Passport expiration recommendations

[thinfool]

10 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Well, you know, if the OP had actually taken the time to tell us just what cruise and destinations he was talking about, we wouldn't get into these side tangents that you apparently dislike.

 

Instead, we got generalities.  Which leads to general responses.

The OP stated June 2019, Western Caribbean, Celebrity.

[thinfool]

9 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

 Caribbean nations that enforce the six-month validity rule are Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Panama (where the passport must be valid three months beyond arrival).

Except that all are also party to the WHTI and no passport is required for US citizens who are cruise passengers doing a normal port stop, otherwise known as 'in transit' visitors.

The basic ID requirements apply to US citizens...that means a valid birth certificate and govt issued photo ID.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

1 hour ago, thinfool said:

Except that all are also party to the WHTI and no passport is required for US citizens who are cruise passengers doing a normal port stop, otherwise known as 'in transit' visitors.

The basic ID requirements apply to US citizens...that means a valid birth certificate and govt issued photo ID.

 

And here in lies the heart of the passport issue .  US Citizens do not respect the importance of a passport and the impact it has on visiting foreign nations.  I’d even say it’s a little arrogant.

 

You are a visitor to these countries and we should not hold them hostage that we have rights because we have money that they desperately need.  

 

Ive seen all sorts of posts about not needing passports or letting them expire.  People should hold passports a little more sacred and take care of them as such.  

[K32682]

40 minutes ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

 

And here in lies the heart of the passport issue .  US Citizens do not respect the importance of a passport and the impact it has on visiting foreign nations.  I’d even say it’s a little arrogant.

 

You are a visitor to these countries and we should not hold them hostage that we have rights because we have money that they desperately need.  

 

Ive seen all sorts of posts about not needing passports or letting them expire.  People should hold passports a little more sacred and take care of them as such.  

U.S. citizens it would seem also don't realize that should plans go awry such as a medical emergency, a need to fly home early or missing the boat they risk spending days in a foreign land without the correct documents to get home. 

 

Why go through all of the contortions?  Get a passport.  In Canada we can renew them in the final year of validity and mine gets renewed well before the final 6 months.  

[Luckiestmanonearth]

35 minutes ago, K32682 said:

U.S. citizens it would seem also don't realize that should plans go awry such as a medical emergency, a need to fly home early or missing the boat they risk spending days in a foreign land without the correct documents to get home. 

 

Why go through all of the contortions?  Get a passport.  In Canada we can renew them in the final year of validity and mine gets renewed well before the final 6 months.  

 

Thank you.  Completely agree

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Anything could change, but likely won't. The islands in the Caribbean rely too heavily on tax dollars to rock the boat and the final regulations are final and will remain the same unless something happens to change the DHS determination that a US citizen on a closed loop cruise presents a low risk to the national security.

 

OP, the recommendation to have 6 months validity on your passport is generally just that- a recommendation. If you are on a closed loop cruise, you aren't going to Cuba, you aren't sailing on a premium line and you are a US citizen there is no requirement to have 6 months remaining on your passport on the day that you leave your final port. 

Given the current situation in Venezuela, keep an eye on Trinidad.

[akcruz]

2 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

 

And here in lies the heart of the passport issue .  US Citizens do not respect the importance of a passport and the impact it has on visiting foreign nations.  I’d even say it’s a little arrogant.

 

You are a visitor to these countries and we should not hold them hostage that we have rights because we have money that they desperately need.  

 

Ive seen all sorts of posts about not needing passports or letting them expire.  People should hold passports a little more sacred and take care of them as such.  

 

Agree, have had a US passport since I was in my teens.  My kids had passports for their first cruise when they were young.  They are in their 20s now and continue to keep a valid passport.  The only reason we cut our last trip so close was it was a great last minute deal, cruise in Jan, passports expired in March without issue checking in. As soon  as back sent our passports in for renewal.

[lenquixote66]

15 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

What is?

My local post office people told me that a passport could only be renewed by mail.

I responded to the person who said they did it at a post office.

[FlyerTalker]

3 hours ago, thinfool said:

The OP stated June 2019, Western Caribbean, Celebrity.

 

Sorry...I guess that the words in the OP that said "Caribbean" somehow got censored out when I read the post.

 

Even if it had been there, I have no clue as to what a "Western Caribbean" itinerary would entail.  Or to be an expert of every single itinerary that Celebrity offers.  But somehow, we're supposed to divine exactly what countries this means.

 

You're a better mind-reader than I am, Charlie Brown.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

13 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

 Caribbean nations that enforce the six-month validity rule are Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, St. Barthelemy, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Panama (where the passport must be valid three months beyond arrival).

does Roatan, Honduras, count, because that's were we were in December?

Oh, and on our failed November cruise on Jade we were also traveling to St Lucia, and DS's passport was expiring a month later, and yet, once again, that wasn't a problem.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, K32682 said:

U.S. citizens it would seem also don't realize that should plans go awry such as a medical emergency, a need to fly home early or missing the boat they risk spending days in a foreign land without the correct documents to get home.  In Canada we can renew them in the final year of validity and mine gets renewed well before the final 6 months.  

nobody in this thread is trying to convince them not to renew the passport or travel without it. The original question was - does it have to have 6 months left? No, for this particular trip it doesn't.

 

And last time I checked Canada was a separate country with different laws.

Edited February 3, 2019 by Itchy&Scratchy

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

My local post office people told me that a passport could only be renewed by mail.

I responded to the person who said they did it at a post office.

