Expired Passport

[capriccio]

11 minutes ago, t&atravel said:

Does it even matter what the countries policies are?  Princesses policy is 6 months from the end of the cruise period…or you don’t sail. One policy no matter where they go. 

Since when?  Just looking on-line right now under the FAQs: Travel Document Requirements it only has a warning:

 

Passport validity

Many countries require passports be valid for six months after the completion of your travel. Check your passport to verify it will be valid for this period of time.

[startedwithamouse]

54 minutes ago, t&atravel said:

Does it even matter what the countries policies are?  Princesses policy is 6 months from the end of the cruise period…or you don’t sail. One policy no matter where they go. 

 

Incorrect.

 

It depends on the countries visited. 

 

[Mike07]

1 hour ago, wcflats said:

Folks…just be proactive and responsible and get your passport in a timely manner. That’s your responsibility and nobody else’s.

 

 

That's my point. I'm sympathetic to people that mess this stuff up, but everybody needs to take responsibility for their travel documents.

 

Lots of stuff can go sideways when traveling..... there was even that cruise ship that broke down and passengers without passports had to disembark in a foreign country on a closed loop cruise that apparently allows for birth certificates.....

 

 

[Potstech]

A valid passport is the gold standard for travel It and the proper visas get you into and out of most countries.  All you really need to know is the expiration date. It is not rocket science to check the date BEFORE purchasing a cruise.

[Mike07]

2 minutes ago, Potstech said:

A valid passport is the gold standard for travel It and the proper visas get you into and out of most countries.  All you really need to know is the expiration date. It is not rocket science to check the date BEFORE purchasing a cruise.

 

Yup. I've known medical doctors that realized that their passport was expired the night before international travel.

 

I'm very lazy about some things, but never about valid IDs....

[theloo]

Sometimes, it is hard to get a passport in time, especially if you're traveling and need your passport and can't send it in for renewal until you get back.  Even with expedited processing, the State Department was very backed up.  I have 5 months between trips and fortunately got my passport renewed quickly, but I can see how a person might end up without a passport unexpectedly.

[Mike07]

4 hours ago, theloo said:

Sometimes, it is hard to get a passport in time, especially if you're traveling and need your passport and can't send it in for renewal until you get back.  Even with expedited processing, the State Department was very backed up.  I have 5 months between trips and fortunately got my passport renewed quickly, but I can see how a person might end up without a passport unexpectedly.

 

 

Eh, to do a renewal, you need to mail in your current passport. The couple cited in the OP had either one or two expired passports... indicating to me that it was an oversight or negligence on their part.

[RD64]

10 hours ago, Mike07 said:

If you really want to get me wound up... the people that do these closed circuit cruisers on birth certificates without passports just because "it's allowed!!!".

 

IDGRA what the State Department's official position is. I step outside of America, I have a passport.

There seems to be a true reluctance for Americans to get a passport. Please don’t complain about the expense - if you can afford the cruise you can afford the expense. Th3n there is the I never leave - and will never leave - the USA contingent, so I have no need for a passport and will never spend the $.

 

I don’t know of anybody in Canada that does not have a passport. I have continuously had a passport since I was eight. My parents (84 and 85) just renewed their’s - it is a way of life for us, and easily amortized over ten years.

 

Then there were the irate people in Skagway that could not comprehend that they needed an actual passport for one of the excursions and caused no end of grief to the shore excursion staff because they have never needed one, never had one, and thought that their drivers’ licenses was more than adequate.

Edited September 24, 2023 by RD64
Additional

[NavyVeteran]

30 minutes ago, RD64 said:

Then there were the irate people in Skagway that could not comprehend that they needed an actual passport for one of the excursions and caused no end of grief to the shore excursion staff because they have never needed one, never had one, and thought that their drivers’ licenses was more than adequate.

A US citizen does not necessarily need an actual passport to enter Canada on the excursions from Skagway. Another WHTI compliant document would also per acceptable. Per the description for one of the Princess Yukon excursions, "Since this tour enters Canada, all guests must carry a passport or other WHTI compliant document. For U.S. citizens these documents include: U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card, Enhanced Driver's License, Trusted Traveler Card and Military ID Card (for U.S. armed forces members on official orders)." Although, I agree that a passport is the safest alternative.

