Question about my passport expiring in 3 months after our cruise??

[Harrylinden]

Going on the Equinox in May and I just saw Celebrity want a passport not less than 6 months before it expires.So my question is can I go with 3 months left on my passport before it expires or will Celebrity turn me away? Don,t want to chance not getting my new passport back on time and expediting it is a lot more money. I was going to renew as soon as we got back from this cruise but not sure now.Are there islands who require this also? Any help would be appreciated!!:eek:

[RickT]

I fought with X on this issue a while ago and finally gave in and renewed my passport early.

 

It was for a UK cruise and as a Canadian I know there is no such rule that states my passport must be valid for X months after the cruise yet X held to it's rule even going so far as to say Homeland Security required it (even though the cruise and my flights wouldn't bring me anywhere near the US).

 

I suspect they have identified the strictest requirement and apply it to all cruises so they don't have to try and figure out each country.

 

Will you be allowed to board if you don't renew prior? Perhaps, but is it worth the gamble?

[Cruise Raider]

This is tricky ... it isn't really the cruise line but the state dept .... or so I was told. I took my chances a few years ago and took my passport with only 3 months left on it. I sailed to central America and the Caribbean ... so also took my birth certificate and license at the time. Nobody even balked, though.

I was told that it needed to be kept current in case I was kidnapped and they needed to get me back. That sounded pretty crazy to me ... like if it were only 3 months to the expiration, they would give up the negotiations to get an American citizen back. Story??

 

You should be fine if you get your passport right away .... but I know you have to mail your old one in and they are known to be behind. You can always pay for an expedited one if you are really worried. I think it is a little crazy that they aren't good until their expiration date. I don't really know what to tell you to do ... you are going to need a new one, after all.

[LiveToCruise99]

You will need to get a new passport. This isn't a Celebrity rule but a customs rule of certain countries for entry. The reason behind it is to ensure if something should happen to you while traveling (illness, car accident, etc,) that your passport has sufficient time on it to allow you to recover and return home. In essence you are purchasing a 4 and a half year passport when you buy a 5 year one and a 9 and a half year passport when you buy a 10 year one.

[Okmyx]

Many countries won't admit you if your passport expires in less than six months. This is a common requirement and there's no surprise cruise lines have the same standard.

 

 

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[SandG]

I had the same situation... expired 3 months after the cruise was over. I read so many articles that said that some countries would not allow you to enter the country if you have between 3-6 months left on your passport, I decided it wasn't worth the risk. Don't take a chance. Just do it.

 

In my case, I discovered this a little late, so I expedited my passport renewal and got it back in 10 days. :) Yes, it cost more money but was worth it for the peace of mind. It wasn't so much compared to the cost of the cruise. And a passport was good for 10 years, so it's not that much more money over the life of it.

[eatdrinkfly]

it's not a cruise line requirement, it's the countries you're visiting that require this.

definitely renew now... you'll be less stressed knowing it's done, that alone will be worth it. and you have plenty of time if you don't travel until May.

[lazygal]

If it is a Caribbean cruise that starts and ends in the US, you will be fine with your original birth certificate and driver's license. The passport law to cruise the Caribbean was never passed. Traveling to Europe and flying back is another matter. I met a man on a trans Atlantic who left his wife at the dock because she did not have 6 months left on her passport and Celebrity would not let her board.

 

My issue is you have to mail your passport in and in my case (six months before my cruise and I had 3 months left on it at sailing date, well, they don't give you those months back by adding them to the new passport's expiration date.

[bigbenboys]

Another CC person post said they got their passports in 16 days. We renew our passports about a year before they are going to expire.

[jb008]

Different countries need different lengths of validity after planned departure from their country, e.g., France required 6mo validity whereas Spain required 3.

 

There's 2 mechanisms for expedited passport processing, I think one is by mail and one is in person.

 

If you're not flying abroad though, any chance you qualify for an enhanced driver's license (not all states offer this)? Ex-US travel by boat, enhanced license is sufficient and a valid passport (even w/only a few month before expiration) would be enough for you to fly home in the event of an unexpected need.

[awhcruiser]

Where are you sailing to and from?

[JVilleGal]

Looking at the OP prior posts Celebrity Equinox May 15 2017. I believe this is a Caribbean cruise. So passport is fine as is and can be renewed once home.

 

 

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[bengaltiger1]

 

My issue is you have to mail your passport in and in my case (six months before my cruise and I had 3 months left on it at sailing date, well, they don't give you those months back by adding them to the new passport's expiration date.

