Travel documents while passport is being renewed?

[craig01020]

My wife's passport will be expiring next year, which means we'll most likely need to travel on one cruise without her passport. It's a closed-loop US cruise.

 

I understand she'll need her official birth certificate. Because her last name has changed, I assume we'll need to bring a marriage certificate too. Because this is our second marriage, I imagine she'll need her first marriage certificate as well. Will she also need proof of divorce? Our marriage certificate is from a foreign country (Anguilla). Will that be an issue?

 

I may be making this more complicated than I need to, but my biggest fear is having a cruise agent refuse us at the embarkation port.

 

Thanks all.

[GeezerCouple]

2 minutes ago, craig01020 said:

My wife's passport will be expiring next year, which means we'll most likely need to travel on one cruise without her passport. It's a closed-loop US cruise.

 

I understand she'll need her official birth certificate. Because her last name has changed, I assume we'll need to bring a marriage certificate too. Because this is our second marriage, I imagine she'll need her first marriage certificate as well. Will she also need proof of divorce? Our marriage certificate is from a foreign country (Anguilla). Will that be an issue?

 

I may be making this more complicated than I need to, but my biggest fear is having a cruise agent refuse us at the embarkation port.

 

Thanks all.

 

Do you not have time to renew her passport at any time before the cruise?

 

GC

[craig01020]

6 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Do you not have time to renew her passport at any time before the cruise?

 

GC

Not really. We've got 5 cruises booked next year. If it was my passport expiring it would be simple because my name matches my birth certificate.

[LHT28]

Do  married women who are US Citizens need to take marriage documents  for cruises ?

 

We need a passport  no matter  what cruise  we go on   & it is in my married name  so never thought of needing  your marriage/divorce papers

[craig01020]

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Do  married women who are US Citizens need to take marriage documents  for cruises ?

Yes, if they are traveling without a passport and their birth certificate has a different last name.

[LHT28]

11 minutes ago, craig01020 said:

Yes, if they are traveling without a passport and their birth certificate has a different last name.

Thanks

Interesting 

Thought  they just need a Government photo I.D. & BC

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

Thanks

Interesting 

Thought  they just need a Government photo I.D. & BC

They would also need a connecting document between the birth certificate name and the Government ID if they changed their name.

[StollyBolly]

Pay to expedite the passport.  You will most likely have it back in a few weeks.  Send your travel info with it.  You say cruises are next year.  You have months to renew. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Shmoo here said:

They would also need a connecting document between the birth certificate name and the Government ID if they changed their name.

I guess the border people could not figure out the fist name & birth date  are the same 🙄

a lot of women do not keep their birth surname   when they marry

 

 They do not mention the  marriage  document  on the  Whti  rules   I wonder how many get caught  without  their Marriage  certificate??

 

"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."

 

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

[new_cruiser]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

4 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

They would also need a connecting document between the birth certificate name and the Government ID if they changed their name.

I guess the border people could not figure out the fist name & birth date  are the same 🙄

There can be a lot of people who have the same first name and birth date so that's normally not enough to link a virth certificate to an ID when the last name has changed. (I have no personal experience with the closed loop cruise requirements because I've always used my passport. Anyway, I chose to not change my name when I married.)

 

 

[new_cruiser]

7 hours ago, craig01020 said:

Not really. We've got 5 cruises booked next year. If it was my passport expiring it would be simple because my name matches my birth certificate.

 

2 hours ago, StollyBolly said:

Pay to expedite the passport.  You will most likely have it back in a few weeks.  Send your travel info with it.  You say cruises are next year.  You have months to renew. 

And if the expedited passport process isn't fast enough, there is an urgent passport process that can be used when start or travel is less than 14 days away. It's kind of a pain, but not too bad if you are willing to travel to one of the Passport Agency offices.

[sparks1093]

There is no requirement per se of having bridging documents for a cruise but it is recommended. As long as her current married name is on her government ID I don't see the need for any documentation for the previous marriage. We always took our marriage certificate but never had to produce it and that is a common outcome for a large percentage of folks. Of course this is all assuming that you are cruising with a cruise line that doesn't require a passport for all sailings (normally the premium lines). I don't see why there would be an issue with a foreign marriage certificate.

 

I was going to suggest applying for a passport card, but that would require sending your passport in so unless you have a window where expediting the card is an option it wouldn't help, but it might be an option worth exploring.

[ontheweb]

 

12 hours ago, craig01020 said:

My wife's passport will be expiring next year, which means we'll most likely need to travel on one cruise without her passport. It's a closed-loop US cruise.

 

I understand she'll need her official birth certificate. Because her last name has changed, I assume we'll need to bring a marriage certificate too. Because this is our second marriage, I imagine she'll need her first marriage certificate as well. Will she also need proof of divorce? Our marriage certificate is from a foreign country (Anguilla). Will that be an issue?

 

I may be making this more complicated than I need to, but my biggest fear is having a cruise agent refuse us at the embarkation port.

 

Thanks all.

Maybe @Ferry_Watcher, someone who checks passengers into cruises, will see your post and be able to answer our specific question.

[Mary229]

Each cruise line may have specific rules.  Call them to be sure.  Yeah, get that passport process started now. We are a few short weeks from 6 months to spring. 