[RD64]

25 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

A US citizen does not necessarily need an actual passport to enter Canada on the excursions from Skagway. Another WHTI compliant document would also per acceptable. Per the description for one of the Princess Yukon excursions, "Since this tour enters Canada, all guests must carry a passport or other WHTI compliant document. For U.S. citizens these documents include: U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card, Enhanced Driver's License, Trusted Traveler Card and Military ID Card (for U.S. armed forces members on official orders)." Although, I agree that a passport is the safest alternative.

I can only tell you what I was hearing as I was the next person in the incredibly long line.

[cr8tiv1]

I have watched a couple of you tube videos of this story.  It wasn't just that the passport was expired.

 

Facts:

It was on a Princess cruise / closed loop / to Hawaii.

Passengers were from Arizona.

Grabbed the wrong passport (expired not current).

Denied boarding without any compensation.

Took it to the media.  Lost.

 

If....they had the wrong passport, but had a certified birth certificate and a current government ID, they would have been allowed to board.  They did not have a certified birth certificate since they "thought" a passport was sufficient.  

 

I carry my passport around whenever I travel.  I do not think about carrying a certified birth certificate.  I don't think many seasoned travelers carry their birth certificates with them.  

[SargassoPirate]

On 9/23/2023 at 8:41 AM, _rusty_shackleford said:

EDLs (Enhanced Driver's License) are also proof of citizenship and are only available in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington. They are different than a normal DL so if he didn't have an EDL and didn't have a birth certificate to go with his standard ID he wouldn't have been able to go.

There are other states that issue enhanced driver's licenses or as they are also known Real ID.  Our state started the Real ID when they started issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens.  We had to take a US birth certificate or US passport with us at renewal time to prove that we were US citizens.

 

The Real ID drivers license will get us on domestic flights, but we always fly with our passport anyway.

[Torfamm]

13 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

There are other states that issue enhanced driver's licenses or as they are also known Real ID.  Our state started the Real ID when they started issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens.  We had to take a US birth certificate or US passport with us at renewal time to prove that we were US citizens.

 

The Real ID drivers license will get us on domestic flights, but we always fly with our passport anyway.

Real ID is not the same thing as enhanced drivers licenses. Enhanced drivers licenses meet Real ID standards but are a different document that can be used at some border crossings. They are only available to US citizens and only in a few states and have features like RFID chips.

In Michigan, they mark Real ID compliant licenses with a star and EDL’s have the US flag on them. It’s confused a lot of people who thought thy could use their new Real ID compliant licence to drive into Canada.
 

Real ID compliant licenses don’t require US citizenship and are available from states that don’t offer EDL’s. They can be used for domestic travel, entering federal buildings etc, but not border crossings.

 

https://www.dhs.gov/enhanced-drivers-licenses-what-are-they

[charliedalrymple]

I've had a valid passport all of my adult life, and I'm always careful to renew it well before the expiration date when I won't need it for travel. Of course there are unforeseen circumstances at times, but there's really no excuse for trying to travel with an expired passport. 

 

Does anyone really travel with a birth certificate?  I'm surprised at how many people have mentioned that.

[skynight]

Question for 57eric. Are you asking an academic question or are you attempting to sail without a passport. There are various reasons to be denied boarding. Here are just a few:

*improper WHITI documents, or failure to present all required documents

*citizenship of individual required passport to enter Mexico

*error by the person checking the documents

Advice. Always travel internationally with a valid passport.

[deliver42]

I go for a renewal one year ahead of time, so I don't have to worry about it.

[skynight]

I renewed mine this spring. Based on where I live the office was in Philly. It took just over 3 months. An expedited service is available. 

Lesson. Be on top of your passport expiration and travel dates. 

On a related subject I also renewed my global entry/trusted traveler on line this spring. Received the new card in one week. 

