Passport

[Hawaiidan]

On 2/24/2019 at 7:12 AM, snooze like a norwegian said:

since this is a for dummies thread......

Do we need a passport to cruise to Alaska?  Seattle r/t  US citizen

 to add    that later this year  you will need a passport or a special government issued ID to even fly in the US..anywhere

States are hurrying to issue new compliant ID's  that will meet the standard...  Older  issue like last year, will  not work in the coming year

[Hawaiidan]

19 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

They will be allowed to get off.

 

By the end of this year.... neither will work

[Hawaiidan]

22 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

They won't require a passport on a western hemisphere closed loop cruise unless there is a country that requires a passport. For instance Cuba. The reason why birth certificates and drivers licenses are permitted on closed loop cruises under the WHTI is that the cruise lines lobbied heavily for this provision since many Americans don't have passports, and the cruise lines feared losing business if passports are required. So the cruise lines is not going to require a passport if the CBP does not. 

By the end of this year....you will need a passport for ALL travel even in the USA     or  have a special new government ID that are being issued right now...  Your old driver licence and  birth cert  will NO LONGER BE acceptable ANYWHERE IN A FEW MONTHS !!!!!!!....FORGET THE CRUISE...YOU WONT EVEN BE ABLE TO GET ON A AIRPLANE, EVEN IN THE USA... FOR TRAVEL IN THE USA !!!!

GET A PASSPORT....NOW.

Edited April 14, 2019 by Hawaiidan

[Charles4515]

19 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

By the end of this year....you will need a passport for ALL travel even in the USA     or  have a special new government ID that are being issued right now...  Your old driver licence and  birth cert  will NO LONGER BE acceptable ANYWHERE IN A FEW MONTHS !!!!!!!....FORGET THE CRUISE...YOU WONT EVEN BE ABLE TO GET ON A AIRPLANE, EVEN IN THE USA... FOR TRAVEL IN THE USA !!!!

GET A PASSPORT....NOW.

 

Stop spreading misinformation. The date for TSA approved identification to fly is October 1, 2020 not the end of this year.  Drivers licenses that are Real ID complient for flying have been issued in some states for several yeras and other states are issuing them now. My DL issued in 2017 had the the Real ID Star.  Some people may not have a complient DL by October 2020, then they can use  a passport, passport card, Enhanced DL, Global Entry Card. When licences are renewed they can get a Real ID license if they don't already have one.  You don't need a passport for travel in the US after October 2020, only TSA approved ID. 

[Charles4515]

38 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

By the end of this year.... neither will work

 

Wrong. 

[Hawaiidan]

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Stop spreading misinformation. The date for TSA approved identification to fly is October 1, 2020 not the end of this year.  Drivers licenses that are Real ID complient for flying have been issued in some states for several yeras and other states are issuing them now. My DL issued in 2017 had the the Real ID Star.  Some people may not have a complient DL by October 2020, then they can use  a passport, passport card, Enhanced DL, Global Entry Card. When licences are renewed they can get a Real ID license if they don't already have one.  You don't need a passport for travel in the US after October 2020, only TSA approved ID. 

Your right....my error  I am 17 months off

With all the problems here in CA I thought it was this year..   But  the TSA ID  is  the  new state issued REAL-ID, one   current drivers licences  except for about 4-5  of the 50 states will not work.   

California does not  most do not... and is only 4 months into issuing  the new ones.   It takes months to get because the DMV is overloaded and you can get a passport faster.    People trying for the Real ID are having them denied and require more documents  3 million folks as of today...     Since many have licences issued for 3 to 5 years,   a person may not look back at the date he will renew..    It might be 2021  2022  2023 !        Still a passport would be the best insurance, as it is a 10 year document

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

Your right....my error  I am 17 months off

With all the problems here in CA I thought it was this year..   But  the TSA ID  is  the  new state issued REAL-ID, one   current drivers licences  except for about 4-5  of the 50 states will not work.   

California does not  most do not... and is only 4 months into issuing  the new ones.   It takes months to get because the DMV is overloaded and you can get a passport faster.    People trying for the Real ID are having them denied and require more documents  3 million folks as of today...     Since many have licences issued for 3 to 5 years,   a person may not look back at the date he will renew..    It might be 2021  2022  2023 !        Still a passport would be the best insurance, as it is a 10 year document

 

No doubt it is going to be a shock to some domestic air travelers if the deadline is not extended again. There will be a lot of confusion after the deadline as some states are making the Real ID licenses optional. And charging an extra fee which some will decline to pay. In Maryland only non US citizens can get a Drivers License that is not a Real ID when they renew which makes more sense to me. Can easily forsee people showing up at the airport after the deadline for flights without a clue.

 

None is saying people should not get a passport. Some are confused by the 6 months recommendation which is a good general recommendation as there are countries where that does apply. Since they did not keep track of their expiration date, forgetting dates is not uncommon,  we are reassuring those who have been asking about Alaskan and Caribbean cruises that their passport does not have to have 6 months left.

