What documentation is required for someone with a US permanent resident card?

[whatcruiseisnext]

Over the Thanksgiving holiday one of our daughters was telling us that her and hubby booked a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise  next fall in the Sky Princess. ( we got them started on rising and they are now hooked as well!)

 

She further went on to tell us that one of her friends also booked. This friend is a permanent resident of the USA.  She is from Laos and has been in US since she was 4 years old. She does not have a passport from anywhete. Daughter said they called Princess and were told she needed only her Permanent resident card and that she’d need to call the consulate of each country they were visiting to see if she could get off ship on that country (Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman and Mexico). This doesn’t seem right to me.  Any documentation that I could find online says Permanent resident card AND a passport from the country where from. Closed loop cruises which require only a birth certificate and drivers license are for US and Canadian citizens only.  

 

Anyone have ave any thoughts on this that I could pass on?

 

thanks!

 

 

[Haboob]

29 minutes ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

Over the Thanksgiving holiday one of our daughters was telling us that her and hubby booked a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise  next fall in the Sky Princess. ( we got them started on rising and they are now hooked as well!)

 

She further went on to tell us that one of her friends also booked. This friend is a permanent resident of the USA.  She is from Laos and has been in US since she was 4 years old. She does not have a passport from anywhete. Daughter said they called Princess and were told she needed only her Permanent resident card and that she’d need to call the consulate of each country they were visiting to see if she could get off ship on that country (Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman and Mexico). This doesn’t seem right to me.  Any documentation that I could find online says Permanent resident card AND a passport from the country where from. Closed loop cruises which require only a birth certificate and drivers license are for US and Canadian citizens only.  

 

Anyone have ave any thoughts on this that I could pass on?

 

thanks!

 

 

 

Sorry, but you're talking piles of fare money and multi-country legalities.  IANAL applies here -- in spades! 

 

Whatever else (like spending lawyer-money), get it in writing, including from Princess.

[Colo Cruiser]

Don't think the info from Cruise Critic will supersede Princess info. 

 

 

[fishywood]

55 minutes ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

 Any documentation that I could find online says Permanent resident card AND a passport from the country where from. Closed loop cruises which require only a birth certificate and drivers license are for US and Canadian citizens only.  

 

 

Did you look at the FAQs on the Princess web site?

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp (click on 'Travel Document Requirements')

 

US Permanent Residents are required to present one of the following at cruise check-in:

• Permanent Resident Card (ARC/I-55 card)
• Temporary ARC/I-55 card and valid government-issued photo identification
• Expired ARC/I-55 card and form I-797 and valid government-issued photo identification
• Passport with “ARC” stamp in the passport

Passport is mandatory for US Green Card holders only on the same cruises it is mandatory for US and Canadian citizens (non-domestic and/or non-closed loop). But as they have no passport at all it becomes their responsibility to ascertain whether any of the sovereign nations the ship calls at requires said passport for citizens of Laos. Thus info given from phone rep is more or less accurate.

[skynight]

1 hour ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

Over the Thanksgiving holiday one of our daughters was telling us that her and hubby booked a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise  next fall in the Sky Princess. ( we got them started on rising and they are now hooked as well!)

 

She further went on to tell us that one of her friends also booked. This friend is a permanent resident of the USA.  She is from Laos and has been in US since she was 4 years old. She does not have a passport from anywhete. Daughter said they called Princess and were told she needed only her Permanent resident card and that she’d need to call the consulate of each country they were visiting to see if she could get off ship on that country (Belize, Honduras, Grand Cayman and Mexico). This doesn’t seem right to me.  Any documentation that I could find online says Permanent resident card AND a passport from the country where from. Closed loop cruises which require only a birth certificate and drivers license are for US and Canadian citizens only.  

 

Anyone have ave any thoughts on this that I could pass on?

 

thanks!

 

 

It seems to me that the friend has to obtain a Laos passport from the Laos Consulate here in the U.S..  I don't believe she can obtain a U.S. passport since she is not a naturalized U.S. citizen. I also believe the the closed loop rules WHTI, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, do not apply to her, see below. She also has to check with each country she is visiting to make sure she has proper documentation to enter the country, visas. As far as I know you can not avoid the proper documentation by just staying on the ship. I would start working on this by getting her Laos passport. I believe you are correct that when she returns to the U.S. she will require her Laos passport and her permanent resident card.