[bstrauss3]

There was a hope that processing times would drop towards the end of the peak summer travel season, but that does not seem to have happened. And if the idjits manage to shutdown the government, it will take 3x the length of the shutdown to catch-up.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/processing-times.html

 

Current Processing Times (applied on or after March 24, 2023)

Routine	10 to 13 weeks
Expedited	7 to 9 weeks

 

 

[Mike07]

12 minutes ago, bstrauss3 said:

There was a hope that processing times would drop towards the end of the peak summer travel season, but that does not seem to have happened. And if the idjits manage to shutdown the government, it will take 3x the length of the shutdown to catch-up.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/processing-times.html

 

Current Processing Times (applied on or after March 24, 2023)

Routine	10 to 13 weeks
Expedited	7 to 9 weeks

 

 

 

 

FYI -- CC will slap this thread down if it gets political. I alluded to the government shutdown earlier in this thread and who knows what it will do to passport processing times.

 

I read up on the matter and your passport processing fees are what covers the application, processing, printing and mailing of the passports. IOW -- It's like the post office. Government shutdown or no shutdown, it should have minimal to no impact on passport processing, creation and mailing b/c your passport fee covers all of that.

 

But yes, 10 to 13 weeks is still ridiculous, and why I standby being on top of your expiration date, and not in the "Well, it's not expired yet!"

Edited September 24, 2023 by Mike07

[bstrauss3]

2 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

IOW -- It's like the post office.

It's not. The post office is a separate corporation that is wholly owned by the government.

 

Passport processing is just a Department of State function. Where the money comes from and goes to is accounting, not within the definition of essential or non-essential services.

[Mike07]

1 minute ago, bstrauss3 said:

It's not. The post office is a separate corporation that is wholly owned by the government.

 

Passport processing is just a Department of State function. Where the money comes from and goes to is accounting, not within the definition of essential or non-essential services.

 

 

Sort of

[Mike07]

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-government-shutdown-what-closes-what-stays-open-2023-09-21/

 

This is what your passport fee is paying for. Sure, passports will likely be slightly delayed... but there's also a tropical storm moving up the I-95 corridor and that's likely delaying passports as well because State might be sending out office closure emails, as well as, liberal leave allowances to allow for staffers to adjust their schedules due to inclement weather.

 

 

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

U.S. embassies and consulates would remain open under the State Department's 2022 shutdown plan. Passport and visa processing would continue as long as there were sufficient fees to cover operations. Nonessential official travel, speeches and other events would be curtailed.

Some foreign aid programs could run out of money as well.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Mike07

[capriccio]

13 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

Sort of

Fees pay for passport processing but a shutdown could delay processing due to reduced accounting staff (in past shutdowns only a reduced percentage of those staffs were considered ‘essential’).  Also some passport processing centers are located in complexes/buildings that are controlled by other agencies who may be shutdown.

[Mike07]

4 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Fees pay for passport processing but a shutdown could delay processing due to reduced accounting staff (in past shutdowns only a reduced percentage of those staffs were considered ‘essential’).  Also some passport processing centers are located in complexes/buildings that are controlled by other agencies who may be shutdown.

 

 

I think this is one of those things where people are going to read into this as much as they want.

 

I looked for guidance from state.gov and didn't really get anywhere. But, I'm pretty sure I read a blurb that you ought to have your passport in order BEFORE booking foreign travel. So really, government running or government shutdown, State is giving valid advice on their site... right now.

 

 

 

From State... emphasis is theirs... not mine.

 

"well in advance"

 

 

"

We encourage all Americans to check their passport expiration date before making any definitive plans for international travel, and to take action to renew their passport well in advance of international travel this year. "

 

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Mike07

[SargassoPirate]

13 hours ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

I think this is one of those things where people are going to read into this as much as they want.

 

I looked for guidance from state.gov and didn't really get anywhere. But, I'm pretty sure I read a blurb that you ought to have your passport in order BEFORE booking foreign travel. So really, government running or government shutdown, State is giving valid advice on their site... right now.

 

 

 

From State... emphasis is theirs... not mine.

 

"well in advance"

 

 

"

We encourage all Americans to check their passport expiration date before making any definitive plans for international travel, and to take action to renew their passport well in advance of international travel this year. "

 

 

I recall an axiom that was used often in my working days in a large organization "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"