Green card cruise travel

[csj092809]

Anyone have experience cruising with a permanent resident card and no passport?

[1025cruise]

I believe you still need a passport for the islands being visited.

[dbrucern]

1 hour ago, csj092809 said:

Anyone have experience cruising with a permanent resident card and no passport?

Yes me, 33 cruises with Green Card

[dbrucern]

37 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

I believe you still need a passport for the islands being visited.

You don't if you are cruising and a permanent resident of the US (green card)

[Enggrl]

I travelled with a Green card for years before I became an American Citizen but always carried my passport from my country of origin. I’m not too sure what the rules are though. 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, dbrucern said:

You don't if you are cruising and a permanent resident of the US (green card)

A lot depends on a person's country of origin and whether or not visitors from that country require a passport to visit a particular port. 

[Lane Hog]

I've never seen border control at a port of call (Caribbean/Mexico).  Only Ship Security checking your cards off and on the ship.  Maybe they know who can/can't disembark.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Lane Hog

[chengkp75]

You will not see immigrations at ports of call, they come aboard, typically with the pilot or the first up the gangway, and check the passenger manifest, which has all the passenger and crew documentation (citizenship, residency, etc) on it, and clear the ship that way.  If you are allowed on the ship at embarkation, you should be cleared to go ashore in any country, as remaining on the ship in a port of call has no bearing as to whether a passenger has entered the country or not, they have.

 

A US Green Card is sufficient for Resident Aliens to re-enter the US, but a Green Card is not a WHTI approved document (actually, the WHTI does not apply to non-US or Canadian citizens, even with a Green Card), so any cruise line that allows a passenger to board using simply a Green Card, without at least entering a passport number from their home country at booking, is looking at serious fines.

[csj092809]

Thanks! Hopefully my friend's passport gets back before we cruise, but good to know the resident card will work okay!

[dbrucern]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

You will not see immigrations at ports of call, they come aboard, typically with the pilot or the first up the gangway, and check the passenger manifest, which has all the passenger and crew documentation (citizenship, residency, etc) on it, and clear the ship that way.  If you are allowed on the ship at embarkation, you should be cleared to go ashore in any country, as remaining on the ship in a port of call has no bearing as to whether a passenger has entered the country or not, they have.

 

A US Green Card is sufficient for Resident Aliens to re-enter the US, but a Green Card is not a WHTI approved document (actually, the WHTI does not apply to non-US or Canadian citizens, even with a Green Card), so any cruise line that allows a passenger to board using simply a Green Card, without at least entering a passport number from their home country at booking, is looking at serious fines.

My Permanent Resident card is a green card and it is all that immigration has wanted to see in the 47yrs I have lived in the US, without it I can not re-enter the US to live.  I have never been asked for my Passport and that is why when you check in for a cruise and must select your citizenship it requires you to enter you r Permanent Resident Number

[chengkp75]

3 minutes ago, dbrucern said:

My Permanent Resident card is a green card and it is all that immigration has wanted to see in the 47yrs I have lived in the US, without it I can not re-enter the US to live.  I have never been asked for my Passport and that is why when you check in for a cruise and must select your citizenship it requires you to enter you r Permanent Resident Number

Since I am not a Green Card holder, I don't know how to check in to a cruise with one.  Do you enter that you are a US Resident Alien, and then enter both your Resident number and country of citizenship?  And, as I've said, your passport is not required to re-enter the US, but it may be required by the other countries visited during the cruise.  

[csj092809]

Just to add to this, Carnival.com and my PVP both say a green card is sufficient.  I was just wondering if the process is much different. I appreciate those who have cruised with one before sharing your experiences!

[MrsBlackross]

Been on many cruises with my Green Card. I always carry my Canadian passport just in case, but the Carnival (and NCL) never wanted to see it, they just told me Green Card was fine.

I enter my Alien # during check-in.

 

[sparks1093]

18 hours ago, Lane Hog said:

I've never seen border control at a port of call (Caribbean/Mexico).  Only Ship Security checking your cards off and on the ship.  Maybe they know who can/can't disembark.

I have seen plenty of them manning the gate to re-enter the port area. If you aren't allowed to disembark because you don't have the right documentation you are typically denied boarding in the first place. 

