Is Passport Needed for stops in Canada?

[trbarton]

This has brought out a very important issue about your passport. I’ve never understood why people haven’t been monitoring their passport to make sure it will have at least 6 months left for any cruise. One thing that I do is on my phone a reminder 1 year in advance to renew my passport. 
 

Tom😀

[Potstech]

Want to not worry on this type of issue? Easy solution - get a passport book, know when it will expire and apply 6 months or more before then.  As they say "Easy Peasy" No more worries or questions.

[Torfamm]

21 hours ago, Calif Explorer said:

I plan to take a roundtrip cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver and Victoria in 4 weeks.  Is a US Passport necessary to board or will a Birth Certificate and/or Real ID Driver's License be sufficient?

 

At the time I renewed my passport on-line at the end of January, the estimated wait time was 6 to 8 weeks.  It is now 8 weeks and I am still waiting.  New renewals now take 8 to 12 weeks (only by mail and not even by on-line).  I will be boarding in another 4 weeks.   I know if I have not received my passport in another 2 weeks, I can call and go through the process, expense, and anxiety  of expediting the passport.  I will if absolutely necessary, but is there an alternative  (such as above birth certificate, real ID).  Can I even board with my old passport still in my possession (still valid by date on passport, but technically invalid at the time when I sent in my on-line renewal).  Can I trust what Princess says when I call them about the alternative IDs.  I was told that birth certificate is OK.  I hate to be denied on the whim of someone during embarkation.

 

Thanks for any insight.

It will depend on your situation. For example, if you are traveling with a minor and no other adult is in your party, you will need a passport. The document policy is here https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/

 

[Torfamm]

3 hours ago, Potstech said:

Want to not worry on this type of issue? Easy solution - get a passport book, know when it will expire and apply 6 months or more before then.  As they say "Easy Peasy" No more worries or questions.

Easy peasy only if you have time to spend months without a passport. The current situation is a huge headache for frequent travelers 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Torfamm said:

Easy peasy only if you have time to spend months without a passport. The current situation is a huge headache for frequent travelers 

The last time I renewed my passport in 2016 I had so much travel booked that year that I did have huge headache. I ended up getting it renewed five months before expiration. I had a window right after a Caribbean cruise.  Since it was Caribbean I only needed a valid passport so five months worked fine. My renewal that time only took three weeks so it all worked out for my following travel. The current renewal times are outragous where people have been reporting seven or eight weeks or more. So with a lot of travel plans and long renewal times it is not so easy peasy. Long renewal times were excusable in 2020 but not now. Possibly though the back up is because its like a dam breaking and masses have suddenly  decided to travel again. 

 

 

[Torfamm]

5 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

The last time I renewed my passport in 2016 I had so much travel booked that year that I did have huge headache. I ended up getting it renewed five months before expiration. I had a window right after a Caribbean cruise.  Since it was Caribbean I only needed a valid passport so five months worked fine. My renewal that time only took three weeks so it all worked out for my following travel. The current renewal times are outragous where people have been reporting seven or eight weeks or more. So with a lot of travel plans and long renewal times it is not so easy peasy. Long renewal times were excusable in 2020 but not now. Possibly though the back up is because its like a dam breaking and masses have suddenly  decided to travel again. 

 

 

It’s not just US passports either. Nexus is also taking forever to renew. It’s very frustrating.

[VibeGuy]

And for the very frequent traveler who needs visas that take forever to get issued or who must have a valid passport with them at all times as a condition of employment, a second passport book costs exactly the same as a first one, but is only valid for four years.  
 

The passport service offices are filled with some of the nicest, most helpful people in the federal government, but the back office processes have become unwieldy and the prices have escalated much faster than inflation.  This leads to a situation where you either chuck a lot of money down a hallway and there’s no guarantees as to when results will show up, or you chuck double the amount across a counter in one of a handful of metropolitan areas and have a new book in a definite time because you have urgent international travel and can’t be hanging out to dry.  
 

 

[Potstech]

6 hours ago, Torfamm said:

Easy peasy only if you have time to spend months without a passport. The current situation is a huge headache for frequent travelers 

On renewal you no longer need to send in your old passport and can even renew on line. You can still use your old pasport until the new one arrives.  So yes Easy Peasy.

