Sister that I'm cruising with in three months just now told me her passport is expired

[Moviela]

The one in the photo is state issued. One other point when using a birth certificate is that the name must match the name on the driver's license, and the boarding pass. If your name changes because of adoption or marriage, you need to bring the marriage license or certificate of adoption.

 

A passport is so much easier and the gold standard for travel abroad.

[sparks1093]

On 6/25/2022 at 8:24 PM, gatour said:

Well you are correct about a big problem.  The person will eventually will be allowed to get back to the US.  It may take several days to get it ironed out and perhaps going to another city that has an US embassy/consulate.

The authorities may waive the passport requirement in an emergency or for humanitarian reasons. In the few cases that I've read about the delay was measured in hours barring extenuating circumstances (like being hospitalized without having the means to pay for the treatment). The passport is the gold standard, but for many travelers it is overkill.

[Buckeyefrank100]

On 6/25/2022 at 4:53 PM, yogibear said:

If she travels with a Birth Certificate, make sure she is back onboard well before sail time. if she misses the boat, BIG Problem. She won't be able to fly home from international port without a Passport!!

Yes she will.  Ya'll make it sound like people are stranded for life and can never get home.  It's an inconvenience and they will likely need to stay a night or two on the island in a hotel until the embassy can work things out.  They will also be out the cost of an airflight back to the US.

[mz-s]

2 minutes ago, Buckeyefrank100 said:

Yes she will.  Ya'll make it sound like people are stranded for life and can never get home.  It's an inconvenience and they will likely need to stay a night or two on the island in a hotel until the embassy can work things out.  They will also be out the cost of an airflight back to the US.

 

It's almost like the state department pays a commission the way people oversell passports on this site.

[fuddrules]

On 6/25/2022 at 10:53 PM, yogibear said:

If she travels with a Birth Certificate, make sure she is back onboard well before sail time. if she misses the boat, BIG Problem. She won't be able to fly home from international port without a Passport!!

True.   She'll be stuck working on the docks the rest of her life. 

 

That's why Bon Jovi has the song about Tommy working on the docks.   Poor guy, he's still there working away. 

[Valentina84]

Ok she is fine. She can get a passport in 24 hours. Very easy. Depending on where you live? Tell her to buy a refundable international ticket. And then go in 48 hours (let me look up the exact office) and let them know she needs to travel in 48 hours, show proof of flight ticket, bring her expired passport and all other documents and pictures she needs and voila. She will have her passport in a matter of the day. Same day 95% of the time if you have all the documents ready and with you. My brother did it last month, my whole family does it usually too. When mine expires I will do the same. Because I travel a lot and can’t be there or hour a passport for 2 months. 

[Valentina84]

I am in DC. So here is the Washington Passport Agency that does it. I know it’s the capital….. but not sure if other major states have this, I would assume so. It’s this website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/washington.html

 

says you must be traveling in the next 14 days and have to make an appointment. 
 

Works every time for us folks here in DC 

[Angua]

5 hours ago, Valentina84 said:

I am in DC. So here is the Washington Passport Agency that does it. I know it’s the capital….. but not sure if other major states have this, I would assume so. It’s this website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/washington.html

 

says you must be traveling in the next 14 days and have to make an appointment. 
 

Works every time for us folks here in DC 

I did this once when I didn't realize my passport had expired and was going on a cruise the next week.  I didn't buy the refundable international ticket or anything, but i had proof of travel within 2 weeks.  

 

I live in the Salt Lake City area and had to fly to Denver to get it done, this was in 2013.  Luckily my sister lives there so I just had to pay for a rental car because we had an airline credit I was able to use.  The Passport agency was great and I had the passport within the day, I made the earliest appointment I could that worked with my flight.

 

Was still an expensive mistake and I am sending my passport off as soon as i get back from my cruise next week to get it renewed again, 2023 is right around the corner!

[Pyxie]

6 hours ago, Valentina84 said:

Ok she is fine. She can get a passport in 24 hours. Very easy. Depending on where you live? Tell her to buy a refundable international ticket. And then go in 48 hours (let me look up the exact office) and let them know she needs to travel in 48 hours, show proof of flight ticket, bring her expired passport and all other documents and pictures she needs and voila. She will have her passport in a matter of the day. Same day 95% of the time if you have all the documents ready and with you. My brother did it last month, my whole family does it usually too. When mine expires I will do the same. Because I travel a lot and can’t be there or hour a passport for 2 months. 