Depends on the USPS branch office. Some are designated as passport acceptance stations (of course, they still go somewhere else for processing).

[lenquixote66]

Tomorrow I am going to the municipal building in my county to hopefully straighten out my problem.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

21 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

My local post office people told me that a passport could only be renewed by mail.

I responded to the person who said they did it at a post office.

that's incorrect. There are cases when you cannot renew by mail at all.

And you definitely cannot renew by mail for a minor, because both parents must be present at the time of application to express their permission for a minor's passport, or one parent must have a notarized permission from the other parent.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

11 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

nobody in this thread is trying to convince them not to renew the passport or travel without it. The original question was - does it have to have 6 months left? No, for this particular trip it doesn't.

 

And last time I checked Canada was a separate country with different laws.

 

1. It does not but it should never get to that point that a passport is less than 6 months away from expiry if people took their passports more seriously

2. The arrogance is that people think it’s their own countries laws that dictate what you should do about passport entry to other countries.  It’s actually the country you are entering that will define if they will let you in.  And they will treat US citizens the same way as Canadians 

[Flatbush Flyer]

33 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

Tomorrow I am going to the municipal building in my county to hopefully straighten out my problem.

"Municipal" generally refers to local (town/city/county) government. Perhaps you mean a regional federal passport office. Even then, you'd need an appointment (though, with proof of international departure within a few days, it is possible to get in "now").

[lenquixote66]

34 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

"Municipal" generally refers to local (town/city/county) government. Perhaps you mean a regional federal passport office. Even then, you'd need an appointment (though, with proof of international departure within a few days, it is possible to get in "now").

The last time I renewed my passport I did it at the county office.I am going there tomorrow because my passport was returned to me stating that the picture is not the correct size.I am going there to see if they can take my picture.I initially had a photo taken at a designated office but because of a disabilty I could not sit down and it was taken standing up.I hope they can help me in this matter .

[Flatbush Flyer]

39 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

The last time I renewed my passport I did it at the county office.I am going there tomorrow because my passport was returned to me stating that the picture is not the correct size.I am going there to see if they can take my picture.I initially had a photo taken at a designated office but because of a disabilty I could not sit down and it was taken standing up.I hope they can help me in this matter .

In the worst case scenario, you can take your own photo and correctly size it with a tool available on the US State Dept. website. 

Good luck.

[Shmoo here]

3 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

My local post office people told me that a passport could only be renewed by mail.

I responded to the person who said they did it at a post office.

For adults the passport must be renewed by mail.  

 

Children's passports can only be issued, not renewed, requiring a personal visit to a passport processing facility.

[sparks1093]

4 hours ago, K32682 said:

U.S. citizens it would seem also don't realize that should plans go awry such as a medical emergency, a need to fly home early or missing the boat they risk spending days in a foreign land without the correct documents to get home. 

 

Why go through all of the contortions?  Get a passport.  In Canada we can renew them in the final year of validity and mine gets renewed well before the final 6 months.  

If they are comfortable with the low risk (for most) then traveling without a passport is a legitimate choice. If one doesn't have any immediate needs or plans to travel by international air and can only travel on closed loop cruises once every year or so buying a passport is an extra expense. 

[sparks1093]

5 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

 

And here in lies the heart of the passport issue .  US Citizens do not respect the importance of a passport and the impact it has on visiting foreign nations.  I’d even say it’s a little arrogant.

 

You are a visitor to these countries and we should not hold them hostage that we have rights because we have money that they desperately need.  

 

Ive seen all sorts of posts about not needing passports or letting them expire.  People should hold passports a little more sacred and take care of them as such.  

A passport is a tool like any other and if something else is available then why not use it? I didn't need a passport for any of my travel until 2015. Up until then my travel was all done through one of the recognized exceptions (and yes, it included traveling to Europe as a member of the military). 

[FlyerTalker]

4 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

2. The arrogance is that people think it’s their own countries laws that dictate what you should do about passport entry to other countries.  It’s actually the country you are entering that will define if they will let you in.  And they will treat US citizens the same way as Canadians 

 

Absolutely and completely incorrect.  Each country establishes its own laws and regulations regarding immigration, and those laws and regulations often make distinctions between citizens of various countries.  There is no blanket lumping of US and Canadian citizens.

 

Now, there are a number of countries that have the same regulations regarding US and Canadian citizens.  But that's a function of coincidence, not of linkage.  And a number that have different regulations.  By design.

[K32682]

4 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

2. The arrogance is that people think it’s their own countries laws that dictate what you should do about passport entry to other countries.  It’s actually the country you are entering that will define if they will let you in.  And they will treat US citizens the same way as Canadians 

Non entirely correct particularly when it comes to Cuba and any of the U.S. possessions in the Caribbean. 

[SRF]

10 hours ago, thinfool said:

Except that all are also party to the WHTI and no passport is required for US citizens who are cruise passengers doing a normal port stop, otherwise known as 'in transit' visitors.

The basic ID requirements apply to US citizens...that means a valid birth certificate and govt issued photo ID.

 

But some cruise lines require a passport with 6 months validity, no matter what the actual regulation/laws are.

[SRF]

1 hour ago, K32682 said:

Non entirely correct particularly when it comes to Cuba and any of the U.S. possessions in the Caribbean. 

 

????
 

CUBA sets the requirements for entry into Cuba.

 

And the US possessions are US, so entry retirement are set by the US, which may also be the home country of most cruisers in the Caribbean.