Question about Passport and/or Birth Certificate

[Belle]

Sorry Colo Cruiser posting a third time.

 

Poster rdsgrl your typing to me saying I'm wrong.

I'M NOT! Get your information right.

 

This site is to help people and give information.

I was trying to help people but if you/they don't

want to believe me.....I give up. No more on this subject.

 

Are you happy Colo Cruiser? lol

Edited July 17, 2015 by Belle

[Colo Cruiser]

Sorry Colo Cruiser posting a third time.

Poster is typing to me saying I'm wrong.

I'M NOT!

 

This site is to help people and give information.

I was trying to help people but if they don't

want to believe me.....I give up.

 

 

That's why I say call Princess....... because of all the different answers here, someone seeking help will only be even more confused. :(

[Papa Yoda]

2 separate (but related) points:

 

1. US citizens with a valid, unexpired passport have no 6 month issue to re-enter US. (and BC+DL okay on closed-loop cruise for re-entry to US - see below)

 

 

2. MEX requires US PP that will be valid for 6 months prior to entry into MEX. Maybe no issues but no guarantees!

 

 

Therefore, Renew It. No sense spending 48 hours in a Mexican jail if it can be easily avoided no matter how remote the chances.

 

 

US CBP web site: U.S. Citizens on closed-loop cruises will be able to enter or depart the country on the cruise with proof of citizenship, such as an original or copy of his or her birth certificate (issued by the Vital Records Department in the state where he or she was born) and, if 16 or older, a government issued photo ID. https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/documents-needed-to-take-a-cruise

[caribill]

2. MEX requires US PP that will be valid for 6 months prior to entry into MEX. e

 

Mexico does not require a passport for cruise passengers who will be leaving when the ship does.

[chengkp75]

2 separate (but related) points:

 

1. US citizens with a valid, unexpired passport have no 6 month issue to re-enter US. (and BC+DL okay on closed-loop cruise for re-entry to US - see below)

 

 

2. MEX requires US PP that will be valid for 6 months prior to entry into MEX. Maybe no issues but no guarantees!

 

 

Therefore, Renew It. No sense spending 48 hours in a Mexican jail if it can be easily avoided no matter how remote the chances.

 

 

US CBP web site: U.S. Citizens on closed-loop cruises will be able to enter or depart the country on the cruise with proof of citizenship, such as an original or copy of his or her birth certificate (issued by the Vital Records Department in the state where he or she was born) and, if 16 or older, a government issued photo ID. https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/documents-needed-to-take-a-cruise

 

All correct, and further, from the CBP website regarding name changes:

 

"Can I travel if my name has changed due to marriage, divorce, etc., and my documents are in my old name?

 

 

US Citizens: US Citizens who change their name due to marriage, divorce, or because of any other circumstance may travel using your US passport or other WHTI approved document in your prior name provided you bring proof of your name progression such as; a marriage certificate, a divorce decree or court documents showing a legal name change."

 

Since the BC/DL are WHTI approved documents for closed loop cruises, the CBP may, and has the right to ask for appropriate bridging documents. However, since the passengers have been screened by CBP during the cruise (they search the databases using the embarkation manifest), bridge documents are rarely requested.

[FritzG]

Here's a little test .... Will the Princess Cruises Personalizer allow you to complete all your passenger information under Guest Check-In?

 

If not, consider that is probably because of her passport. This was how I found out. My passport was set to expired in more than 4 months after the cruise. I absolutely HAD to renew my passport early. (But, I was not going to mexico) For me it was Western Samoa and Tahiti that was the issue, requiring more than 6 months validity after the cruise.

 

Good advice!

[goncruzn]

This seems to be INCORRECT info! If you're not going to use a passport, the birth certificate (yes, it needs to have the raised certification seal) must be in the name of the traveler. If the name has been changed (court order or marriage) then certified legal documents showing the original name and new name belong to the same person must also be presented. A driver's license wouldn't show that the person identified on the DL is the same person indicated on the BC.