 

Just a note on this. It isn't quite as easy to do right now as it has been in the past because it is nearly impossible to get an appointment without calling right at 8am and then calling multiple times throughout the day hoping something opens up. No agencies are currently taking walk-ins. This also means that the appointment you get, if you get one, could be on the other side of the country. Really she has plenty of time to do an expedited renewal by mail. And worse case scenario, she has a birth certificate. I wouldn't worry about the hassle of a same day appointment at this point.

 

(Source: recently applied for a passport myself and have been reading lots of current info regarding passport issues.)

[iria64]

We had 3 passports to renew this year.  One as technically a new passport since the original was issued at 13 years of age.  That was the most annoying to renew since we needed to make an appointment and couldn't do the online option.  The other 2 were just renewals.  One was sent in in Jan and the other 2 in March.  In both cases we receive the new passports in less than 4 weeks.  This is just our experience so maybe there is a spring rush in Apr-Jun that might extend this time.

[cruisings8z]

Get a rush/expedited one. 

[NuggetTheChicken]

On 6/26/2022 at 4:53 AM, Moviela said:

The one in the photo is state issued. One other point when using a birth certificate is that the name must match the name on the driver's license, and the boarding pass. If your name changes because of adoption or marriage, you need to bring the marriage license or certificate of adoption.

 

A passport is so much easier and the gold standard for travel abroad.

Glad to hear! No worries her names match

[NuggetTheChicken]

Thanks everyone for your answers!

[ladysail2]

On 6/28/2022 at 8:51 AM, mz-s said:

 

It's almost like the state department pays a commission the way people oversell passports on this site.

Then keep on scrolling if you don’t agree with what’s being said.  No one is forcing you to buy a passport. Lots of people find them to be useful, necessary, and comforting to have when travelling outside their home country.  Why disagree with that?

[Buckeyefrank100]

18 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

Then keep on scrolling if you don’t agree with what’s being said.  No one is forcing you to buy a passport. Lots of people find them to be useful, necessary, and comforting to have when travelling outside their home country.  Why disagree with that?

Nobody is disagreeing that a passport is comforting when travelling..  The angst is from these "passport only" people comes when they say you'll have BIG problems, or "You'll be stuck".  That couldn't be further from the truth.  It will be an inconvenience of a day or two and will cost some money for hotel and flight.  Not the end of the world.

[Pyxie]

2 hours ago, Buckeyefrank100 said:

Nobody is disagreeing that a passport is comforting when travelling..  The angst is from these "passport only" people comes when they say you'll have BIG problems, or "You'll be stuck".  That couldn't be further from the truth.  It will be an inconvenience of a day or two and will cost some money for hotel and flight.  Not the end of the world.

 

And even then, you're out the money for a flight whether you have a passport or not. And maybe even the hotel depending on how soon you can get on a flight. The passport doesn't help with those issues.

[ladysail2]

4 hours ago, Pyxie said:

 

And even then, you're out the money for a flight whether you have a passport or not. And maybe even the hotel depending on how soon you can get on a flight. The passport doesn't help with those issues.

And the sky can fall in too! I’m not saying that a passport solves everybody’s problems all the time….but it sure does help in cases where you need identification and it presents a trustworthiness of the person because one has gone through checks and balances of truth in order to obtain one.  Don’t want one, then don’t get one.

[ladysail2]

7 hours ago, Buckeyefrank100 said:

Nobody is disagreeing that a passport is comforting when travelling..  The angst is from these "passport only" people comes when they say you'll have BIG problems, or "You'll be stuck".  That couldn't be further from the truth.  It will be an inconvenience of a day or two and will cost some money for hotel and flight.  Not the end of the world.

I agree that some people can be over zealous when it comes to being safe and having an uncomplicated passage.  It isn’t the end of the world if one doesn’t have one, or loses it while travelling.   Believe it or not, some people do believe that one is ‘stuck’ if passport-less.  It’s a gigantic hassle to find the right government office to start the process of replacing it and especially in a non-English speaking country.  But it’s free choice to own a passport.  As much as some are overzealous in saying one absolutely needs one….it’s being misinformed to say one doesn’t need one if travelling outside your home country.  I recommend a traveller have one…but again, it’s free choice.