 

As far as using a Birth Certificate and DL which is allowed on closed loop cruises from US ports, I think chosing to use those as documents instead of getting a passport is a very poor choice, but we can't deny that it is allowed. A passport is the best document to have on any cruise.

Edited April 14, 2019 by Charles4515

[richwmn]

There are two different considerations here. The first is Real ID. The following states are compliant:

 

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• DC
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Puerto Rico
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

From the TSA -

For now, your state driver's license is still fine as an ID when you fly. ... By October 1, 2020, every air traveler will need a REAL ID-compliant license (or another acceptable form of ID such as a passport) for domestic air travel.

 

Then there is the Enhanced Drivers License, currently offered to U.S. citizens who reside in the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington. Enhanced driver's licenses are available to Canadian citizens residing in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and formerly Quebec.

 

Enhanced Drivers Licenses can be used like a passport card to travel between the US, Canada, and Mexico

 

[slimknyzer]

According to our PCC, friends traveling with us RT Seattle to Alaska who do not have a Passport will be allowed boarding with a valid DL and a Birth Certificate.  They may however, be denied to get off the ship in Victoria during the last stop of the cruise.  I sure hope this is correct info.

[Fouremco]

18 minutes ago, slimknyzer said:

According to our PCC, friends traveling with us RT Seattle to Alaska who do not have a Passport will be allowed boarding with a valid DL and a Birth Certificate.  They may however, be denied to get off the ship in Victoria during the last stop of the cruise.  I sure hope this is correct info.

They either have the necessary documentation to go ashore or they won't be allowed to embark for the cruise. The entry requirements for Canada (or any other country) don't kick in at the end of the ship's gangplank, but when entering Canadian waters. Simply staying aboard isn't an option.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I'm confused about Canada's requirements. If I take the White Pass and Yukon train and it crosses the border, I need a passport, even though I'm on an organized tour and will be in Canada for a short time. A few years ago when I took that tour, a VERY serious RCMP came onboard and we had to hold up our passports for him to see.  So a train crossing requires a passport. 

 

Does entry via cruise ship not require a passport? 

[Fouremco]

17 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I'm confused about Canada's requirements. If I take the White Pass and Yukon train and it crosses the border, I need a passport, even though I'm on an organized tour and will be in Canada for a short time. A few years ago when I took that tour, a VERY serious RCMP came onboard and we had to hold up our passports for him to see.  So a train crossing requires a passport. 

 

Does entry via cruise ship not require a passport? 

As far as I know, there has never been a requirement for US citizens to produce a passport for entry to Canada, whatever the mode of transportation. Things have tightened up over the past decade or so for cross-border travel in either direction, and by citizens of either country, but even today, there are approved alternatives to a passport.

 

As for your Mountie, I'm not aware of the RCMP performing the duties of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in the YUKON, where CBSA has personnel at the border. It would be similar to having the FBI performing the duties of the US CBP on the opposite side of the border. The fact that he also wanted to see passports just adds to my head scratching.

[*Miss G*]

5 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

there has never been a requirement for US citizens to produce a passport for entry to Canada

 

Until they implemented the mandatory requirement for flying... around about 2006.

Edited April 15, 2019 by *Miss G*

[3rdGenCunarder]

33 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

As far as I know, there has never been a requirement for US citizens to produce a passport for entry to Canada, whatever the mode of transportation. Things have tightened up over the past decade or so for cross-border travel in either direction, and by citizens of either country, but even today, there are approved alternatives to a passport.

 

As for your Mountie, I'm not aware of the RCMP performing the duties of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in the YUKON, where CBSA has personnel at the border. It would be similar to having the FBI performing the duties of the US CBP on the opposite side of the border. The fact that he also wanted to see passports just adds to my head scratching.

 

Maybe it wasn't a Mountie, but I remember thinking that he wasn't as friendly as Fraser ( from Due South). The train didn't go very far into Canada, but we did get off the train and onto a bus to go back down into Skagway. We were in Canada for about 15 minutes. 

 

Here is the description of requirements from Cunard's website for an excursion that takes the train into Canada for my cruise this June. 

This excursion is operated by coach and train. Since this tour enters Canada, all guests must carry a passport or other WHTI compliant document. For U.S. citizens these documents include: U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card, Enhanced Driver's License, Trusted Traveler Card and Military ID Card (for U.S. armed forces members on official orders). 

 

So I guess passports weren't the only option, but that's what everyone had in our car, so it went quickly.

 

Edited to add: I just looked at the White Pass & Yukon website, and for excursions that go into Canada, they say only "Passport required."

Edited April 15, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Fouremco]

27 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Until they implemented the mandatory requirement for flying... around about 2006.

Maybe there was a period prior to the introduction of NEXUS when a passport was the only acceptable document. As I’ve always flown internationally with my passport, I might have missed that short period of time when they were mandatory.

[Fouremco]

23 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Maybe it wasn't a Mountie, but I remember thinking that he wasn't as friendly as Fraser ( from Due South). The train didn't go very far into Canada, but we did get off the train and onto a bus to go back down into Skagway. We were in Canada for about 15 minutes. 

