance

 

JT

 

If it were me I would renew it after the May cruise, about 6 weeks before the September cruise. You may renew by mail with your expired passport (there are some exceptions but the website let's you know what they are), new photo and the fee after filling out the forms at http://www.state.gov.

[LUVS2CRUZE]

Carnival requires guests to provide proper travel documentation in order to travel. The passport requirement does NOT apply to U.S. citizens traveling to or returning directly from a U.S. territory. Non-U.S Citizens must contact the appropriate Consulates, U.S. Embassy and U.S. Immigration office to inquire about necessary travel documentation. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of Immigration requirements.

It is recommended that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. It is also recommended that all guests travel with a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond completion of travel.

*If you need to obtain a passport quickly, Carnival recommends that you contact VisaCentral at http://www.visacentral.com/carnival or by phone: 1-866-788-1100. Callers should mention that they are sailing on Carnival to receive discounted service fees

[thomarvin]

If you are not going till the end of May I would do it now. It would be back in plenty of time.

[Rena921]

Get it renewed now and save yourself the headache. There's no point in delaying it.

[pusywillow]

Get it renewed now and save yourself the headache. There's no point in delaying it.

 

Do it now! Summer is the busy time to get passports and there may be delays if you wait. I speak from experience.

[7upp]

Don't procrastinate. Do it now.

 

 

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[dioxide45]

I concur with others. I would be renewing it now before the May cruise. It is best to have six months validity on the passport. Not required necessarily but if you need to fly back and somehow require a stop over somewhere that isn't in the US, you may need that six months.

 

You need the passport for the fall trip, so it seems pointless to worry about using your current one for the spring.

 

In all reality a passport IMO is only really good for 9.5 years. Over a 200 year period you will have bought only one extra passport, though I doubt any of us will live that long to have to worry about it.

[Annasreadytocruise]

I just changed my name and it took 3 weeks to come back. I filled in the forms online and printed them off. My handwriting is not the best so I thought it was safer. 😊 I lost 5 years on my old passport but I don't want to be in a situation and not have what I need.

 

 

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[ZJ13820]

It is also recommended that all guests travel with a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond completion of travel.[/color]

 

Recommended, not required, and really only necessary if traveling to countries with passport validity timeframes, which does not apply to individuals visiting a country by cruise, also a transient visitor.

 

As long as your passport is valid when you return to the United States, you will be fine.

[NMLady]

Recommended, not required, and really only necessary if traveling to countries with passport validity timeframes, which does not apply to individuals visiting a country by cruise, also a transient visitor.

 

As long as your passport is valid when you return to the United States, you will be fine.

 

Be careful about saying the six month rule does not apply to individuals visiting a country by cruise. Not true. Many European and Asian countries require it of cruise ship passengers visiting their ports. Passports are often collected by ships for those ports to check them. Those ships will not let a passenger board if passport is not good for at least six months past travel.

[Ethel5]

Be careful about saying the six month rule does not apply to individuals visiting a country by cruise. Not true. Many European and Asian countries require it of cruise ship passengers visiting their ports. Passports are often collected by ships for those ports to check them. Those ships will not let a passenger board if passport is not good for at least six months past travel.

 

I agree. Most cruise lines ask that passports be valid for 6 months past travel dates.

[sparks1093]

I concur with others. I would be renewing it now before the May cruise. It is best to have six months validity on the passport. Not required necessarily but if you need to fly back and somehow require a stop over somewhere that isn't in the US, you may need that six months.

 

You need the passport for the fall trip, so it seems pointless to worry about using your current one for the spring.

 

In all reality a passport IMO is only really good for 9.5 years. Over a 200 year period you will have bought only one extra passport, though I doubt any of us will live that long to have to worry about it.

 

It's only best to have six months validity remaining if one is traveling to a country that requires it. The scenario of having a stop over that significantly delays someone that long, especially when returning from a port in the Western Hemisphere is extremely unlikely.