Expired Passport

[SadieandJr]

Yikes, just found out one of my guests going me on the cruise has an expired passport and we leave on Saturday. Does anyone know if Carnival will allow him to board? He was born in Poland and adopted at 4 months old in the US so his birth certificate is not much help. Our travel agent said they might let him on but didn't know for sure. Anyone have this problem?

[singbluesilver1]

That's not good

[loxley]

He will not get on. Only hope is if he is able to get it expedited at a passport office tomorrow.

 

How was this not picked up on when he did online checkin?

[riffatsea]

Nope! An expired passport is not valid so cannot be used.

He should have a USA certificate of when he was adopted. That is the same as a birth certificate + driver's license.

Sad to not notice these things so close to sail date!

 

[fishywood]

An adoption certificate is of no use. A 'Consular Certificate of US Citizen Born Abroad' might be acceptable in place of a passport, functioning as a birth certificate does for a closed-loop cruise. But he likely won't have that specific document if he was "adopted at 4 months old in the US" as the OP describes, rather than the adoption finalized by an agency before he was brought from Poland. Plan to be in line at the nearest Passport expedite location several hours before it opens tomorrow morning.

Edited August 13, 2015 by fishywood

[CJinFLA00]

Wow. Sorry to hear that. Hope it works out!

 

 

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[Budget Queen]

An adoption certificate is of no use. A 'Consular Certificate of US Citizen Born Abroad' might be acceptable in place of a passport, functioning as a birth certificate does for a closed-loop cruise. But he likely won't have that specific document if he was "adopted at 4 months old in the US" as the OP describes, rather than the adoption finalized by an agency before he was brought from Poland. Plan to be in line at the nearest Passport expedite location several hours before it opens tomorrow morning.

 

It looks like they are sailing out of Miami on Saturday. Hopefully they are already there or will be there tomorrow. Are there any expedited offices open on Saturday?

[rwaxman]

Maybe I've missed something in one of the posts, but has your guest become a naturalized citizen? If they have, does someone know if that paperwork would work?

 

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[D4]

I see you live near Ft. Lauderdale and I hope your friend does too. Then, if the worst happens and he is denied boarding, he won't be stuck far from home or be out the money for both a flight and the cruise.

 

Can he get a same day passport in Miami tomorrow? I hope it works out.

[Pops, Esq.]

A certificate of naturalization would work in place of birth cert., if he has that.

[CruiseReg]

They need to try to make an appointment NOW!

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/where-to-apply/agencies/miami.html

 

The appointment line is 24/7 and Miami does have same day service, but I believe you NEED an appointment.

 

Good luck!

[Out to sea!]

Nope! An expired passport is not valid so cannot be used.

He should have a USA certificate of when he was adopted. That is the same as a birth certificate + driver's license.

Sad to not notice these things so close to sail date!

 

 

Not completely true. Depends on how well the agents look at it. When my kids ware young, my wife took the kids to Germany with her and only found out on the return flight that my daughter's passport had expired even before leaving for the trip. It took a little sweet talking on her part but my daughter was able to fly back home on that expired passport.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Out to sea!

[Shmoo here]

According the cruise contract at Carnival:

It is the guest’s sole responsibility to ensure his/her legal eligibility to travel and to bring and have available at all times all required travel documents. Guests are advised to check with their travel agent or the appropriate government authority to determine the necessary documents and travel eligibility requirements.

http://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/legal-notice/ticket-contract.aspx

 

From the US Customs and Border Protection website, regarding closed-loop cruises:

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. If the child is a newborn and the actual birth certificate has not arrived from the Vital Records Department, we will accept a Hospital issued birth certificate. The United States does not require you to have a passport. (A Consular report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State or a Certificate of Naturalization is also acceptable.)

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/documents-needed-to-take-a-cruise

 

My take on this: if the OPs traveling companion has the Consular Report of Birth Abroad OR a Certificate of Naturalization, it's acceptable along with the photo ID.

Edited August 14, 2015 by Shmoo here

[RjayB]

How was this not picked up on when he did online checkin?

 

This is the real question. You have to put in your date of issue and date of expiration when filling out the fun pass. While it technically doesn't have to be done too far in advance, I always fill ours out when we do the final payment.

