Help with clarification on Passport requirements for Princess cruiseline

[Caribbean Sunset]

I have a current passport and it is valid until December.

Our cruise is out of Vancouver July 22. I have spoke with Canada's custom agent and she said passport only has to be valid date of entry. Canada's website states the same. With Princess I have read that 6 months validity could be required. I spoken with agent at Princess and she does not think it will be an issue but I'm still unsettled. I have entered all my cruise info and was able to print by boarding pass and luggage tags. Does anyone know or had any experience with this issue. Thanks for any help

[racj846]

The Canada Customs agent is correct. Canada does not require 6 months validity on the passport.

[casofilia]

The Canada Customs agent is correct. Canada does not require 6 months validity on the passport.

 

But you are not cruising with Canada Customs you are cruising with Princess!!! I would get it IN WRITING from Princess that you do not need the 6 months validity.

 

For us as foreigners there is no need to carry a paper copy of an ESTA to enter the United States, try getting on a cruise ship without one!!!!

 

Cruise lines set their own rules!!!!

[tamsocal]

We have sailed on Princess - Alaska- start in Vancouver with Passport within 2 months of expire and no issues within Canada.

 

Princess just advises you of the wide range of various country rules-

[fishywood]

I would get it IN WRITING from Princess that you do not need the 6 months validity.

 

Here it is in writing on the Princess website:

 

Passport validity: Many countries require passports be valid for six months after the completion of your travel. Check your passport to verify it will be valid for this period of time. Please ensure the name on the passport matches the name on the booking. Additionally, make certain that your passport contains blank pages for entry and exit endorsements and any visas that may be required. If necessary, allow sufficient time to renew your passport and/or obtain additional pages. US and Canadian passport holders sailing on a domestic cruise should ensure passports or other travel documents are valid through the completion of travel. There may be occasions where we retain your passport at check-in. This is to ensure that you are not inconvenienced by immigration clearance during your cruise and where face to face inspection is not required. We recommend you bring a second government issued photo ID if you wish to have one with you while in port.

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp ("Travel Document Requirements", para 14, emphasis mine).

[jkrislc]

Royal Caribbean stated the same, but we sailed within six weeks of my son's passport expiring without an issue. A supervisor may need to override the system at check-in, however. I just couldn't justify renewing early when it wasn't needed given that his passport is only good for five years anyways.

[ILoveStThomas]

This might help.Here's a link to info regrding your passports!

https://fastportpassport.com/blog/six-month-validity-passport-rule

Hope it helps.I personally wouldn,t take the chance!!!

[thinfool]

This might help.Here's a link to info regrding your passports!

https://fastportpassport.com/blog/si...-passport-rule

Hope it helps.I personally wouldn,t take the chance!!!

 

Suggest that the OP find an official site, which this is not.

[ILoveStThomas]

Suggest that the OP find an official site, which this is not.

Ok so here's a link from the official government site! Say's the same thing!!!:rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

 

travel.state.gov > Passports & International Travel > Your Passports > Frequently Asked Questions

 

Frequently Asked Question

 

 

 

 

How long is a passport valid and is it true that it needs to have at least 6 months of validity remaining?

 

If you were age 16 or older when your passport was issued, your passport is valid for 10 years.

If you were under 16 when your passport was issued, your passport is valid for 5 years.

The Issue Date of your passport can be found on the data page of your Passport Book or on the front of your Passport Card.

Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip. Some airlines will not allow you to board if this requirement is not met. Consider the following scenario: A country requires that you have at least six months of validity on your passport. You currently have seven months of validity on your passport. However, your trip is two months from now. At that point, you will only have five months of validity remaining on your passport which is not enough to satisfy that country's entry requirements. In this situation, you would need to renew your passport before you can make your trip.

Check our Country Specific Information to learn about entry and exit requirements for the country or countries in which you are traveling. Watch this short YouTube video about why you need at least six months of validity on your U.S. passport!

 

If your passport has already expired, you may still be able to renew your passport by mail. See How to Renew Your U.S. Passport.

[Cruise Raider]

I have a current passport and it is valid until December.

Our cruise is out of Vancouver July 22. I have spoke with Canada's custom agent and she said passport only has to be valid date of entry. Canada's website states the same. With Princess I have read that 6 months validity could be required. I spoken with agent at Princess and she does not think it will be an issue but I'm still unsettled. I have entered all my cruise info and was able to print by boarding pass and luggage tags. Does anyone know or had any experience with this issue. Thanks for any help

 

I am usually a steadfast rule follower but wouldn't worry about this at all. Your only Canadian port looks to be Vancouver and the remainder are in the US. The reason for a passport to be valid for 6 months is in case you need to FLY back into the US from a foreign country, which doesn't seem as though that would be an issue as July 22nd is the only day you will be in a foreign country and in the very slim chance that would happen, the passport would still be valid ....and for several months to boot.

BTW, I had a couple of months left on my passport and booked a cruise last minute. They had no problem accepting my passport at check in.

My nephews sailed with us last year and had an enhanced driver license only. We took the train from Washington state up to Vancouver and sailed to Los Angeles. Another friend brought her Nexus card and not a passport when sailing from Vancouver to San Francisco. These were both on Princess cruises within the last couple of years.

 

From cbp ...

The Enhanced Driver's License (EDL) allows you to re-enter the U.S. from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The EDL is only accepted at land and sea border crossings, not for air travel.

[thinfool]

Ok so here's a link from the official government site! Say's the same thing!!!:rolleyes:

 

This is the one that I would use as it is 'Canada specific'...

