passport expiration date

[elruth]

Our passports expire Jan 31, 2018. We plan to go on a late Nov/ early Dec cruise 2017. I read somewhere that passports should not expire within 4 months of taking a cruise. Anyone have experience with a cruise a month or 2 before the expiration date on a passport. We don't plan to renew our passports due to our age and expense.

[freedom750]

I called the cruise line and they said I needed 6 months or they could deny me boarding. I think it depends on who you talk to as I haven't heard of anyone being denied boarding but I didn't want to take a chance.

[JWHITE459]

I called the cruise line and they said I needed 6 months or they could deny me boarding. I think it depends on who you talk to as I haven't heard of anyone being denied boarding but I didn't want to take a chance.

 

I am sailing in June 2017 and my passport expires October 2017; therefore, I won't have the required 6 months left on it. I sent it in for renewal several weeks ago.

[broberts]

Depends on the itinerary (and citizenship). https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents

[BirdTravels]

Our passports expire Jan 31, 2018. We plan to go on a late Nov/ early Dec cruise 2017. I read somewhere that passports should not expire within 4 months of taking a cruise. Anyone have experience with a cruise a month or 2 before the expiration date on a passport. We don't plan to renew our passports due to our age and expense.

 

Depends on where you are departing from and the countries visited. Some countries require 6 months. Some require that the passport be valid on day of exit. No countries require 4 months.

[emcelh]

We cruised in January with about 3 months validity remaining on our passport. The man who checked us in said something like "almost time for new passports". This was a Caribbean cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

Our passports expire Jan 31, 2018. We plan to go on a late Nov/ early Dec cruise 2017. I read somewhere that passports should not expire within 4 months of taking a cruise. Anyone have experience with a cruise a month or 2 before the expiration date on a passport. We don't plan to renew our passports due to our age and expense.

to be on the safe side, you should renew them. Some destinations will overlook the expirasion date, others will not. technically it is 6 months.

[Oakman58]

Are you sure you won’t be traveling out of country again…ever? Why would you even want to risk being denied boarding because your passport is close to expiring? I’d renew the passports so that I didn’t have that doubt hanging over my head.

[brookie848]

My husband's passport expires in May. We had no issue leaving from Miami on a Caribbean cruise in February. We were aware that if something happened that we needed to fly home that there might be issues, but it was a risk we were willing to take.

 

He just sent his passport for renewal this week so we'll be ready for our future cruises!

[BostonGal35]

i personally would renew.

mine expired in August, 2017. i just renewed it in February.

[njhorseman]

to be on the safe side, you should renew them. Some destinations will overlook the expirasion date, others will not. technically it is 6 months.

 

No...it is not technically 6 months and no country overlooks the expiration date.. Every country has its own rules. Some...quite a few in fact...only require that your passport be valid until your scheduled departure date from their country. Some require the passport to be valid for three months past your departure from the country. Some require six months. and there are even some that only require the passport be valid when you enter the country and not beyond that date. You can check every country's requirements on the State Department's website.

 

If the OP is going on the typical closed loop Caribbean cruise and is a US citizen they don't even need a passport, much less one with six months remaining validity. They can cruise with an official birth certificate and photo ID.

 

The bottom line is that without knowing the OP's itinerary and citizenship, no one can answer the question accurately.

 

By the way, a US passport is always good right up to its expiration date for purposes of reentry to the US.

Edited March 23, 2017 by njhorseman

[MrJulius]

By the way, a US passport is always good right up to its expiration date for purposes of reentry to the US.

 

Thanks for this.

 

When I read this thread I was curious as to why there were requirements other than the exact expiration date. This now makes sense. If I am correct there are some countries that require your passport have enough time on them so you can leave their country without you being stuck there due to an overstay on your part.

 

For US reentry the expiration date is the expiration date.

[kenns]

Hi All -

 

Just booked the Encore for Feb 16 to 23, 2020. My passport expires April 2020 - so about 1.5/2 months after the cruise. Should I go ahead and submit it for renewal now? 

[njhorseman]

7 minutes ago, kenns said:

Hi All -

 

Just booked the Encore for Feb 16 to 23, 2020. My passport expires April 2020 - so about 1.5/2 months after the cruise. Should I go ahead and submit it for renewal now? 

I assume you're a US citizen. There's no need to renew your passport. If I'm not mistaken your cruise is a closed loop Caribbean cruise from Miami . The only foreign country on your itinerary is the British Virgin Islands. Your current passport will be perfectly good for your cruise. In fact as a US citizen you don't even need a passport for this itinerary. An official government issued birth certificate (assuming you were born in the US. Otherwise a certificate of naturalization if you are a naturalized citizen or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad if you were a US citizen at birth but born abroad) and a government ID such as a drivers license would be all that is required. Of course as long as you have a valid passport it's preferable to use it.

[kenns]

Thank you! Yes - US Citizen

[dizzneebabe]

We just took a cruise in Dec 2017 and my son's passport and mine were set to expire in April and May, respectively.  I didn't want to take the chance of being denied boarding (which I read could happen), so I renewed them.  I know it's a closed loop cruise an unplanned expense for you, but I really wouldn't take the chance!!!!  The renewal took about three weeks from when I sent them into the appropriate office, so you have some time...

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, dizzneebabe said:

We just took a cruise in Dec 2017 and my son's passport and mine were set to expire in April and May, respectively.  I didn't want to take the chance of being denied boarding (which I read could happen), so I renewed them.  I know it's a closed loop cruise an unplanned expense for you, but I really wouldn't take the chance!!!!  The renewal took about three weeks from when I sent them into the appropriate office, so you have some time...

 

It's fine that you renewed your passports but rather than advising someone else to go by "what you read could happen" it's better to actually advise them based on facts.

 

Here's NCL's FAQ on documentation requirements, in particular for US citizens leaving from a US port to the Caribbean, etc. You'll note that a passport only has to be valid, which means it hasn't expired. There's no requirement to have 6 months remaining validity for this type of cruise: (Please note that some cruise lines impose a more stringent rule mandating 6 months remaining validity, but NCL adheres to the letter of the law and nothing more.)

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/cruise-travel-documents

 

U.S. Citizens

For Cruises Leaving From a U.S. Port to the Caribbean, Bahamas & Florida, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Canada & New England, Pacific Coastal You’re required to carry: A Valid Passport OR Proof of Citizenship (see below) AND Government-issued photo ID (Baptismal paper, hospital certificates of birth, and Puerto Rico birth certificates issued prior to 7/1/10 are not acceptable.) State certified U.S. birth certificate Original certificate of U.S. naturalization Original certificate of U.S. citizenship U.S. Consular report of your birth abroad OR WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative)-compliant documents (click here to for more information.) *A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 does not require a government-issued photo ID. Norwegian Cruise Line strongly recommends all guests to obtain a passport for their cruise vacation for the following reasons: If you miss your ship at its scheduled U.S. departure port and need to travel outside the U.S. to meet your ship. You unexpectedly need to depart the ship from a foreign port prior to the end of sailing, a passport would be required to leave or re-enter the U.S. by air. If you need to obtain a passport quickly, please contact VisaCentral at 844-834-5702 and reference account 75006 for discounted VisaCentral service fees. VisaCentral can obtain a passport in as little as

Edited March 8, 2019 by njhorseman