[Elaine5715]

Not completely true. Depends on how well the agents look at it. When my kids ware young, my wife took the kids to Germany with her and only found out on the return flight that my daughter's passport had expired even before leaving for the trip. It took a little sweet talking on her part but my daughter was able to fly back home on that expired passport.

 

That was a while ago and they were coming home. Carnival is held accountable if they permit someone onboard without proper documentation.

[Jdfireman]

I am available if you need a replacement

[sparks1093]

Yikes, just found out one of my guests going me on the cruise has an expired passport and we leave on Saturday. Does anyone know if Carnival will allow him to board? He was born in Poland and adopted at 4 months old in the US so his birth certificate is not much help. Our travel agent said they might let him on but didn't know for sure. Anyone have this problem?

 

He should be able to cruise with the document that he used to get his US passport.

[Out to sea!]

That was a while ago and they were coming home. Carnival is held accountable if they permit someone onboard without proper documentation.

 

Yes it was a while ago but what I was trying to say is that my daughter flew on an expired passport while go TO Germany. It was not noticed until she attempted to fly back.

[Krazy Kruizers]

OP

I hope you come and back tell us what happens.

I still don't understand how he was able to fill out his documents with an expired passport.

[paul929207]

Good luck. Please let us know how it works out.

[SadieandJr]

Thank you for all of the comments and help. Believe me, this was not of my doing. I always do my check in after my final payment. This was my step daughter and her boyfriend joining us on this cruise. She has cruised before with her family but this was his first cruise. I had told her to be sure to do the online checkin but she only completed her portion and was waiting to do his but failed to tell him that she needed his passport. He trusted her to tell him everything that needed to be done, but apparently that was his first mistake! He's upset with himself as well for not reviewing the policies and being diligent about the processess. He had his family fed ex his expired passport which will arrive this morning. I'm sure that will be too late to hit the office in Miami without an appointment since they close at 3:00. His mother couldn't find his original documents that were provided when he applied for his first passport at age 14. We spoke with our travel agent and they said Carnival might let him on with the expired passport so we're going to try that in the morning. If they don't, then we go on and he's on his own. Hard lesson to learn! If they let him on and he has issues trying to reenter on Sunday, I guess he'll be spending some time at Krome Detention Center. I love my cruises and much needed vacation time off and this was one headache that was not needed. Hope everyone learns by their costly mistake!

[ger_77]

There wasn't any point in me quoting your entire last entry, I just wanted to wish you and your family the very best. Hopefully the boyfriend will learn from this - that he has to become an active participant in vacation planning and preparation as well. Good luck to all of you.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[SadieandJr]

Thank you for the kind thoughts. Yes, going forward, I'm sure he will take part of the planning process. We are taking another cruise next May on the Norweign Escape. Maybe he can try this again for that one! I'm sorry this ruined his trip and his first cruise experience!

[sail7seas]

He must have valid, required travel documents in order to board.

If he does not have designated passport, visa, birth certificate..... whatever is required for his travel, he will not be boarding.

 

If he doesn't go, how will this impact your step-daughter in terms of sharing the cabin? Will she now be subject to a solo cruiser increase in fare?

Edited August 14, 2015 by sail7seas

[cherylandtk]

Good luck tomorrow. I hope it works out for you all, but be prepared to leave him behind.

 

After the cruise, when the drama is past, you might want to gently advise him that he should always keep and maintain a valid US passport. He is an adult now, and HE needs to safely store his passport and proof of US citizenship. Depending on when he was adopted he either has a Certificate of Citizenship or a Naturalization Certificate issued after the adoption. He needs to get that from his mother and take care of it himself, preferably in a bank safe-deposit box. If his certificate cannot be found, he can apply for a re-issued copy, but it will cost him $345 and several months of follow-up.

 

If his passport was issued when he was 14, it expired when he was 19. Depending on how long ago that was, he probably can use his expired passport to apply for a new one. If not, he will need that original citizenship document from his mother to get a new passport.

 

If he doesn't make it onboard (or even if he does) I am sure this will be a memorable life lesson to him. His citizenship is not as easily proven as someone who was born on US soil, and he will want to prevent any future difficulties; the best and easiest way for him to accomplish that is to always maintain a valid passport.