Passport

[teapot33]

Does Oceania collect and hold your passport for the duration of your Bermuda cruise?  Please let me know.

 

Thanks

 

[JRIH]

1 minute ago, teapot33 said:

Does Oceania collect and hold your passport for the duration of your Bermuda cruise?  Please let me know.

 

Thanks

 

They just did for our British Isles & Ireland cruise.

[PhD-iva]

It depends on the itinerary and local immigration controls.

[Harters]

I think PhD-iva is right about local requirements. Passports were not held on our recent cruise (which only included Spanish ports). Of course, in that case, everyone was already legitimately in Spain.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, teapot33 said:

Does Oceania collect and hold your passport for the duration of your Bermuda cruise?  Please let me know.

 

Thanks

 

A few years ago we were in Bermuda  passports were collected  then we picked them up before going ashore

You had to show them getting on/off the ship in Bermuda

Maybe still the same  now

[njhorseman]

4 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

A few years ago we were in Bermuda  passports were collected  then we picked them up before going ashore

You had to show them getting on/off the ship in Bermuda

Maybe still the same  now

Interesting, because while we've never cruised to Bermuda on Oceania, we have cruised there at least 25 times over the past 35 years on at least 5 different cruise lines and have never been required to turn in our passports to be held by the cruise line, nor have we ever had to show our passports to disembark while in Bermuda. Upon  returning to the ship after going ashore we only had to show our cruise card and a photo ID such as a drivers license.

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, njhorseman said:

Interesting, because while we've never cruised to Bermuda on Oceania, we have cruised there at least 25 times over the past 35 years on at least 5 different cruise lines and have never been required to turn in our passports to be held by the cruise line, nor have we ever had to show our passports to disembark while in Bermuda. Upon  returning to the ship after going ashore we only had to show our cruise card and a photo ID such as a drivers license.

Lucky you

 As Canadians  we often have our passports held by the cruise  lines

 they return them & that is all  that matters

YMMV

[njhorseman]

Just now, LHT28 said:

Lucky you

 As Canadians  we often have our passports held by the cruise  lines

 they return them & that is all  that matters

YMMV

We've had our passports held by many cruise lines, including O, on many itineraries...but the point is that it's never happened on a Bermuda cruise.

 

Because O requires all passengers to have a passport with at least 6 months validity even if there's no legal requirement for that, and because O seems to want to hold your passports in case they have to be examined by authorities I suspect O was just following its own internal procedures rather than following a mandate from Bermuda's government...except perhaps if there were some unique aspect to your itinerary that meant Bermudian authorities actually did want to examine your passports.

[LHT28]

10 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

We've had our passports held by many cruise lines, including O, on many itineraries...but the point is that it's never happened on a Bermuda cruise.

 

 

Well that was our experience

 

 

[FetaCheese]

43 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

We've had our passports held by many cruise lines, including O, on many itineraries...but the point is that it's never happened on a Bermuda cruise.

 

Because O requires all passengers to have a passport with at least 6 months validity even if there's no legal requirement for that, and because O seems to want to hold your passports in case they have to be examined by authorities I suspect O was just following its own internal procedures rather than following a mandate from Bermuda's government...except perhaps if there were some unique aspect to your itinerary that meant Bermudian authorities actually did want to examine your passports.

Just received renewed passport book, next gen, a beautiful new piece. You can read about it on state dept website.  Inside, on sig page, says passport req to be valid for 6 months, or some countries will not allow entry.  (Also on V, must be valid for 6 months after disembark date.)

Edited July 5, 2023 by FetaCheese
addl info

[Harters]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

if there's no legal requirement for that

Citation, please.

 

I'm conscious that the world has 195 countries and it seems very possible that some may have a six month requirement. But, of course, if you different........

[Rothko1]

I too have heard about the 6 month requirement, from my travel agent.  My passport was not going to expire until early next year, but I've gone ahead and sent it in for renewal.

[1985rz1]

25 minutes ago, Harters said:

Citation, please.

 

I'm conscious that the world has 195 countries and it seems very possible that some may have a six month requirement. But, of course, if you different........

Here's a quote from the International Transportation Association:

 

Passport, Travel Visa and National ID Card
 

Proper identification is the foundation of international travel. As a result, you should ensure to always have an official identification document with you. You can even consider having multiple documents such as your passport, national ID card or driver’s licence. If you don’t feel comfortable bringing several documents, you can consider bringing copies. These can be especially useful if you lose your passport and must take steps to prove your citizenship at your country’s ambassy or consulate.

When traveling abroad, it is also essential to have a valid passport. Many travelers don’t realize that most countries apply rules in regard to the passport expiration date. For most countries, visitors must have a valid passport for six-months after they plan to arrive at their destination, however this period can vary. Either way, if you are planning a trip abroad, always make sure to check the passport validity requirements and the expiry date of your passport. This will help avoid unfortunate issues at the airport or at immigration at your destination country.

 

The full citation is:

https://www.iata.org/en/publications/newsletters/iata-knowledge-hub/the-most-important-travel-documents-for-your-trip/

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Harters said:

Citation, please.

 

I'm conscious that the world has 195 countries and it seems very possible that some may have a six month requirement. But, of course, if you different........

I didn't say there are no countries requiring 6 months validity...there are a substantial number that  do, a substantial number that require 3 months and others that only require your passport to be valid for the length of your stay. 