Some WHTI information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. One other point, should she have to fly back to the U.S. in an emergency she will require a passport.

• U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.

Edited November 26, 2018 by skynight

[whatcruiseisnext]

2 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Don't think the info from Cruise Critic will supersede Princess info. 

 

 

Oh come on.... we all know the Princess reps who answer the phone usually have no clue about any questions. And you can get a different answer from every rep you talk to. 

[whatcruiseisnext]

Delete

 

 

•  

Edited November 26, 2018 by whatcruiseisnext

[whatcruiseisnext]

2 hours ago, fishywood said:

 

 

Did you look at the FAQs on the Princess web site?

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp (click on 'Travel Document Requirements')

 

US Permanent Residents are required to present one of the following at cruise check-in:

• Permanent Resident Card (ARC/I-55 card)
• Temporary ARC/I-55 card and valid government-issued photo identification
• Expired ARC/I-55 card and form I-797 and valid government-issued photo identification
• Passport with “ARC” stamp in the passport

Passport is mandatory for US Green Card holders only on the same cruises it is mandatory for US and Canadian citizens (non-domestic and/or non-closed loop). But as they have no passport at all it becomes their responsibility to ascertain whether any of the sovereign nations the ship calls at requires said passport for citizens of Laos. Thus info given from phone rep is more or less accurate.

Yes I did. I says that they need their permanent resident card as well as any non US or Canadian citizen being required to have a passport for any itinerary. 

 

Does not say they fall unde the same rules as US or Canadian citizens as you state. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by whatcruiseisnext

[whatcruiseisnext]

2 hours ago, skynight said:

It seems to me that the friend has to obtain a Laos passport from the Laos Consulate here in the U.S..  I don't believe she can obtain a U.S. passport since she is not a naturalized U.S. citizen. I also believe the the closed loop rules WHTI, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, do not apply to her, see below. She also has to check with each country she is visiting to make sure she has proper documentation to enter the country, visas. As far as I know you can not avoid the proper documentation by just staying on the ship. I would start working on this by getting her Laos passport. I believe you are correct that when she returns to the U.S. she will require her Laos passport and her permanent resident card.

Some WHTI information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. One other point, should she have to fly back to the U.S. in an emergency she will require a passport.

• U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.

Your thoughts are exactly as I’m thinking.  My concern is her being denied boarding with no refund and all of them being upset at Princess because some random rep gave them wrong info. 

Edited November 26, 2018 by whatcruiseisnext

[fishywood]

21 minutes ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

Yes I did. I says that they need their permanent resident card as well as any non US or Canadian citizen being required to have a passport for any itinerary. 

 

Does not say they fall unde the same rules as US or Canadian citizens as you state. 

If you look at the sequence in which Princess presents the documentation information you see the following:

 

1. US and Canadian passport holders may present a WHTI-compatible document in lieu of a passport for closed loop USA cruises;
2. US citizens may present a combination of birth certificate and Government issued picture ID for closed loop cruises if they have no passport;
3. US Permanent Residents must present one of the documents listed in this section (passport not being on the list);
4. Canadian Permanent Residents must present both passport and Landed Permanent Resident Card.

Thus my conclusion that US Permanent Residents should not be denied boarding without a passport assuming they have one of the four listed documents in hand based on the logic of the sequence above (which the phone rep they spoke with appeared to rely on as well). I don't see any implication that the information from the third and fourth sections (as labelled by me) is considered "in addition to" any other documentation--at least not based on how Princess has structured the presentation of that section of their FAQs.

 

...but yes, the very next line contradicts all of the above:

 

Non-US/Non-Canadian Passport Holders: A valid passport is required for all non-US and non-Canadian citizens for all itineraries.

 

Leaving us with no more answer than we started with.

Edited November 26, 2018 by fishywood

[Colo Cruiser]

1 hour ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

Oh come on.... we all know the Princess reps who answer the phone usually have no clue about any questions. And you can get a different answer from every rep you talk to. 

True but you are willing to play Russian Roulette with your daughters friends booking based on answers from Cruise Critic.

What ever floats yer boat I guess.

Good luck.

[weedpindle]

Don't ask questions of a legal nature on CC, you will get exactly what you pay for. If you follow bad advice, don't whine about what happens.