 

 

That's interesting. In the U.K. you get the time added on to your new passport. My current passport is for a period of ten and a half years.

 

 

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[chemmo]

That's interesting. In the U.K. you get the time added on to your new passport. My current passport is for a period of ten and a half years.

 

 

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Yes, much more sensible....no reason to put off renewing.

[Harrylinden]

Where are you sailing to and from?

 

We are sailing to the Carribean.

[Harrylinden]

Thank You everyone for your advice.I,m just going to go Monday and renew it and have it expedited to have peace of mind!

[ClaudiaB]

Just get a new one. We were in the same boat (ha ha) last fall. Our passports expired in January and we would have had 3 months left, so we renewed them.

[MixerDave]

If it is a Caribbean cruise that starts and ends in the US, you will be fine with your original birth certificate and driver's license. The passport law to cruise the Caribbean was never passed. Traveling to Europe and flying back is another matter. I met a man on a trans Atlantic who left his wife at the dock because she did not have 6 months left on her passport and Celebrity would not let her board.

 

My issue is you have to mail your passport in and in my case (six months before my cruise and I had 3 months left on it at sailing date, well, they don't give you those months back by adding them to the new passport's expiration date.

 

I don't know if the birth certificate applies in all ports. I recall that we were required to have our passports with us leaving the ship in San Juan. Actually needed to enter the dock area on return.

[BridgeMates]

Thanks to this thread, checked our pp's. Need to renew hubby's as caribbean cruise ends just two weeks before pp expires!

It might not matter for this cruise, but we will get it renewed and not end up in a crunch if something comes up beforehand.

[downsmead]

To some extent it depends where you are sailing. We are from the UK and we were doing a Med cruise last year, therefore not leaving the EU. We can travel without any restrictions re length of time left on your passport within the EU, as long as the passport is still valid. However my husband had to renew his because of Celebrity's requirement of 6 months left on a passport!

[mandream]

As others have said, this is not a Celebrity rule.

 

My mom was scheduled for a Med cruise on Celebrity a couple years ago. She had about 3 months left on her passport. The airline would not allow her to board her flight from Chicago. She had no idea. I felt really bad because I was well aware of the requirement but it never occurred to me that she wasn't so I never mentioned it to her.....

 

Mike

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

To repeat what others have said: this is not a Celebrity rule. It depends on the rules of the countries you are visiting. I suspect you will be fine in the Caribbean.

I had this issue on a Panama Canal cruise. Checked the requirements of each country we were calling at and found none that required 6 months. Checked with Celebrity who replied IN WRITING that they only required the passport to be valid until after the cruise returns. Went with that passport and had absolutely no problems.

And I have never been required to show my passport when re-boarding the ship in Puerto Rico.

My last cruise to the Caribbean was last fall on a closed-loop cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. Did not even have my passport since I was moving and foolishly left it in the filing cabinet with the movers. Certified copy of my birth certificate worked fine.

[sanger727]

I don't know if the birth certificate applies in all ports. I recall that we were required to have our passports with us leaving the ship in San Juan. Actually needed to enter the dock area on return.

 

 

R u a us citizen? San Juan is a US territory, you don't even need a passport to fly there. Unless going to Cuba, there's no need to have a passport for a closed loop Caribbean cruise for US citizens. A passport that has not yet expired is more than sufficient.

 

 

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[hcat]

As others have said, this is not a Celebrity rule.

 

My mom was scheduled for a Med cruise on Celebrity a couple years ago. She had about 3 months left on her passport. The airline would not allow her to board her flight from Chicago. She had no idea. I felt really bad because I was well aware of the requirement but it never occurred to me that she wasn't so I never mentioned it to her.....

 

Mike

So was this an airline rule, state Dept, customs dept rule etc..????? We always renew early, just in case but never knew where we were encouraged to do so...

[JVilleGal]

So was this an airline rule, state Dept, customs dept rule etc..????? We always renew early, just in case but never knew where we were encouraged to do so...

 

 

At least one of the countries her cruise traveled to (or her plane was landing in) had a requirement for 6 months remaining AFTER your trip ends on your passport. Be aware that some countries even have a rule about how many pages must be remaining in your passport book.

 

Read here:

 

https://www.google.com/amp/lifehacker.com/check-if-your-destination-requires-blank-passport-pages-1693495156/amp

 

And here:

 

 

http://lifehacker.com/be-sure-your-passport-is-valid-for-six-months-before-fl-1622413909

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