[Torfamm]

9 minutes ago, Potstech said:

On renewal you no longer need to send in your old passport and can even renew on line. You can still use your old pasport until the new one arrives.  So yes Easy Peasy.

The online renewal program has been paused. It is only possible to renew by mail or in person. If you renew by mail, you must send in your current passport.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew-online.html

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew.html

Edited March 25, 2023 by Torfamm
typo

[Charles4515]

2 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

The online renewal program has been paused. It is only possible to renew by mail or in person. If you renew by mail, you must send in your current passport.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew-online.

4 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

The online renewal program has been paused. It is only possible to renew by mail or in person. If you renew by mail, you must send in your current passport.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew-online.html

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew.html

html

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew.html

1. 17 minutes ago, Potstech said:

   On renewal you no longer need to send in your old passport and can even renew on line. You can still use your old pasport until the new one arrives.  So yes Easy Peasy.

   In addition to what Torfamm said about online renewal being paused. You can’t still use your old password. It says the following on the website. 

2. 
   “You are aware that your most recent passport will be immediately canceled when you submit your application and you cannot use it for international travel.” 
    
3. So you can’t use your old passport.

 

 

[Jareds_mommytoo]

5 hours ago, Torfamm said:

It’s not just US passports either. Nexus is also taking forever to renew. It’s very frustrating.

We just renewed and the site says 12 to 18 months 

[A Lifes Journeys]

6 minutes ago, Jareds_mommytoo said:

We just renewed and the site says 12 to 18 months 

I must have gotten lucky.  I completed the on-line renewal app in late December. I received my new Nexus card a few weeks ago - no new interview or photo required.  When I submitted the renewal application, the site said my existing card would remain valid until a decision was made on my renewal, regardless of its otherwise applicable expiry date.

[SiliconCruiser]

On 3/24/2023 at 2:36 PM, Ombud said:

@Calif Explorer

Highlighted important info. I just sweated this despite my CVP having her super review my birth certificate and saying I was good to go. Passport Office was assured that IF I paid for expedited passport + express mailing + did not get it within 14 days of my cruise, I could try for an appointment in SF within 14 days of my trip. No idea where you live but those appointments are available in SF, LA, and San Diego State Dept Offices. Not in Sacramento or Stockton. Call 1st thing in the morning. 

 

Fortunately I got it after 7 weeks. But I can totally relate to your anxiety.  

 

@Lady Arwen is right: no Skagway White Pass excursion 

 

 

 

:Yup it's a maze.  You don't need a passport to enter Canada from a cruise ship on a closed loop tour, but if you want to travel into and out of Canada (i.e. White Pass Railway) you'll need a passport.   Much of it is more ceremonial but U.S. CBP want to see a passport (they don't even stamp the passport.)  When we took the van trip to White Pass from Skagway, there were no Canadian officials looking to inspect credentials.

[Torfamm]

On 3/24/2023 at 4:06 PM, Ferry_Watcher said:

Hi, I do check-in for Alaska cruises leaving Seattle.  Your US gov't issued birth certificate (city, county, state) along with your gov't issued photo ID will be suffice for your round trip SF-SF closed loop cruse.

 

• 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.

 

Canada will accept your US gov't issued birth certificate and your US gov't issued photo ID on your closed loop cruise.

There are exceptions. If an adult is traveling with one or more minors and no other adult is in your party, Princess requires everyone in the party to have a passport. The document policy is here. https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/ 

[Anubi]

On 3/24/2023 at 3:58 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

A snarky response still doesn't make your response correct.  Passports are not required for US citizens on a closed loop cruise from the US where the only foreign port stops are in Canada.

I'm not being snarky.  Let me explain.  If I was on a closed loop cruise from Vancouver and wanted to get off the ship in SF, we would be required by US Immigration to produce our Canadian passport.  As Canada and the US mirror each other on these types of things, if you take a closed loop from Seattle and wanted to get off the ship in Victoria, you would be required by Canadian Immigration to produce an American passport.  That is what I am trying to make clear.  You can call me snarky but I am not, I'm Canadian and goes against our natures to be snarky.  🙂  However, we have been known to channel out nastiness into Canadian Geese!!!  LOL   

[d9704011]

26 minutes ago, Anubi said:

  As Canada and the US mirror each other on these types of things,

Where did you come up with that one from?