[EV2008]

She will need a passport from her birth country and her green card, I used to be a green card holder and always needed my passport from my birth country

[skynight]

2 hours ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

Your thoughts are exactly as I’m thinking.  My concern is her being denied boarding with no refund and all of them being upset at Princess because some random rep gave them wrong info. 

Get the passport and any required visas. It can't be that difficult. Start now. With these documents and her green card she is set for the cruise, and will be able to fly back to the U.S. if there is an emergency.

[1Gizmo]

Its a tid-bit off the the question but, if this young lady has been in the US since she was 4 years old has she considered becoming a US citizen? She wouldn't be allow to get on a plane to go back to Laos with out a passport from there. 

 

[OR_Cowboy_1952]

This is a complex question.  The issue is several fronts.  Even though she had USA Permanent Resident Status (Green Card) she does not have a passport and may not get a Laotian passport because she left the country at a young age.  

1. She should talk with the Loatian consulate to see if she can get a passport.

2. Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico all require Laotians to have VISAs to visit their counties.  She will need a passport to obtain these VISAs.  (I could not find information about Grand Cayman.

3. The “circular cruise” passport exception only applies to U.S. Citizens.

4. Has she even flown internationally?  Typically any citizen of a foreign country must present a passport even if they have a green card when entering the USA.  There may be some exception for Laotians who entered the country as refugees.  Does she have other paperwork?  She should speak with CBP personnel to get clarification.

[whatcruiseisnext]

On 11/26/2018 at 1:05 PM, fishywood said:

If you look at the sequence in which Princess presents the documentation information you see the following:

 

1. US and Canadian passport holders may present a WHTI-compatible document in lieu of a passport for closed loop USA cruises;
2. US citizens may present a combination of birth certificate and Government issued picture ID for closed loop cruises if they have no passport;
3. US Permanent Residents must present one of the documents listed in this section (passport not being on the list);
4. Canadian Permanent Residents must present both passport and Landed Permanent Resident Card.

Thus my conclusion that US Permanent Residents should not be denied boarding without a passport assuming they have one of the four listed documents in hand based on the logic of the sequence above (which the phone rep they spoke with appeared to rely on as well). I don't see any implication that the information from the third and fourth sections (as labelled by me) is considered "in addition to" any other documentation--at least not based on how Princess has structured the presentation of that section of their FAQs.

 

...but yes, the very next line contradicts all of the above:

 

Non-US/Non-Canadian Passport Holders: A valid passport is required for all non-US and non-Canadian citizens for all itineraries.

 

Leaving us with no more answer than we started with.

 

Exactly!

[whatcruiseisnext]

On 11/26/2018 at 2:33 PM, Colo Cruiser said:

True but you are willing to play Russian Roulette with your daughters friends booking based on answers from Cruise Critic.

What ever floats yer boat I guess.

Good luck.

 

Me play Russian Roulette? I was only asking the question because it didn’t seem to me that a US Permanent Resident could board a cruise ship with less documentation than a US or Canadian citizen.  (meaning on a closed loop cruise US or Canadian citizens can board with a birth certificate and government issued photo ID.) My daughter is saying the Princess Rep told her that she only needed  

permanent ID card... nothing else. I am not sure if the friend even asked Princess... honestly. 

 

I was only only trying to help facilitate a seamless embarkation so there are no disappointments.  I am concerned for my daughters feelings and the possibility of her friend being denied boarding. My daughter is an adult... well into her 40’s. 

Excuse me for trying to be a helpful mom and provide additional information that may convince her friend to pursue the matter further before just showing up in Port Everglades. 

[whatcruiseisnext]

On 11/26/2018 at 3:24 PM, weedpindle said:

Don't ask questions of a legal nature on CC, you will get exactly what you pay for. If you follow bad advice, don't whine about what happens.

 

Just trying to be a good mom and provide additional information to encourage my daughter to convince her friend to check into things further before just assuming she only needed Permanent ID card and nothing else. The info on Princess website contradicts itself. 

 

I certainly won’t whine as to what happens in the end. I have never met this friend of my daughters.  Only trying to help but it’s no skin off my teeth if she doesn’t have proper documentation and gets denied boarding. 

