Documents for Alaska

[Sotermarler]

I have an adult son who is supposed to cruise with us who does not have a passport. We got a letter today (cruise is next week) he may need other documents such as a visa (eTA) for Canada.
 

The NCL rules said a birth certificate was all that was required for the closed loop and now I'm panicking. Anyone travel there recently with a birth certificate? 

[richart]

It would be helpful if you provide more details about the cruise. Which ship? Embarkation port and debarkation port? Ports of call?

[Coral]

Delete.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Coral

[Sotermarler]

To and from Seattle NCL encore, we are US residents. 
 

The website says for cruises, leaving from a US port to Canada on cruises that begin and end in US ports and do not sail through panama canal you are required to carry one of the below documents, proof of citizenship, US birth certificate, and a government photo ID.

 

then down below, it says important information for gas, cruising and or flying through Canada applicable for Alaska departing from a Canadian port new entry requirements, but we are not departing from a new Canadian port.

 

The letter I got today says for guests arriving to Canada by cruise ship only a visitor visa is required of many nationalities, and then it sent me to a Canadian website. From there I can't make heads of tails what we need. Any help would be great. Thank you.

[Sotermarler]

I forgot to add the ports a call are the typical Alaska cruise ports Ketchikan Juno, glacier Bay. But it does stop for a few hours in. Victoria weren't even planning to get off but I know they have to stop there.

[Sotermarler]

26 minutes ago, richart said:

It would be helpful if you provide more details about the cruise. Which ship? Embarkation port and debarkation port? Ports of call?

I forgot to add the ports a call are the typical Alaska cruise ports Ketchikan Juno, glacier Bay. But it does stop for a few hours in. Victoria weren't even planning to get off but I know they have to stop there.

[richart]

I'm sure someone on here most likely knows the answer, but since this is so important for your trip, I don't think I would rely solely on a message board post. Since your cruise is only a week away I suggest you call and talk to someone at Princess and get an answer straight from them. Be sure to document when you call and who you speak to. If he does not have the required paperwork then he would not be allowed to board the ship.

[Sotermarler]

2 minutes ago, richart said:

I'm sure someone on here most likely knows the answer, but since this is so important for your trip, I don't think I would rely solely on a message board post. Since your cruise is only a week away I suggest you call and talk to someone at Princess and get an answer straight from them. Be sure to document when you call and who you speak to. If he does not have the required paperwork then he would not be allowed to board the ship.

Oh I agree, thanks for your comment.
I called NCL and they said they are not allowed to give out that information and directed me back to the website and a 3rd party who can expedite Visas but they are closed today. My guess is someone has sailed to Alaska recently and might have first hand experience. 

[richart]

16 hours ago, Sotermarler said:

Oh I agree, thanks for your comment.
I called NCL and they said they are not allowed to give out that information and directed me back to the website and a 3rd party who can expedite Visas but they are closed today. My guess is someone has sailed to Alaska recently and might have first hand experience. 

Sorry, I meant NCL and not Princess in my response. Wow! I am quite surprised that NCL would not answer your specific question! 

The NCL website does specifically address Alaska cruises: https://www.ncl.com/faqs/what-about-documentation-visas-and-passports

Since you are sailing from and returning to Seattle, this portion seems to apply:
 

Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Or Canada & New England Cruises

For round-trip sailings (cruises that depart from and return to the same U.S. port), you may sail with either a valid passport, proof of citizenship and a valid government-issued photo I.D. (driver’s license with a photo), or any other WHTI compliant document.

Proof of Citizenship examples include:

• State certified U.S. birth certificate
• Original certificate of U.S. naturalization
• Original certificate of U.S. citizenship
• U.S. Consular report of your birth abroad.
• Baptismal paper, hospital certificates of birth and Puerto Rico birth certificates issued prior to 7/1/10 are not acceptable.
• A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 do not require a government-issued photo ID.

 

To me, that seems to indicate that someone with a) a government issued photo ID and b) a state certified U. S. birth certificate (usually has a raised seal) would be OK, but not having been there I am only guessing. Hopefully someone who has taken this cruise recently can answer your question for sure. 

[karatemom2]

Here is a link directly from US Customs and Border Protection dated 6/20/23 that addresses this question and seems to indicate that a birth certificate and driver's license are still acceptable for closed loop cruises.

 

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-74?language=en_US

[Ferry_Watcher]

Your US born son can travel with his US government issued birth certificate along with a government issued photo ID like a driver license on this 'closed loop' cruise.

I do check in at Pier 91 in Seattle (although you will be sailing from Pier 66 with NCL).

Edited September 25, 2023 by Ferry_Watcher

[dbrown84]

Birth certificate and ID are fine.  You do have to fill out a visitor form for Canada, but they will give you that on the ship.  Everyone must fill it out and return it to guest services before anyone is allowed to get off the ship in Canada

[Sotermarler]

3 hours ago, richart said:

Sorry, I meant NCL and not Princess in my response. Wow! I am quite surprised that NCL would not answer your specific question! 

The NCL website does specifically address Alaska cruises: https://www.ncl.com/faqs/what-about-documentation-visas-and-passports

Since you are sailing from and returning to Seattle, this portion seems to apply:
 

Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Or Canada & New England Cruises

For round-trip sailings (cruises that depart from and return to the same U.S. port), you may sail with either a valid passport, proof of citizenship and a valid government-issued photo I.D. (driver’s license with a photo), or any other WHTI compliant document.

