Question about passports

[bohica81]

a group of 7 are considering the valor to Cozumel, Mexico; Belize; Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan; Costa Maya, Mexico. I thought that everyone would need a passport but a couple in the group says they will not need a passport. Can someone that has experience let me know for sure. Thanks for your help.

[ASchaff]

I have been to all of those places, and have always gone without a passport being needed.

[tee30213]

If you are a US citizen you do not need a passport. You are allowed to bring your US original Birth Certificate only. No copies or hospital foot print Birth Certificate.

[fuddrules]

If you are a US citizen you do not need a passport. You are allowed to bring your US original Birth Certificate only. No copies or hospital foot print Birth Certificate.

 

A legible copy of your birth certificate is acceptable.

[tandemcruzr]

If you are a US citizen you do not need a passport. You are allowed to bring your US original Birth Certificate only. No copies or hospital foot print Birth Certificate.

 

Copies are fine.

 

Passport will only be needed if you have to fly home due to an emergency.

[bohica81]

Thank you all for your quick responses. This is why i love this forum.:)

[nets33]

Copies of a Birth Certificate are fine as long as they are notarized (i.e. State issued birth certificates that may not be original, what they look like will vary by state) - I know of people who were turned away with a photocopy xerox of their BC.

 

If using a Birth Certificate as identification a photo ID must also be presented.

[Jenhem31]

While they aren't required, they are a good investment. They're faintly inexpensive, and good for 10 years. Heaven forbid if something happens and you have to fly home. Without a passport, you're kind of stuck.

[tee30213]

I used to work for carnival, they will take a copy if it is approved by customs. It must be a good copy. So please don't show up with a copy thinking they have to take it. If you have the original be safe than sorry. Trust me I've seen a lot of guests leave the port and head home in tears.

[ray98]

You will not need a passport.

[YorN]

I used to work for carnival, they will take a copy if it is approved by customs. It must be a good copy. So please don't show up with a copy thinking they have to take it. If you have the original be safe than sorry. Trust me I've seen a lot of guests leave the port and head home in tears.

 

So how does one get the document copy "approved by customs" when the only customs officers a person interacts with is at the end of the cruise?

[tee30213]

Carnival will advise them of the document.

[stargate fan]

a group of 7 are considering the valor to Cozumel, Mexico; Belize; Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan; Costa Maya, Mexico. I thought that everyone would need a passport but a couple in the group says they will not need a passport. Can someone that has experience let me know for sure. Thanks for your help.

 

The cruise you are considering is a closed loop cruise, which means it begins and ends in the SAME U.S. port. Passports are not required for closed loop cruises.

 

For cruises that begin and end in different ports, like a repositioning cruise, passports are required.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

[tandemcruzr]

From Carnival's web site:

 

• Original or suitable quality copy of a Birth Certificate (Issued by a government agency: state/county/city) and a government issued photo ID if 16 years of age and older.

[Yellowbird75]

While they aren't required, they are a good investment. They're faintly inexpensive, and good for 10 years. Heaven forbid if something happens and you have to fly home. Without a passport, you're kind of stuck.

 

I completely agree. Well worth it. It's a security blanket and since they only look at one document at check-in and customs, it seems to go faster.

 

Also, I have always wondered how women whose name on the birth certificate is different from the name on the license get through. Do you have to provide proof of name change? Because I have been through 3 last names, I just thought it'd be the easiest to get a passport. No questions, one document, and on the ship you go! :D

[travler27]

Carnival will advise them of the document.

 

You mean to tell me that Carnival contacts US Customs for approval/disapproval every time a person shows up to check in with a birth certificate? :rolleyes:

[dioxide45]

Copies of a Birth Certificate are fine as long as they are notarized (i.e. State issued birth certificates that may not be original, what they look like will vary by state) - I know of people who were turned away with a photocopy xerox of their BC.

 

If using a Birth Certificate as identification a photo ID must also be presented.

 

Not sure there is such a think as a notarized birth certificate. They are not usually notarized. The important thing about the copy is that it is an true copy of the official recorded birth record. Not some hospital certificate. A lot of jurisdictions call this a long form birth certificate.

[tee30213]

If you only have a photo copy.

[travler27]

Customs must have a lot of folks manning the phones when all the ships in Miami start boarding on Sunday.

 

Legible copies of an official birth certificate are just fine for a closed loop cruise. As others have said, a hospital issued certificate is not a legal birth certificate and will not be accepted. It must be birth certificate issued by a government office. All that stuff about raised seals and notary signatures is just not true. And the cruise line does not call customs every time a pax shows up with a birth certificate photo copy. Can you imagine how many calls that would generate.

 

A birth certificate, of any kind, will be a problem if you have to fly home for some reason.

Edited February 9, 2015 by travler27

[Havingfun2010]

A copy of a BC could mean 2 things. You make a copy and bring it or it is an official copy, meaning you lost the original, and got a "official" copy.

 

Personally, I have only used an official BC and a Official Copy. I wouldn't trust anything else.

[tea4ular]

I know A LOT of people do it, but honestly I can't imagine going to a foreign country and not having a passport. :confused: For $120 I have 10 years of peace of mind.

[RWolver672]

So how does one get the document copy "approved by customs" when the only customs officers a person interacts with is at the end of the cruise?

 

Carnival will advise them of the document.

 

"You mean to tell me that Carnival contacts US Customs for approval/disapproval every time a person shows up to check in with a birth certificate?"

 

What they meant was that Carnival will advise the passengers if the document they have is what customs requires. Carnival is the one that will stop you from boarding if you don't have the right documentation.

[satxdiver]

Carnival is not alone in denying boarding due to the birth certificate or ID presented instead of a passport. A copy of your B/C is a state issued copy and they will authenticate it with an official stamp (ink not raised). The state I was born in delegates the responsibility to the county so my B/C was issued by my county of birth but on special paper with the ink stamp.

 

Why pax go through all the trouble to save a few bucks and not get a passport is mind boggling. All nations recognize the passport making ID very easy. When coming back into the US, pax with a passport will get through the quickest since they scan the passport and all the data they need is on the screen. It is so easy and as pointed out, you cannot fly in or out of the US without a passport. Getting a US passport or replacement out of the country at a US embassy/consulate is not an easy or quick task and you have to apply in person which may entail travel at your expense. Ever see a government agency do anything quickly?

[rocking-m-cruiser]

I recommend getting passport anyways. You get right through. The line that says no passport is always so long. I'm glad I don't have to stand in it. It's worth the investment and it's for 10 years.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Simple answer..

 

You DO NOT need a passport if you are embarking and debarking at the same US port.

 

You do need proof of identity which varies upon how old you are, country of birth, etc. It is best to review your cruise documents to see exactly what you will need because you will get a gazillion different and often wrong answers on these boards.

 

Now, I too, will hijack the thread and will recommend for the approximately $200 bucks it will cost that travelers get a passport. It makes life easier at airports, cruise terminals, foreign car rentals etc. It also doesn't indicate your home address so it is a more secure form of ID when used to prove identity for foreign purchases. Lastly it is easily replaced if lost or stolen...especially if the loss occurs while on foreign soil. And once issued a passport you are in the US database as a confirmed citizen. And I will get off my soapbox now.