[tytanbri]

On 6/24/2022 at 2:43 PM, NuggetTheChicken said:

Thank you all for the answers, everyone! Sadly I don't think I can rely on passports being done quickly like you all said as there's a delay on passports right now, but I'm sure we'll be fine if we do expedited.

We sent my sons passport off on May 17th and received notification that it is in the mail on the way back to us. We did not expedite but did normal service. So 7 week turnaround. We leave on October 1st. 

[CruizinSusan70]

On 7/1/2022 at 7:47 AM, Buckeyefrank100 said:

 It will be an inconvenience of a day or two and will cost some money for hotel and flight.  Not the end of the world.

But it's cheaper and more convenient to just buy a passport instead of rolling the dice and possibly ending up with the cost of a hotel and flight.  And if you have a passport you always have the option of vacationing at an international all inclusive.

[icft]

On 7/1/2022 at 6:47 AM, Buckeyefrank100 said:

Nobody is disagreeing that a passport is comforting when travelling..  The angst is from these "passport only" people comes when they say you'll have BIG problems, or "You'll be stuck".  That couldn't be further from the truth.  It will be an inconvenience of a day or two and will cost some money for hotel and flight.  Not the end of the world.

I guess it is a question of what is considered a BIG problem. Get stuck on Roatan and see if you consider it a small problem or a big problem. You have to get to the embassy in Tegucigalpa about 170 miles away. Luckily there are one or two flights a day from Roatan to Tegucigalpa for $250 - $300 per person. Then when you get to Tegucigalpa you have to get to the embassy. They require appointments, but you can probably sweet talk them past that in an emergency. Then you need to know the rules of the embassy. For example you can't take cell phones or other electronic devices, bags or luggage or purses and other things they have prohibited and no storage is provided to drop those things at the door. Go with a prohibited item and you are sent away. So with needing a place to store things and just plain time considerations you are on the hook for a hotel in addition to cab fairs.

 

With a passport you avoid all that and can fly from Roatan to Miami on American Airlines for about $250. And for some reason flights from Tegucigalpa to Miami begin at $700 (probably difference in airport gate fees charged by the airports).

 

So in addition to the language problems involved, your cost of not having a passport is $250 per person to get to Tegucigalpa plus hotel and cab costs plus whatever the passport costs plus an additional $450 per person to get to Miami.

 

Financially it is not minor but not a deal breaker; but my time is worth something and I would rather avoid the stress and just hop a flight from the airport a couple of miles from the dock in Roatan. To me the expense and time of getting a passport is the better deal. A problem doesn't have to be the end of the world for me to want to avoid it if it is easy to avoid.

 

Of course a passport does you no good if you don't take it with you when you leave the ship. So most folks with a passport who miss the ship will be going through all the hassle anyway😁

 

 

[dandeck]

3 months is more than enough time to renew.  Also, as long as your cruise originates & ends in the US, all she would need is a valid driver's license & a CERTIFIED birth certificate.  The one with a state seal imprint.  Not the one from hospital.  If she doesn't have that type, can simply order one through the dept of health for your state.  In addition, there are companies on line that expedite them as well.  

[dandeck]

On 6/24/2022 at 10:55 AM, NuggetTheChicken said:

I'm so frustrated considering she had two years to get it renewed. But that's a different subject ofr a different time.

 

I'm not getting my hopes up that she will have it renewed in time. Is it possible to go on a carnival cruise with your birth certificate instead or some other form of ID? I assume she most likely won't be allowed to go off on the ports, but will she at least be allowed to be on the ship?

 

We are going on Carnival Mardi Gras October 1st.

3 months is more than enough time to renew. Also, as long as your cruise originates & ends in the US, all she would need is a valid driver's license & a CERTIFIED birth certificate. The one with a state seal imprint. Not the one from hospital. If she doesn't have that type, can simply order one through the dept of health for your state. In addition, there are companies on line that expedite them as well.  

[mondello]

Disembarkation is a breeze for those with passports. The facial recognition allows guests to walk right past the long line of pax waiting to clear Customs.

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

But it's cheaper and more convenient to just buy a passport instead of rolling the dice and possibly ending up with the cost of a hotel and flight.  And if you have a passport you always have the option of vacationing at an international all inclusive.

During normal times millions of people use something other than a passport with no issues at all, so the dice roll is very heavily in one's favor. You stand the same chance of being stuck with the cost of hotel and flight even with a passport. And for many international all inclusive vacationing isn't in the picture financially.