[mjkacmom]

Before having a passport, I used my license and birth certificate, I was not asked for a bridging document. However, the last time I renewed my NJ drivers license, they wouldn’t accept my birth certificate since I didn’t have my marriage license (I don’t remember this being an issue in the past). Fortunately I brought multiple documents knowing what a PITA NJ DMV is.

 

ETA I’d bring my drivers license, birth certificate and marriage licenses just in case. Many married women don’t cruise with passports, I’ve never heard of someone being denied boarding because their license and birth certificate had different last names.

Edited September 15, 2023 by mjkacmom

[Ferry_Watcher]

As someone who checks in passengers sailing closed loop cruises to Alaska, I look to see if the first and middle name, along with the birth date on the birth certificate matches up with the government issued ID (Driver License).  If a check-in agent had any concerns, a supervisor would be called over.  As stated earlier, you never see any CC posts re a married woman being denied boarding for not having a marriage certificate as a bridging document.

[Nebr.cruiser]

Although we usually cruise with a passport, I have cruised with just birth certificate and ID and have never been asked for a marriage certificate.  But of course it's better to be safe than sorry.

[Mum2Mercury]

17 hours ago, craig01020 said:

Not really. We've got 5 cruises booked next year. If it was my passport expiring it would be simple because my name matches my birth certificate.

So the problem is that she must mail away her current passport ... and she could be without it for weeks.  Very inefficient system.  I really think we need an overhall of the whole passport system.  

 

Exactly when is your last planned cruise vs. her expiration date?  How many weeks in between?  Do note that you have to make an appointment to turn in your paperwork, and they aren't always available for weeks -- consider scheduling well in advance.  

13 hours ago, StollyBolly said:

Pay to expedite the passport.  You will most likely have it back in a few weeks.  Send your travel info with it.  You say cruises are next year.  You have months to renew. 

That may be the wisest choice.  Without expediting, you just don't know how long it's going to take:  My husband and I sent our renewals out on the same day -- and we're both natural born Americans with no red flags.  His zipped back to him in something like two weeks.  Mine took the slow train and I despaired of ever receiving it.  Even though the internet said it was still "in progress", it showed up LITERALLY as I was putting the suitcases into the car the afternoon before we left for our cruise.  My husband saw me come back in the house with the envelope, and he yelled, "Luck of the Irish!"  

3 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

As stated earlier, you never see any CC posts re a married woman being denied boarding for not having a marriage certificate as a bridging document.

You're right.  If this were a common problem, we'd hear about it here.  

Still, I'd lean towards bringing excess paperwork.  The boarding line is no place for assumptions.  

[mjkacmom]

59 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

So the problem is that she must mail away her current passport ... and she could be without it for weeks.  Very inefficient system.  I really think we need an overhall of the whole passport system.  

 

Exactly when is your last planned cruise vs. her expiration date?  How many weeks in between?  Do note that you have to make an appointment to turn in your paperwork, and they aren't always available for weeks -- consider scheduling well in advance.  

That may be the wisest choice.  Without expediting, you just don't know how long it's going to take:  My husband and I sent our renewals out on the same day -- and we're both natural born Americans with no red flags.  His zipped back to him in something like two weeks.  Mine took the slow train and I despaired of ever receiving it.  Even though the internet said it was still "in progress", it showed up LITERALLY as I was putting the suitcases into the car the afternoon before we left for our cruise.  My husband saw me come back in the house with the envelope, and he yelled, "Luck of the Irish!"  

You're right.  If this were a common problem, we'd hear about it here.  

Still, I'd lean towards bringing excess paperwork.  The boarding line is no place for assumptions.  

I don’t think she needs an appointment, just fill out the form online and mail it in.

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

As someone who checks in passengers sailing closed loop cruises to Alaska, I look to see if the first and middle name, along with the birth date on the birth certificate matches up with the government issued ID (Driver License).  If a check-in agent had any concerns, a supervisor would be called over.  As stated earlier, you never see any CC posts re a married woman being denied boarding for not having a marriage certificate as a bridging document.

I knew you would come through with the definitive answer. 😊

 

I hope you put everyone's mind at rest who read this thread and had this concern.

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

I knew you would come through with the definitive answer. 😊

 

I hope you put everyone's mind at rest who read this thread and had this concern.

Thanks!  I am on a HAL cruise right now, and the WiFi is challenging at best.  Looking forward to the 2024 Alaska season!

[ontheweb]

40 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Thanks!  I am on a HAL cruise right now, and the WiFi is challenging at best.  Looking forward to the 2024 Alaska season!

We were on an NCL cruise last month, London (Southampton) to Reykjavik. Talk about challenging wifi, I saw on the deck plans an internet cafe. But it turned out that there were no desktops there. Made our 250 free internet minutes totally worthless. 😒

[new_cruiser]

6 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Do note that you have to make an appointment to turn in your paperwork, and they aren't always available for weeks -- consider scheduling well in advance.  

You only need to turn the application in in person for a new Passport application. Renewals of unexpired passports (and expired ones up to a certain time limit) can be submitted by mail. No appointment needed.