 

Here is the description of requirements from Cunard's website for an excursion that takes the train into Canada for my cruise this June. 

This excursion is operated by coach and train. Since this tour enters Canada, all guests must carry a passport or other WHTI compliant document. For U.S. citizens these documents include: U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card, Enhanced Driver's License, Trusted Traveler Card and Military ID Card (for U.S. armed forces members on official orders). 

 

So I guess passports weren't the only option, but that's what everyone had in our car, so it went quickly.

Others reading this thread would be well advised to read your Cunard citation. There is a lot of misinformation in the thread, but Cunard has it right.

 

Maybe the Mountie was just checking passports looking for his Rose Marie! 😍

[Charles4515]

Others reading this thread would be well advised to read your Cunard citation. There is a lot of misinformation in the thread, but Cunard has it right.   Maybe the Mountie was just checking passports looking for his Rose Marie! [emoji7] 

 

 

 If you take a closed loop cruise you can get off at Victoria if you are using a birth certificate and DL as your documents. You can’t cross the border at Skagway into Canada with a birth certificate and DL by train or bus. For the train or bus you can use a passport or other WHTI document but not a birth certificate and DL as your documents. A birth certificate and DL is not good for a land border crossing.  

 

So if you are on a closed loop cruise from Seattle you can use a birth certificate and DL as your documents and get off at Victoria. You can’t take the White Pass excursions into Canada from the Skagway, Alaska port with the Birth Certificate and DL as documents.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

 

[jakkojakko]

Being a non american, I really cannot understand why some would continue to want to use anything other than a passport. It covers all situations and costs only a fraction of a cruise fare. Valid for 10 years, it would amount to something like 13 dollars, or a few beers, per year.

I wouldn't hesitate to get a passport asap.

The same thing concerning the 6 months validity. Why take the chance of things going awry. Renew prior to that 6 month period and all is well. 6 months would be 7 dollars in monetary value and thats a no brainer.

 

Happy holidays to all.

[Charles4515]

 

The same thing concerning the 6 months validity. Why take the chance of things going awry. Renew prior to that 6 month period and all is well. 6 months would be 7 dollars in monetary value and thats a no brainer.

 

 

A six months validity is not required for Alaska or Caribbean cruises out of US ports. That is a fact. So it is not a no brainer if someone did not get it renewed and it does not have six months validity but it is has not expired and will be valid when they return to the US. They have no reason to panic.

 

Anxiety though is natural for any international travel as passport and visa requirements are not standard throughout the world. And they are changing all the time. Definitely asking questions and doing research is in order for any itinerary and destination.

[slimknyzer]

17 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I'm confused about Canada's requirements. If I take the White Pass and Yukon train and it crosses the border, I need a passport, even though I'm on an organized tour and will be in Canada for a short time. A few years ago when I took that tour, a VERY serious RCMP came onboard and we had to hold up our passports for him to see.  So a train crossing requires a passport. 

 

Does entry via cruise ship not require a passport? 

I spoke with two PCC's today.  They both said a DL and BC WILL get you onboard at embarkation.  Not arguing, but just saying what they said.  

[myjillian]

On 2/24/2019 at 11:11 AM, snooze like a norwegian said:

Thanks!  I have a passport, but just looked at it....  expires April 2019   I'm cruising to alaska May 5, 2019   

 

Well, that won't work...better send it off ASAP you will have to pay extra to get it faster and have to go in person because of the expiration date.

[OhioLair]

Soon the Department of homeland Security will require ALL travelers to carry their passports, regardless of destination.  Even if we are just taking the train from DC to CLE we take our passports.  It's the new(ish) normal.  Like our friends from Europe, why would you want to travel anywhere without one?  Get a passport, they are not expensive and are required to go most everywhere outside of the US.  

Edited April 15, 2019 by OhioLair

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, slimknyzer said:

I spoke with two PCC's today.  They both said a DL and BC WILL get you onboard at embarkation.  Not arguing, but just saying what they said.  

We are taking a shore excursion in July from Skagway that crosses over into Canada and the tour very clearly says a valid Passport is required to take this tour to enter Canada. Since this will be on a motor coach it comes under different rules than getting on the cruise ship.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, OhioLair said:

Soon the Department of homeland Security will require ALL travelers to carry their passports, regardless of destination.  Even if we are just taking the train from DC to CLE we take our passports.  It's the new(ish) normal.  Like our friends from Europe, why would you want to travel anywhere without one?  Get a passport, they are not expensive and are required to go most everywhere outside of the US.  

 

Has Amtrak asked you for ID? I know the website says to be prepared to show ID, but it's years since I've had to show anything more than my ticket, even on the train NY to FL, and a photo driver license was enough to satisfy the conductor. 

 

Edited April 15, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[ontheweb]

44 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We are taking a shore excursion in July from Skagway that crosses over into Canada and the tour very clearly says a valid Passport is required to take this tour to enter Canada. Since this will be on a motor coach it comes under different rules than getting on the cruise ship.

If it's the same tour we did years ago (actually through Princess), it is an excellent tour.