Proof of Citizenship examples include:

• State certified U.S. birth certificate
• Original certificate of U.S. naturalization
• Original certificate of U.S. citizenship
• U.S. Consular report of your birth abroad.
• Baptismal paper, hospital certificates of birth and Puerto Rico birth certificates issued prior to 7/1/10 are not acceptable.
• A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 do not require a government-issued photo ID.

 

To me, that seems to indicate that someone with a) a government issued photo ID and b) a state certified U. S. birth certificate (usually has a raised seal) would be OK, but not having been there I am only guessing. Hopefully someone who has taken this cruise recently can answer your question for sure. 

 

Thank you for your response. Yes we tried calling again and got told the same thing word for word, go to the website. 

When we booked I saw that part about ID and birth certificate too and figured he would be ok. However if you scroll further down on the page it gets more confusing when talking about going through CA via plane or cruise ship. Wording is similar to the letter below.
 

The letter instructs you to go to the website but never calls out what nationalities need a visa. It asks you if you have a green card, alien ID but doesn't address a birth certificate and ID. 
 

Here is the letter;

 

September 24, 2023
Dear Valued Guest,
On behalf of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), we thank you for your loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice. We have important information regarding your upcoming voyage.
In advance of your cruise vacation, we want to ensure that you are fully aware of the local travel requirements for entry into Canada.
If arriving to, or transiting through, Canada by plane many nationalities need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) or Visitor Visa that must be applied for in advance of arrival.

For guests arriving to Canada by cruise ship, only a Visitor Visa is required of many nationalities.

To check requirements for individual nationalities, and for further information, we strongly recommend all guests visit
https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp as soon as possible, in order to allow enough time for any required applications.
Failure to provide the required visas and documentation will result in denial of boarding for your cruise and the inability to extend
any refund of your cruise fare.
For more information on the required documentation to sail, please visit www.ncl.com/traveldocs. As a reminder it is your responsibility to ensure you have the necessary documentation and/or visas for your itinerary.
Thank you again for choosing Norwegian Cruise Line, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard very soon.
Sincerely,
Norwegian Cruise Line

[Sotermarler]

3 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

Here is a link directly from US Customs and Border Protection dated 6/20/23 that addresses this question and seems to indicate that a birth certificate and driver's license are still acceptable for closed loop cruises.

 

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-74?language=en_US

Thank you! 

[Sotermarler]

2 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

Birth certificate and ID are fine.  You do have to fill out a visitor form for Canada, but they will give you that on the ship.  Everyone must fill it out and return it to guest services before anyone is allowed to get off the ship in Canada

Thank you! 

[Sotermarler]

3 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Your US born son can travel with his US government issued birth certificate along with a government issued photo ID like a driver license on this 'closed loop' cruise.

I do check in at Pier 91 in Seattle (although you will be sailing from Pier 66 with NCL).

Thank you, I swear the letter was just to scare me. 

[GTJ]

On 9/24/2023 at 7:35 PM, Sotermarler said:

To and from Seattle NCL encore, we are US residents.

This sentence is the problem with providing a responsive answer to your question. Generally, "residency" is not determinative. Rather, what is most critical to know is whether your son a United States citizen. Reading through all the above discussion, nowhere is anything disclosed about the citizenship of your son. Is your adult son a United States citizen? Not a lawful permanent resident but a citizen? If so, then, under the Hemisphere Travel Initiative, 8 C.F.R. § 235.1(b)(5), a United States citizen may re-enter the country without a passport under these criteria:

 

A U.S. citizen traveling entirely within the Western Hemisphere is permitted to present a government-issued photo identification document in combination with either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for entering the United States when the United States citizen:

 

(i) Boards a cruise ship at a port or place within the United States; and,

 

(ii) Returns on the return voyage of the same cruise ship to the same United States port or place from where he or she originally departed.

 

On such cruises, U.S. Citizens under the age of 16 may present an original or a copy of a birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

Note that these are the immigration requirements only of the United States. You are also required to meet the immigration requirements of countries visited. Canada requires proof of identity and citizenship for entry, so the same document(s) to be relied upon for re-entry to the United States should be acceptable for entry into Canada.

 

Your cruise line will check your documents prior to boarding, but you will need the documents when actually traveling. (I read one story of a couple showing documents to the carrier, then returning the documents to their parked automobile before boarding the vessel, then not being allowed into the country visited because they did not have their documents! Don't let this be you!) Sometimes carriers get the law wrong, so you cannot always rely upon what they state on their websites. (For example, not all birth certificates are certified by states, such as those issued to people born in New York City.) It can confusing, and ultimately it is the passenger, not the cruise line, who is responsible for ensuring legal compliance.

[richart]

On 9/24/2023 at 7:16 PM, Sotermarler said:

I have an adult son who is supposed to cruise with us who does not have a passport. We got a letter today (cruise is next week) he may need other documents such as a visa (eTA) for Canada.
 

The NCL rules said a birth certificate was all that was required for the closed loop and now I'm panicking. Anyone travel there recently with a birth certificate? 

Sotermarler, how did things work out on your cruise?

[Sotermarler]

We had no issues thankfully. Thank you all for your help!