 

Of course the most preferable thing to do in this situation is to get a passport. With that being said, if the OP chooses not to do so, a certified birth certificate along with another picture ID (such as a DL) will normally work. I say this because I have relatives who don't have a passport, but who have cruised to the Caribbean, Mexico and then Alaska just last June and only used their birth certificates and driver's licenses each time. Again, I agree that they should get a passport, but I mentioned the alternative only because I know others have used alternate forms of ID without an issue.

 

I hope everything does work out for the OP!

[2Canucks]

Here's a little test .... Will the Princess Cruises Personalizer allow you to complete all your passenger information under Guest Check-In?

 

If not, consider that is probably because of her passport. This was how I found out. My passport was set to expired in more than 4 months after the cruise. I absolutely HAD to renew my passport early. (But, I was not going to mexico) For me it was Western Samoa and Tahiti that was the issue, requiring more than 6 months validity after the cruise.

 

 

This is exactly how I found out too. I had 5 months 2 weeks left on my passport but European cruises require a 6 month margin. I reapplied for a 10 year passport so I'm good to go for my fall Mediterranean & TransAltantic B2B. It took 2 weeks for my new Canadian passport to be processed. Happy Cruising!!

 

Pat :)

[eandj]

If you wish, renew the passport. But no, you don't HAVE to for this cruise. Unless you have to fly home from Mexico, you are good to go. Cruises fall into different category than land trips to Mexico. Cruise lines always recommend a passport. Note.."recommend."

Research the WHTI compliant documents for CRUISING. Not for land trips. There is no passport requirement to get back into the U S.

Edited July 17, 2015 by eandj

[Steelers36]

I would not count on Google either. Why not just call Princess. They make the rules. ;)

 

The poster was not counting on Google. Google search was simply a means to lead them to an official government website. That said, Mexico may have a different rule for a temporary cruise passenger versus someone staying there. And Princess is certainly going to follow whatever rule is required of them, so they ought to know.

 

I'd like to point out that while I agree with timely renewal of a passport, the six month requirement won't apply if your stops are at a Canadian port. Americans and Canadians don't require the 6 month window visiting each other, but as has been pointed out that 6 month (or perhaps 4 months) does exist elsewhere around the world.

 

So, if you realize late that you are close to expiry, you can visit Canada, but an early renewal is best. Just think of your passport as 9.5 years duration!

Edited July 17, 2015 by steelers36

[eandj]

Of course the most preferable thing to do in this situation is to get a passport. With that being said, if the OP chooses not to do so, a certified birth certificate along with another picture ID (such as a DL) will normally work. !

 

Yes!!! Not "normally". Always.

Can you imagine the empty rooms on ships with stops in Mexico if everyone was forced to have a passport? How many people would take those short cruises to Cabo ? Family multi generational reunion cruise bookings would drop like a lead balloon if forced to purchase the not cheap passports for all. The cruise industry was a major lobbyist for the WHTI.

Many cruisers here travel overseas...thus the thought that passports are the only way to go.

[Steelers36]

Yes!!! Not "normally". Always.

Can you imagine the empty rooms on ships with stops in Mexico if everyone was forced to have a passport? How many people would take those short cruises to Cabo ? Family multi generational reunion cruise bookings would drop like a lead balloon if forced to purchase the not cheap passports for all. The cruise industry was a major lobbyist for the WHTI.

Many cruisers here travel overseas...thus the thought that passports are the only way to go.

 

In this way you guys are lucky. Canada requires a passport to re-enter. I hear you on the issue, but the cost divided or 10 - well, 9.5 - years is pretty good.

[eandj]

In this way you guys are lucky. Canada requires a passport to re-enter. I hear you on the issue, but the cost divided or 10 - well, 9.5 - years is pretty good.

 

The costs can be "astronomical" for a family that saved for a cruise for a long time. And there are MANY of those. So dividing the cost of the passport (that more than likely won't be used for overseas trips anytime soon ) isn't an argument for MANY passengers. Now.. charge a fee for that cruise of

15$ a person, it looks much more appealing.;

 

Many of us here are so lucky to have the opportunity to travel. Time wise, financially and health wise. And we are thankful for our blessings.

