Expired Passport

[Freem06]

My grandmother and I are leaving Nov 18 on the grand. I just found out her passport and DL both have expired. She has those two items plus her ss card and her birth certificate. Will this be a problem boarding?

[nets33]

How expired is her passport? If I remember correctly you can use a passport for up to six months after the expiration date.

 

The alternate would be to get her DL renewed so that she does have a valid ID. That, along with her birth certificate would be fine.

[BillMcAnally]

It all depends on where you are going, and where the ship departs from. If you are flying to europe or Asia to board the ship you will need a passport to even get on the plane.

[chrysalis]

How expired is her passport? If I remember correctly you can use a passport for up to six months after the expiration date

 

huh?..."expired" means just that....many countries will not let you in if your passport is within 6 months of expiring.

[mexico5]

I could be wrong here, but I was under the impression that the passport had to be valid for 6 months after your return date. For emergency situations like being detained or delayed, the passport would need to be valid for the extra time just in case. Perhaps it is different in Canada?

[cherylandtk]

The Nov. 18 Grand Cruise is a Caribbean cruise, so your Grandmother needs only to prove 1) citizenship and 2) Identity. The birth certificate does the former, but she needs to have a valid, unexpired identity document.

 

First, are you certain the birth certificate she has is a certified state/county copy and not a hospital copy? Is so, it's OK. If not, I suggest you pay the money to get one quickly from one of the online sites such as VitalChek who can process and mail these out overnight.

 

For her ID, she should either renew her DL or get a state ID card if she no longer drives. The Texas requirements are listed here:

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/driver_licensing_control/pages/identificationrequirements.htm

 

Be sure she takes at least two forms of supporting identification down to the MVD as required to obtain the state ID card, as her DL is expired and she will need more than just that card. (Here is where the expired passport, the expired DL card and the SS card might be useful, along with the BC and her voter ID card). Good Luck.

[nets33]

huh?..."expired" means just that....many countries will not let you in if your passport is within 6 months of expiring.

 

Sorry... I did say I wasn't sure. Here is what the US Passport site states:

 

"Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip and/or have two to four blank visa/stamp pages. Some airlines will not allow you to board if these requirements are not met. "

 

Living so close to Canada we used to be able to cross the border easily with expired passports - I've done it more than once. Sorry. :)

[willysgrandma]

It seems you are in luck at least with the passport because you are traveling before Jan. 8, 2007 - effective then, Princess is requiring a passport for all passengers.

 

PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

Please be advised that while originally the U.S. Department of State regulations stipulated that passports would be needed by January 8, 2007 for land and sea travel, recently passed legislation has deferred this date until at least January 1, 2008. However, all passengers traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will still be required to present a valid U.S. passport beginning January 8, 2007. Even if your cruise does not involve air travel outside the U.S., should you be required to unexpectedly depart a vessel prior to the end of the sailing, a passport would be required to re-enter the U.S. by air. As such, Princess Cruises continues to strongly recommend that all passengers are in possession of a passport by January 8, 2007. Information regarding the passport requirements is available at www.travel.state.gov. Foreign nationals should contact their governments for further details.

[chrysalis]

Sorry... I did say I wasn't sure. Here is what the US Passport site states:

 

"Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip and/or have two to four blank visa/stamp pages. Some airlines will not allow you to board if these requirements are not met. "

 

Living so close to Canada we used to be able to cross the border easily with expired passports - I've done it more than once. Sorry. :)

 

no problem...I just did not want anyone to think that they could travel with an expired passport to countries that required one for entry. There has been much confusion over the passport issue around here with all of the recent changes.

[CMurph]

Once upon a time, the cruiselines did accept expired passports as a form of ID (up to six months, I believe). Obviously, with all the changes that is no longer so. Grandma is in luck that the passport requirement is not yet in effect for her cruise. I do agree that they need to make sure she has a certified copy of her birth certificate. It is very easy to order on-line or by phone. They need to get moving as Nov. 18 is just around the corner!

 

Happy Sailing!

[Freem06]

Ok, We might have the id worked out but she will have a paper id with the expired picture id. Do you think this will do? My grandmother is so upset over this that she is crying and not sleeping, so I am trying everything I can to get it worked out.

Thanks

[mississauga]

Living so close to Canada we used to be able to cross the border easily with expired passports - I've done it more than once. Sorry. :)

 

For crossing the border between Canada and the US, you can still do so. ( even flying in or out, right now but that will change soon ) Usually a birth certificate is sufficient. So in that respect, you were not wrong.