[dbrucern]

16 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Since I am not a Green Card holder, I don't know how to check in to a cruise with one.  Do you enter that you are a US Resident Alien, and then enter both your Resident number and country of citizenship?  And, as I've said, your passport is not required to re-enter the US, but it may be required by the other countries visited during the cruise.  

Yes, I made the mistake of using my passport years ago and that is when I was sent to immigration when returning from a cruise and they asked for my resident card and informed me that I was to use it and not my passport from then on.  What was really interesting was when I returned from a cruise shortly after 9-11, my card was confiscated by immigration at the port because the Department of Immigration and Naturalization had been replaced by Homeland Security for Resident Cards and I could not leave the US and had to report to the Immigration department for a new card as soon as I got back to North Carolina. 

Edited March 17, 2022 by dbrucern

[lisat214]

On 3/17/2022 at 8:56 AM, dbrucern said:

Yes, I made the mistake of using my passport years ago and that is when I was sent to immigration when returning from a cruise and they asked for my resident card and informed me that I was to use it and not my passport from then on.  What was really interesting was when I returned from a cruise shortly after 9-11, my card was confiscated by immigration at the port because the Department of Immigration and Naturalization had been replaced by Homeland Security for Resident Cards and I could not leave the US and had to report to the Immigration department for a new card as soon as I got back to North Carolina. 

dbrucern:  We're going on a cruise in May and just realized my husbands Dominican passport expires in July of this year but he has his green card (permanent resident card) will he be okay with only sailing with that and getting off of the ship at the islands? (St Thomas, St. Maarten, San Juan, Amber Cove)

[john91498]

A buddy of mine, who is Mexican, has a green card. We cruised from Long Beach and returned to Long Beach and he was fine. So, I'm told if the loop returns to the same port, then the green card is sufficient.

[dbrucern]

7 hours ago, lisat214 said:

dbrucern:  We're going on a cruise in May and just realized my husbands Dominican passport expires in July of this year but he has his green card (permanent resident card) will he be okay with only sailing with that and getting off of the ship at the islands? (St Thomas, St. Maarten, San Juan, Amber Cove)

I can only tell you from personal experience but I have never had to show anything but my green card when getting on a ship at embarkation and we have been on well over 40 cruises, I would think that is because your picture and fingerprints are listed with the federal government

[Out of Iowa]

A brief historical recollection of how it used to be (decades ago):  US Permanent Residents ("Green Card" holders) had to visit their nearest Internal Revenue Services (IRS) Office to get verification they had paid their taxes/filed necessary tax returns. Doing so resulted in a "sailing permit" that was required to be presented to the airline, ship's representative, etc. before departing the US.  

[dbrucern]

21 hours ago, Out of Iowa said:

A brief historical recollection of how it used to be (decades ago):  US Permanent Residents ("Green Card" holders) had to visit their nearest Internal Revenue Services (IRS) Office to get verification they had paid their taxes/filed necessary tax returns. Doing so resulted in a "sailing permit" that was required to be presented to the airline, ship's representative, etc. before departing the US.  

Interesting when was this because I've had mine for nearly 50yrs and have never had to do this

[mz-s]

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1401/~/travel-documentation%3A-u.s.-permanent-residents

[Out of Iowa]

dbrucern: this whole "sailing permit" thing began with our arrival to the US in the mid-1960s for our family (from the UK) and I don't know when it was discontinued compared to when we became US citizens, but I'm guessing it was mid-1970s or later that it was no longer expected.

 

The possibility of being denied boarding on a visit to see family was a big incentive to comply. Perhaps some people just didn't comply. Maybe it was more important to the IRS in the cases of high-wage earners.  I just remember my dad complaining about having to take a day from work, pre-trip, to drive quite a distance to the IRS office for that little piece of approval to depart.  [this was, of course, pre-internet, pre-"modern"-computers.]

[cruiseny4life]

I know some on here have stated a green card only is enough (seems like this was a couple years ago). I do know that my husband (now a citizen) had to produce his green card and his passport from his birth country. This was on a different cruise line, but I'd think the process is the same. I would always recommend a green card holder bring their home country's passport along, in case it is asked for. He would not have been allowed onboard if he had not provided his passport also is what we were told by port and ship personnel. 

 

Good luck!