I never get why posters here throw out the idea of "You should have a passport" when posters ask the question of the requirement. MOST Americans, unless lucky, are not world travelers and do not have the need for one.

[Colo Cruiser]

The poster was not counting on Google. Google search was simply a means to lead them to an official government website. That said, Mexico may have a different rule for a temporary cruise passenger versus someone staying there. And Princess is certainly going to follow whatever rule is required of them, so they ought to know.

 

 

This is a moot point when the cruise line sets its own policy.

You always seem to spin my answers to your liking. :eek: Not sure why?

Had you read the reference (post above) about Mexico before zeroing in on my post you would have your answer.

[weluvtravel]

We just got back last Saturday from an Alaska cruise with a stop in Canada. We left from San Francisco and returned back there. They sent us to secondary screening and detained us there for a bit because we did not have passports for our children (10 & 11). We had original birth certificates for them as well as passports for me and my husband. They kept asking us why we didn't have passports for the kids and we said because they were not required. They finally let us go and gave us a form that they told us we should read for the next time that we cruised. Below is exactly what the form says (which contradicts them asking for passports)

 

"When traveling entirely within the Western Hemisphere on a cruise ship, and when the US citizen boards the cruise ship at a port or place within the Unites States and returns on the return voyage of the same cruise ship to the same United States port or place from where he or she originally departed. That US citizen may present a government-issued photo ID in combination with either an original copy of his or her birth certificate, Consular Report, etc." It then goes on to say that if you are under the age of 16, you just need to have the original birth certificate and it does not mention having to have the photo ID. I would take this information as "official" since I just received it at customs a few days ago. I would bring a copy of my marriage certificate as well. Hope this helps!

Edited July 17, 2015 by weluvtravel

[Pierlesscruisers]

They sent us to secondary screening and detained us there for a bit because we did not have passports for our children (10 & 11).

 

Just out of curiosity, who is the "they" that send you to a secondary screening? Was it C&BP or was it cruise line personnel. I'm guessing that it was C&BP, am I right?

 

And you are right, what you had is exactly what you were required to have. If it was the C&BP people who kept harping on the need for a passport, it's certainly odd that they didn't know what their own paperwork said!

 

Thanks.

 

Tom

[shredie]

Many of us here are so lucky to have the opportunity to travel. Time wise, financially and health wise. And we are thankful for our blessings.

I never get why posters here throw out the idea of "You should have a passport" when posters ask the question of the requirement. MOST Americans, unless lucky, are not world travelers and do not have the need for one.

 

Maybe not, but if those Americans want to travel (which we assume is the case with people asking questions on CC) they should have a passport. It's part of the cost of travel. If a family can't afford passports, then they need to do all their vacations within the US. People living near a border aren't "world travelers" but if they want to cross the border for any reason, they need a passport, as a rule. It's a sorry state of affairs, but the world is now such that things like passports are necessary and the imposition on families to obtain them can't be helped.

Edited July 17, 2015 by shredie

[Pierlesscruisers]

Maybe not, but if those Americans want to travel (which we assume is the case with people asking questions on CC) they should have a passport. It's part of the cost of travel. If a family can't afford passports, then they need to do all their vacations within the US. People living near a border aren't "world travelers" but if they want to cross the border for any reason, they need a passport, as a rule. It's a sorry state of affairs, but the world is now such that things like passports are necessary and the imposition on families to obtain them can't be helped.

 

While it may be nice to have a passport since it can be used for any foreign travel, if someone is going on a cruise where it is not required, then it is a nice-to-have thing and not a necessity. Could not having a passport end up being a problem if an unforeseen problem pop up during the cruise (missed ship, etc.)? Yes, certainly, but purchasing passports for, say, a family of 4 with 2 children under 16 could be expensive ($380) and perhaps a deal-breaker. In a case like that birth certificates, etc. can make a big difference and the imposition to get a passport is something that can be helped.