[Anubi]

1 minute ago, d9704011 said:

Where did you come up with that one from?

There was a time when we didn't need our passports to cross the US border.  At some point, and I believe it was after 9/11, the Americans started asking for passports and Canada started reciprocating.  I remember that mainly because of the number of complaints on CC with so many Americans being pissed that they needed their passports to drive into Canada to take a cruise out of Vancouver.    

[DallasGuy75219]

3 hours ago, Anubi said:

As Canada and the US mirror each other on these types of things, if you take a closed loop from Seattle and wanted to get off the ship in Victoria, you would be required by Canadian Immigration to produce an American passport.

Still incorrect.

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/

On select U.S. roundtrip (sometimes called “closed-loop”) voyages, U.S. citizens ages 16 and above may also travel with an original or certified copy U.S. birth certificate (or U.S. Certificate of Naturalization if foreign born) presented together with a valid U.S. government-issued photo identification. U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 15 and younger may travel with a birth certificate.

• Alaska roundtrip from San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle (roundtrip Seattle cruisetours excluded)

 

The government of Canada's websites may not be forthcoming that a passport is not required, but where is Princess' warning that you can't get off the ship on the token stop in Canada with a passport? Where are the CC posts from the US citizens without passports who weren't allowed to get off the ship on the token stop in Canada?

[d9704011]

4 hours ago, Anubi said:

There was a time when we didn't need our passports to cross the US border.  At some point, and I believe it was after 9/11, the Americans started asking for passports and Canada started reciprocating.  I remember that mainly because of the number of complaints on CC with so many Americans being pissed that they needed their passports to drive into Canada to take a cruise out of Vancouver.    

I'm afraid your memory of what used to happen and drawing conclusions from what people say on CC is not a good way to frame statements on travel documentation requirements for Canadians and Americans.

[Charles4515]

5 hours ago, Anubi said:

There was a time when we didn't need our passports to cross the US border.  At some point, and I believe it was after 9/11, the Americans started asking for passports and Canada started reciprocating.  I remember that mainly because of the number of complaints on CC with so many Americans being pissed that they needed their passports to drive into Canada to take a cruise out of Vancouver.    

Americans can drive into Canada without a passport book. We can drive across with an EDL, Nexus. or a passport card. Sorry that we have different rules but it is what it is....... 

[jeromep]

On 3/24/2023 at 9:45 AM, Calif Explorer said:

I plan to take a roundtrip cruise from San Francisco to Vancouver and Victoria in 4 weeks.  Is a US Passport necessary to board or will a Birth Certificate and/or Real ID Driver's License be sufficient?

 

At the time I renewed my passport on-line at the end of January, the estimated wait time was 6 to 8 weeks.  It is now 8 weeks and I am still waiting.  New renewals now take 8 to 12 weeks (only by mail and not even by on-line).  I will be boarding in another 4 weeks.   I know if I have not received my passport in another 2 weeks, I can call and go through the process, expense, and anxiety  of expediting the passport.  I will if absolutely necessary, but is there an alternative  (such as above birth certificate, real ID).  Can I even board with my old passport still in my possession (still valid by date on passport, but technically invalid at the time when I sent in my on-line renewal).  Can I trust what Princess says when I call them about the alternative IDs.  I was told that birth certificate is OK.  I hate to be denied on the whim of someone during embarkation.

 

Thanks for any insight.

I'll tell a bit of a story here.

 

We had to renew our daughter's passport.  When we had time over Christmas break my wife and I and our daughter drove to the county clerk's office in another county to apply for her passport.  Our local county decided to stop offering passport services through their clerks office and only neighboring counties still offered the service on reasonably convenient hours.  I bring up convenient hours because the local P.O. requires you to get an appointment online through the USPS web site and they never have any availability.

 

So we did business with the county clerk on 12/28/22.  According to the State Department web site they received the passport application package on 1/5/23.  So a little over a week later.  When State gets the passport application is when the clock starts.

 

At the time State acknowledged that they received the application package they were still quoting 6-8 weeks.  So I waited and checked the status online about once a week.  No change.  Then about the 5th week I noticed when doing my weekly check that the delivery time had changed to 8-11 weeks.  We received the Priority Mail envelope with the new passport in the 8th week.  Your experience may vary.