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/canada.html

[azbirdmom]

Interesting that Canadian rules seem to be different for its own citizens. When we were checking in for a United flight in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago, two Canadian men were checking in next to us. One of the men's passports expired 1 day short of 6 months after the date of their return flight. The agent could not check them in until they moved up their return flight by a day. Fortunately for the OP the rules are different for US citizens.

[thinfool]

One of the men's passports expired 1 day short of 6 months after the date of their return flight.

 

Were they flying (final destination) to the US or to a country that has the 6 month requirement?

[OddAbroad]

My brother's wife had a similar issue on a family cruise in Australia/NZ earlier this year. Her passport was within 5 months of expiration at the time of travel, but we were more concerned about the flights than boarding the Emerald in Auckland. Although she went through a little extra scrutiny at the airport, they let her board the ship without issue and she didn't have any other problems at any other ports.

[Harrylinden]

Well If it were me I wouldn,t chance it at all.You never know what could happen.All this advice from others is fine but you should research it for yourself and go with your own gut instinct! What happens for one might not happen to others.Each situation is different form the others!!!

[Caribbean Sunset]

Were they flying (final destination) to the US or to a country that has the 6 month requirement?

 

We fly from Anchorage to Seattle then home. We do not return to Canada.

[jb008]

The reason for a passport to be valid for 6 months is in case you need to FLY back into the US from a foreign country...

 

I think the more pressing issue is that certain countries require 6 mo. validity beyond planned departure in order to enter their country. For example, as of last June ('16) France required 6 mo. validity whereas Spain required 3 mo. My passport expired mid-Oct and since we were stopping over in Paris for a day and a bit I needed to renew because I cleared the 3 mo. (sufficient had we flown into Spain for the cruise departure) but I missed on the 6 mo. to enter France. Note that even within EU countries the different states had different requirements (at least as of summer '16).

 

Also has been mentioned, passport book to fly but enhanced driver's license (EDL)/passport card is sufficient to sail; not having the book does carry some risk though if you needed to fly back from CAN to USA in an emergency. I did use my EDL on the white pass rail train and it was fine (although it got a little extra inspection by the CBP agent coming back into the US, NYS has the flag in a different spot according to him).

[caribill]

I think the more pressing issue is that certain countries require 6 mo. validity beyond planned departure in order to enter their country. For example, as of last June ('16) France required 6 mo. validity whereas Spain required 3 mo. My passport expired mid-Oct and since we were stopping over in Paris for a day and a bit I needed to renew because I cleared the 3 mo. (sufficient had we flown into Spain for the cruise departure) but I missed on the 6 mo. to enter France. Note that even within EU countries the different states had different requirements (at least as of summer '16). -- Once you enter the EU, your passport is not looked at again until you exit the EU.

 

Also has been mentioned, passport book to fly but enhanced driver's license (EDL)/passport card is sufficient to sail; not having the book does carry some risk though if you needed to fly back from CAN to USA in an emergency. I did use my EDL on the white pass rail train and it was fine (although it got a little extra inspection by the CBP agent coming back into the US, NYS has the flag in a different spot according to him).

 

EDL/passport card is only valid for cruises that start and end in the same USA port.

[jb008]

EDL/passport card is only valid for cruises that start and end in the same USA port.

 

EDL and passport card are good for land/sea transit between US and Canada. You just can't fly back from Canada to the US. The EDL/Passport Card is fine to sail into Vancouver, but you have to go by land across US border (e.g., to Seattle) to be able to fly domestic to get home. Remember though that Anchorage is a US airport, so EDL is sufficient to pre-clear US entry at the port of Vancouver and to then fly home from Anchorage to Continental US.

 

Specific to the OP, Canada doesn't require extra passport validity beyond your stay, and per Fishywood's post Princess is covering their butts when they generally say they could require extra validity but specific the US/Canadian cruise the Princess documents indicate valid through entire trip is sufficient (inline with CBP rules).

 

FWIW I'd feel comfortable traveling on a passport good through December. I go to Canada frequently and have done so not worrying that my passport expires a few months after my trips end, never had a question from CBP. I also use my EDL more the last few years and never had a problem crossing, biggest "issue" was the half joking question on the white pass train from US CBP of "where's your passport?" to which I said "Enhanced Driver's License" to which CBP said "Ah... <~5 second pause as he scanned the document> most of them put the flag near the top." (NYS has the flag bottom right) as he handed it back to me.

[Pierlesscruisers]

I have a current passport and it is valid until December.

Our cruise is out of Vancouver July 22. I have spoke with Canada's custom agent and she said passport only has to be valid date of entry. Canada's website states the same. With Princess I have read that 6 months validity could be required. I spoken with agent at Princess and she does not think it will be an issue but I'm still unsettled. I have entered all my cruise info and was able to print by boarding pass and luggage tags. Does anyone know or had any experience with this issue. Thanks for any help

 

As Fishywood quoted in Post #5 above, you're good to go traveling on an Alaska cruise with a passport that is good through the end of your cruise. The software that is used to check you in puts an alert on the screen if your passport expires within 180 or 190 days of the date of your check-in, so the person checking you in may ask you if you are aware that your passport expires within 180 or 190 days, whichever is applicable, but that will be the extent of it.

 

Tom

[blizzard44ca]

A couple of years ago now, but checked in (in Vancouver) for an Alaska cruise with less than 6 months validly. The agent said that they are supposed to point it out, but it was no problem to travel. (I was planning to renew upon my return as I had no further immediate plans to cross the border)

 

My experience was no problem for a US/Canada (Alaska) cruise.