I'm saying that O requires 6 months validity regardless of whether any country on a particular itinerary does.

Bermuda, the country under discussion in this thread does not have a 6 month requirement. Per the US Department of State the passport has to be valid at time of entry:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Bermuda.html

 

PASSPORT VALIDITY:

Must be valid at time of entry

BLANK PASSPORT PAGES:

One page required for entry stamp

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:

No

Edited July 5, 2023 by njhorseman

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, FetaCheese said:

Just received renewed passport book, next gen, a beautiful new piece. You can read about it on state dept website.  Inside, on sig page, says passport req to be valid for 6 months, or some countries will not allow entry.  (Also on V, must be valid for 6 months after disembark date.)

The key words are "some countries". In fact the majority of countries do not have a 6 month validity requirement...only some do.

[1985rz1]

Here's a list of countries that have a 6-month passport rule.  It also has a list of those with a 3-month passport rule, and a table of those with other rules.

 

https://visaguide.world/tips/passport-6-month-rule/

Edited July 5, 2023 by 1985rz1

[Tsunami74]

We had a trans Atlantic cruise on Oceania Riviera in March/April. One of the stops was Bermuda. They did not hold our passports. Just looked at them at embarkation and handed them back.

[njhorseman]

24 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Here's a quote from the International Transportation Association:

 

Passport, Travel Visa and National ID Card
 

Proper identification is the foundation of international travel. As a result, you should ensure to always have an official identification document with you. You can even consider having multiple documents such as your passport, national ID card or driver’s licence. If you don’t feel comfortable bringing several documents, you can consider bringing copies. These can be especially useful if you lose your passport and must take steps to prove your citizenship at your country’s ambassy or consulate.

When traveling abroad, it is also essential to have a valid passport. Many travelers don’t realize that most countries apply rules in regard to the passport expiration date. For most countries, visitors must have a valid passport for six-months after they plan to arrive at their destination, however this period can vary. Either way, if you are planning a trip abroad, always make sure to check the passport validity requirements and the expiry date of your passport. This will help avoid unfortunate issues at the airport or at immigration at your destination country.

 

The full citation is:

https://www.iata.org/en/publications/newsletters/iata-knowledge-hub/the-most-important-travel-documents-for-your-trip/

The statement "for most countries" is wrong. Last I checked it was about 70 countries that do...maybe a bit over 1/3 of the total number of countries

 

IATA isn't a government agency it's an airline trade  association...just like CLIA is a cruise line trade association, not a government agency. Neither can make enforceable government regulations.

[1985rz1]

8 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

IATA isn't a government agency it's an airline trade  association...just like CLIA is a cruise line trade association, not a government agency. Neither can make enforceable government regulations.

Don't be so defensive. I'm not disagreeing with you.  

Edited July 5, 2023 by 1985rz1

[EJL2023]

It just amazes me what some people get bent all out of shape on here. 

[Charles4515]

7 hours ago, teapot33 said:

Does Oceania collect and hold your passport for the duration of your Bermuda cruise?  Please let me know.

 

Thanks

 

They didn’t collect mine on my Bermuda cruise but why does it matter? I have a US passport.  I have been on several cruise to other destinations where they have and no big deal. They usually collected them so immigration could stamp them without us standing in lines at a port. Bermuda does not stamp passports so there would be no point for passports to be held. 

[Snaefell3]

2 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

...Bermuda does not stamp passports so there would be no point for passports to be held

Data point for you:  On Regatta's Mar '23 (LA/Ensenada/SF...) our US passports were collected upon embarkation and returned to us as we entered the Regatta's Lounge to clear customs on Day 4 of 7.  No stamping involved, just O making sure our passports made it to the CBP inspection.

 

(Of course, Mr Murphy brought his Law to the festivities:  They'd labeled our passports with the wrong cabin number when they collected them, so there was minor hilarity whilst CBP glared and the Purser's folks scrambled to find them.)

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Snaefell3 said:

Data point for you:  On Regatta's Mar '23 (LA/Ensenada/SF...) our US passports were collected upon embarkation and returned to us as we entered the Regatta's Lounge to clear customs on Day 4 of 7.  No stamping involved, just O making sure our passports made it to the CBP inspection.

 

(Of course, Mr Murphy brought his Law to the festivities:  They'd labeled our passports with the wrong cabin number when they collected them, so there was minor hilarity whilst CBP glared and the Purser's folks scrambled to find them.)

On that cruise you had to clear immigration after Ensenada to renter the US and SF was not the final port. So collecting passports to facilitate makes sense. OP asked about a Bermuda cruise. If it is a Bermuda plus other ports cruise say New York to Bermuda, Boston and New York as a hypothetical then possibly passports might be collected.  But a New York, Bermuda, New York like I did they won’t be collected. Immigration will be in New York. Not sure why it matters to OP unless they plan to miss the ship in Bermuda…..

[Snaefell3]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

On that cruise you had to clear immigration after Ensenada to renter the US and SF was not the final port. So collecting passports to facilitate makes sense….

Exactly my point: They collect passports for reasons other than needing to stamp them.

[pinotlover]

Oceania has a dress code not required by countries visited or other cruise lines. I could put up a list of items Oceania requires that aren’t mandatory by laws. The entire world isn’t about LCD!
 

Six months validity isn’t a tough requirement. Check your passport and get it renewed well ahead of time.