 

The State Department site for checking the status of your passport application is here.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/status.html

 

Princess knows the rules.  If they say you can make the transit with a certified government issued birth certificate and state issued photo ID, then you will be fine.  I would not personally visit another country with only a birth certificate and photo ID, and you certainly have make a good faith attempt to get proper documentation in a timely manner.  The birth certificate and photo ID should only be considered your backup.

 

Everyone in my family has both a passport and a passport card.  We mostly use the passport cards for ID when flying domestically, especially since Washington State has this stupid two tiered drivers license system.  I don't like how the state is run and I'm not going to mess around with an enhanced DL when a passport card lasts longer than our state IDs and I don't trust what the state is going to do next.  The passport card is also handy when driving up to Canada and back, which we do every now and then.  When coming back into the U.S. they have readers in the vehicle lanes that read the RFID information in the card and I think it streamlines the process of getting back into the country.

 

The passport cards are only good for land crossings and sea entries, so perfectly acceptable for cruises and crossing to Canada or Mexico.

[Cruise Raider]

22 hours ago, Anubi said:

I'm not being snarky.  Let me explain.  If I was on a closed loop cruise from Vancouver and wanted to get off the ship in SF, we would be required by US Immigration to produce our Canadian passport.  As Canada and the US mirror each other on these types of things, if you take a closed loop from Seattle and wanted to get off the ship in Victoria, you would be required by Canadian Immigration to produce an American passport.  That is what I am trying to make clear.  You can call me snarky but I am not, I'm Canadian and goes against our natures to be snarky.  🙂  However, we have been known to channel out nastiness into Canadian Geese!!!  LOL   

Sorry, but that is still not true.  I don’t know about the Canadian passport regulations for entering the US but, as US citizens, we’ve certainly gone with friends without passports (original birth certificate and government issued ID) on closed looped cruises out of SF and they were allowed to go into Canada.  They only restriction is you cannot fly back from Canada in case of an emergency.  
 

[JRork2001]

I have a little different take on this as my Wife and I live in Washington State and have booked a cruise that starts and ends in Vancouver on Holland America.    We both have Enhanced Drivers Licenses from Washington State BUT were told we should go ahead and get passport books.     We paid for Expedited and at the time (Feb 8, 2023) we were told 5 to 7 weeks.   When I go online and check status it now says 8 to 11 weeks AND that they didn't receive our applications until March 3rd.     Since we're driving to Canada on May 5th (6 weeks) we're getting super nervous.   Will there be any challenges with getting across the boarder with our EDL's and a copy of our birth certificates (the originals went with our passport applications).    Thanks for any tips or tricks you might have.....john

[Charles4515]

20 minutes ago, JRork2001 said:

I have a little different take on this as my Wife and I live in Washington State and have booked a cruise that starts and ends in Vancouver on Holland America.    We both have Enhanced Drivers Licenses from Washington State BUT were told we should go ahead and get passport books.     We paid for Expedited and at the time (Feb 8, 2023) we were told 5 to 7 weeks.   When I go online and check status it now says 8 to 11 weeks AND that they didn't receive our applications until March 3rd.     Since we're driving to Canada on May 5th (6 weeks) we're getting super nervous.   Will there be any challenges with getting across the boarder with our EDL's and a copy of our birth certificates (the originals went with our passport applications).    Thanks for any tips or tricks you might have.....john

You will be able to drive into Canada with your EDL but as the cruise is not a closed loop out of the US I believe you would need a passport book for the cruise. A cruise out of Vancouver, Canada has different rules. 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Charles4515

[Ombud]

@Calif Explorer I'm not reading the interim posts (so if someone else reported this, apologies). This post is just for @Calif Explorer. I just got an email from my Congressman DeSaulnier's office that their office is now set up to help secure pending passports if within 14 days of international travel or same day processing appointments if within 5 days!!

 

(They have a request for assistance in replacing my daughter's lost naturalization papers.  Once I get her papers then I'll get her passport. Stuck at square 1)

 

Adding: @tbarton i applied for my renewal when I had exactly 365 days left. Yep. 9 yr mark. At that time expediting with express mail took supposedly 3-5 weeks. Took 9 weeks. 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Ombud