[Hulagirl]

Another thought would be to get your Grandmother an ID card. We have them in our state and I looked at the Texas web site and you also have them. It is issued through your DOL and is just what she needs. The cards look very similar to a drivers license, but is just a picture ID card. These are very easy to get and would definitely give her current ID with a picture on it and would give her peace of mind. When our daughter was younger I thought about getting her one, but just went for the passport instead. But if she doesn't think she will leave the country again, the ID card would be perfect.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Hulagirl

[britneyangel]

I had just checked on Princess requirements for a friend who is cruising next Feb. Princess doesn't actually say "require", they "strongly recommend". This is for a U.S. citizen on a Mexican Riviera cruise. Am I wrong? Or do they really require one? I know it is best to have one, which I do, and she has applied for one, but was worried of the backlog problem and that it wouldn't arrive in time.

 

It seems you are in luck at least with the passport because you are traveling before Jan. 8, 2007 - effective then, Princess is requiring a passport for all passengers.

 

PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

Please be advised that while originally the U.S. Department of State regulations stipulated that passports would be needed by January 8, 2007 for land and sea travel, recently passed legislation has deferred this date until at least January 1, 2008. However, all passengers traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will still be required to present a valid U.S. passport beginning January 8, 2007. Even if your cruise does not involve air travel outside the U.S., should you be required to unexpectedly depart a vessel prior to the end of the sailing, a passport would be required to re-enter the U.S. by air. As such, Princess Cruises continues to strongly recommend that all passengers are in possession of a passport by January 8, 2007. Information regarding the passport requirements is available at www.travel.state.gov. Foreign nationals should contact their governments for further details.

[KFL]

We just renewed our passports. We had the new ones in 25 days from sending in the old ones. There is no backlog in the Philadelphia center at the moment.

 

The cruise lines are recommending that you have a passport as if you have to return by AIR to the US, they will be needed.

[cherylandtk]

I had just checked on Princess requirements for a friend who is cruising next Feb. Princess doesn't actually say "require", they "strongly recommend". This is for a U.S. citizen on a Mexican Riviera cruise. Am I wrong? Or do they really require one? I know it is best to have one, which I do, and she has applied for one, but was worried of the backlog problem and that it wouldn't arrive in time.

You are correct, not required. If she has already applied for her passport, she will have it before the February cruise.

[Pam in CA]

It seems you are in luck at least with the passport because you are traveling before Jan. 8, 2007 - effective then, Princess is requiring a passport for all passengers.

Not quite correct.

 

-- If your cruise DOES NOT disembark in a U.S. port and you are returning to the U.S. by air, a passport will be required and Princess is requiring passports for all passengers embarking cruises that will disembark after 1/7/07.

 

-- If your cruise DOES disembark in a U.S. port, a passport is strongly recommended, not required.

 

-- Should you need to leave the cruise and fly back to the U.S., you would have a problem re-entering the U.S. after January 8, 2007 without a passport. As many of us know, "stuff" happens to even the young and healthy. (If, for instance, you miss the ship for whatever reason, you would not be able to fly back to the U.S. or possibly to the next port without great expense and difficulty.) Princess is strongly recommending all passengers have a passport so that should the unthinkable happen, their passengers have legal mobility.

[britneyangel]

Thank you for your responses. I will let her know not to worry and that she will have the passport on time. I agree with the importance of having one in unforseeable circumstances.

[Bob and Deb]

I posted yesterday that I live and work in the Virgin Islands. We are also 3 time cruisers on Princess.

My business relies on travelers from the mainland and we inundated with calls regarding proof of citzenship.

If you visit the State Department website they discuss 01/08/07, for travelers by air and 01/08/08 for travelers by land and sea as benchmarks.

If you dig into the FAQ section you will find the following;

Q. Will travelers from U.S. territories need to present a passport to enter the United States?

No. These territories are a part of the United States. U.S. citizens returning directly from a U.S. territory are not considered to have left the U.S. territory and do not need to present a passport. U.S. territories include the following: Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Swains Island and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

So if you board in San Juan you are covered and need not have a passport

[KFL]

So if you board in San Juan you are covered and need not have a passport

 

Wrong, there could easily be another country that will require it. Also what about having to return by emergency air from a non US island?

[newyork cruiser]

This happened to us too. There is a passport center in NYC that will have your passport turned around in 1-3 days. Check out the link below to see if there is one near you.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/about/agencies/agencies_913.html

 

Otherwise, the expedited passport fee will get your passport to you in about 2 weeks, which may be cutting it a bit close.

 

Good luck!