 

Tom

[shredie]

While it may be nice to have a passport since it can be used for any foreign travel, if someone is going on a cruise where it is not required, then it is a nice-to-have thing and not a necessity. Could not having a passport end up being a problem if an unforeseen problem pop up during the cruise (missed ship, etc.)? Yes, certainly, but purchasing passports for, say, a family of 4 with 2 children under 16 could be expensive ($380) and perhaps a deal-breaker. In a case like that birth certificates, etc. can make a big difference and the imposition to get a passport is something that can be helped.

 

Tom

 

Saying it can be done and should be done are two different things. It's part of the cost of travel. If the family can't afford the passports, then they need to find other ways to vacation. It's harsh, maybe, but those "unforeseen problems" will eventually come to pass (Murphy's Law :)) if the family travels often enough, and the nightmare that would ensue if one couldn't get the kids back into the country should be a consideration.

[weluvtravel]

Just out of curiosity, who is the "they" that send you to a secondary screening? Was it C&BP or was it cruise line personnel. I'm guessing that it was C&BP, am I right?

 

And you are right, what you had is exactly what you were required to have. If it was the C&BP people who kept harping on the need for a passport, it's certainly odd that they didn't know what their own paperwork said!

 

Thanks.

 

Tom

 

Yes, it was US C & BP that detained us. My husband wanted to read to them what their own paperwork stated but I made him keep his mouth shut ;) The guy that detained us was kind of a jerk. My friend was on the same cruise and she had no issues when leaving the ship with only original birth certificates and IDs.

Edited July 17, 2015 by weluvtravel

[shredie]

The guy that detained us was kind of a jerk. My friend was on the same cruise and she had no issues when leaving the ship.

 

I know that guy! ;) He works all over the place, apparently. I've run into him more than once. :)

[eandj]

Saying it can be done and should be done are two different things. It's part of the cost of travel. If the family can't afford the passports, then they need to find other ways to vacation. It's harsh, maybe, but those "unforeseen problems" will eventually come to pass (Murphy's Law :)) if the family travels often enough, and the nightmare that would ensue if one couldn't get the kids back into the country should be a consideration.

 

It is NOT the cost of CRUISING in the area we are speaking of. And to instruct families where and how YOU feel they should vacation is...:rolleyes:

 

Whether a person can afford it or not is not the only issue. When my mom treated our family, of 8 adults and 11 grandchildren aged 10-19, to two cruises she obviously could have afforded to buy passports for all. But it was not needed nor a good value in her eyes. In fact thinking now, years later, maybe 9 of the group ever needed a passport for future travel.

 

The law and consequences is all someone here can offer here. It's a personal choice.

[eandj]

while it may be nice to have a passport since it can be used for any foreign travel, if someone is going on a cruise where it is not required, then it is a nice-to-have thing and not a necessity. Could not having a passport end up being a problem if an unforeseen problem pop up during the cruise (missed ship, etc.)? Yes, certainly, but purchasing passports for, say, a family of 4 with 2 children under 16 could be expensive ($380) and perhaps a deal-breaker. In a case like that birth certificates, etc. Can make a big difference and the imposition to get a passport is something that can be helped.

 

Tom

 

yes.

[Colo Cruiser]

Saying it can be done and should be done are two different things. It's part of the cost of travel. If the family can't afford the passports, then they need to find other ways to vacation. It's harsh, maybe, but those "unforeseen problems" will eventually come to pass (Murphy's Law :)) if the family travels often enough, and the nightmare that would ensue if one couldn't get the kids back into the country should be a consideration.

 

I agree. Get the passport.

[shredie]

It is NOT the cost of CRUISING in the area we are speaking of. And to instruct families where and how YOU feel they should vacation is...:rolleyes:

 

Whether a person can afford it or not is not the only issue. When my mom treated our family, of 8 adults and 11 grandchildren aged 10-19, to two cruises she obviously could have afforded to buy passports for all. But it was not needed nor a good value in her eyes. In fact thinking now, years later, maybe 9 of the group ever needed a passport for future travel.

 

The law and consequences is all someone here can offer here. It's a personal choice.

 

Whatever. :rolleyes: If someone chooses to take the risk going abroad without a passport, it makes no difference to me. Suffer the consequences. You're right--it's a choice--but not a very sensible one in my opinion. BTW, you are the one who brought up the question of cost for families, not me.