[whatcruiseisnext]

On 11/26/2018 at 4:14 PM, 1Gizmo said:

Its a tid-bit off the the question but, if this young lady has been in the US since she was 4 years old has she considered becoming a US citizen? She wouldn't be allow to get on a plane to go back to Laos with out a passport from there. 

 

 

I don’t know. I’ve never met this friend and don’t know if she has considered becoming a citizen or not. 

[whatcruiseisnext]

23 hours ago, OR_Cowboy_1952 said:

This is a complex question.  The issue is several fronts.  Even though she had USA Permanent Resident Status (Green Card) she does not have a passport and may not get a Laotian passport because she left the country at a young age.  

1. She should talk with the Loatian consulate to see if she can get a passport.

2. Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico all require Laotians to have VISAs to visit their counties.  She will need a passport to obtain these VISAs.  (I could not find information about Grand Cayman.

3. The “circular cruise” passport exception only applies to U.S. Citizens.

4. Has she even flown internationally?  Typically any citizen of a foreign country must present a passport even if they have a green card when entering the USA.  There may be some exception for Laotians who entered the country as refugees.  Does she have other paperwork?  She should speak with CBP personnel to get clarification.

Exactly what I’ve told my daughter to relay to her friend.  I have no idea if she’s ever flown internationally.  I’ve never met her. 

[Colo Cruiser]

57 minutes ago, whatcruiseisnext said:

 

Me play Russian Roulette? I was only asking the question because it didn’t seem to me that a US Permanent Resident could board a cruise ship with less documentation than a US or Canadian citizen.  (meaning on a closed loop cruise US or Canadian citizens can board with a birth certificate and government issued photo ID.) My daughter is saying the Princess Rep told her that she only needed  

permanent ID card... nothing else. I am not sure if the friend even asked Princess... honestly. 

 

I was only only trying to help facilitate a seamless embarkation so there are no disappointments.  I am concerned for my daughters feelings and the possibility of her friend being denied boarding. My daughter is an adult... well into her 40’s. 

Excuse me for trying to be a helpful mom and provide additional information that may convince her friend to pursue the matter further before just showing up in Port Everglades. 

I think the fact of the chance of denied boarding and the loss of hundreds of dollars would be more than enough to convince the friend to pursue the matter further starting with going up the chain at Princess.

This is a discussion board. When you ask a question you get lots of different answers and attitudes.

You have a couple of thousand posters here on CC so its not your first time around the block. 

No need to act naive and huffy about some of the answers you are getting. 

We are here to try and help. But the place you should be going for information is Princess and maybe the US Govt website to sort it out.

[whatcruiseisnext]

 

3 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I think the fact of the chance of denied boarding and the loss of hundreds of dollars would be more than enough to convince the friend to pursue the matter further starting with going up the chain at Princess.

This is a discussion board. When you ask a question you get lots of different answers and attitudes.

You have a couple of thousand posters here on CC so its not your first time around the block. 

No need to act naive and huffy about some of the answers you are getting. 

We are here to try and help. But the place you should be going for information is Princess and maybe the US Govt website to sort it out.

 

Thank you for all your comments! Much appreciated!

[whatcruiseisnext]

Thanks everyone for all your responses. I have relayed all info to my daughter. I really will have no further input into the situation. The cruise is a year away but I will return and let you all know the outcome. Happy cruising to all!

[kingandqueenofcruising8083]

On 11/28/2018 at 12:07 AM, whatcruiseisnext said:

Thanks everyone for all your responses. I have relayed all info to my daughter. I really will have no further input into the situation. The cruise is a year away but I will return and let you all know the outcome. Happy cruising to all!

I am a familiar with this situation so I hope your cruise has not passed yet... My husband is from Haiti, and his passport expired years ago. He does have a green card and due to his dad refusing him certain paper work it's hard to renew his Haitian passport. We have not cruised with Princess but we have cruised with NCL and RCCL. Altogether we have been on 6 cruises and we even cruised to the places you mentioned, he has always been able to use his US Resident card only with no issues at all. Sometimes they ask if you do have a passport too and he simply says not yet, and they don't ask no further questions. One time though we went to Martinique and the ship asked to hold his US resident card until we got back on the ship but that was it. Enjoy your cruise. Hopefully you get this info in time. 

Edited March 5, 2019 by kingandqueenofcruising8083