Passport expiration date

[sparks1093]

Six month rule is for the country to which you are going, not leaving the US. In fact you don't need a passport to leave the US only helps when you return.

 

I arrested a child molester once who was made to surrender his US passport. He is now a fugitive running around Europe. Seems he was born in Germany. So while out on bail he jumped a plane to Germany (with no German or US PP), but when he got to Germany a family member meet him with his German birth certificate. Wham, he applies for a new German PP and has been using it ever since.

 

So if you are leaving US and returning US and your PP is valid on the day you return you are good.

 

However, I renew mine within six months just to be sure I have it when I need it. Why wait until the last minute?

 

BTW: my last renewal took 18 days.

 

Just my take but if my travel plans don't require my passport to be renewed then I won't be renewing it, so if at the time of expiration I don't have anything planned for a year or two I'll let it expire. There is no benefit to me to renew it any earlier than my next trip. (And if by some miracle a great travel deal fell into my lap while it was expired it wouldn't take that long to get it renewed at that point.)

[sparks1093]

We had a similar situation.

 

Called the cruise line, and when you leave and return to the same US port, a passport is recommended, but not required. So we were told that we should be OK.

 

Royal Caribbean's FAQ about cruise documents states:

"U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S.) will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a government-issued birth certificate and laminated government issued picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original, notarized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS, or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. "

However, they also state:

"Royal Caribbean International strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This greatly assists guests who may need to fly out of the United States to meet their ship at the next available port should they miss their scheduled embarkation in a U.S. port; guests entering the U.S. at the end of their cruise; and guests needing to fly to the U.S. before their cruise ends, because of medical, family, personal or business emergencies, missing a ship's departure from a port of call, involuntary disembarkation from a ship due to misconduct, or other reasons.

 

Guests who need to fly to the United States before their cruise ends will likely experience significant delays and complications related to booking airline tickets and entering the United States if they do not have a valid U.S. passport with them."

The only problem would be if for some reason, you had to interrupt your cruise and fly home. Then the rules for the country you are leaving from apply.

 

So, for example, if you are in Mexico, and had to fly home, then the rules for Mexico would apply. Mexico requires the six month rule, so you would run into difficulty.

 

Here is a link to the US passport site, where you can enter the countries that you are visiting to see their rules. http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country.html

 

Some examples, as of today:

 

• For Bermuda or The Bahamas PASSPORT VALIDITY: Must be valid at time of entry
  
• For Mexico or Saint Lucia PASSPORT VALIDITY: Six months minimum validity required for entry
  

 

No, the 6 month rule is to enter country, they don't care how much time is on your passport when you are leaving so you would have absolutely no issues there since you have a valid passport in your possession. The State Department website is a good resource but it's not infallable, many times they don't include information for cruise passengers.

[mixplix]

Same issue - we are on Anthem dec 2016 returning 1-2-17. My 13 year olds passport expires June 2017 so not quite six months later. Our cruise is closed loop and two of the four stops are US territories anyway. Should I bring her birth cert just in case? I am bringing everyone's passports of course.

Mixplix

 

 

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[Clarea]

Same issue - we are on Anthem dec 2016 returning 1-2-17. My 13 year olds passport expires June 2017 so not quite six months later. Our cruise is closed loop and two of the four stops are US territories anyway. Should I bring her birth cert just in case? I am bringing everyone's passports of course.

Mixplix

You will be fine with passports.

[sparks1093]

Same issue - we are on Anthem dec 2016 returning 1-2-17. My 13 year olds passport expires June 2017 so not quite six months later. Our cruise is closed loop and two of the four stops are US territories anyway. Should I bring her birth cert just in case? I am bringing everyone's passports of course.

Mixplix

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I personally wouldn't. The only way you would need the birth certificate would be if the passport were lost or stolen or if it expired before you could make it back to the states and needed to go to a Consulate/Embassy to get a new one.

[Duke Mazer]

Kudos for actually having a passport.

[mixplix]

Kudos for actually having a passport.

 

Ha - I didnt get my first passport until I was in law school. My spoiled children each had passports at 10 months old due to our vacation travel - must be nice.

mixplix

[mollyeilis]

We have a Bermuda/Bahamas cruise coming up in August. My daughter's passport expires about 4.5 months after our sailing. I remember hearing about a policy where they don't let you travel on a passport within so many months of the expiration date. Could someone let me know if she'll be OK with her current passport?

 

Thanks,

Rich

 

Assuming she is a US citizen and this is a closed loop cruise for which a passport isn't even NEEDED, she will be just fine.

 

 

As mentioned the passport will be OK for the cruise but in general for some (not all but some) international travel certain counties require that the passport be good for six months from the time you return to your home country.

 

Keith

 

YES.

 

 

 

I agree, but not in the OP's case. Your example involves flying.

The OP is on a closed loop Caribbean cruise where a passport is not even needed

 

So many yesses. :)