canadian Passport Question

[number4]

My family is cruising to caribbean on beginning of Jan 2009.

But my DD passport is expired on Feb,2009.

I did phone to passport office ask about this and she said I need a passport at least six months before expired.

But when my wife went to passport office today, the staff said we just need a valid passport.(Back to Canada before expire date). Does anyone has this situation?

[big_duck]

It's not so much what Canada wants, but what the locations you are visiting require. Check with the consul/embassy for those countries to see what the requirements are.

[number4]

We are driving from Vancouver to Seattle,flying from Seattle to Miami, take Carnival liberty to Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. Me and my wife just phone to Carnival and got 2 different answers.

[yogi2929]

Get the passports renewed now. Why add the extra worry to your trip. I have seen this happen to a 16 year old on a 'once in a lifetime' trip. Her US passport had three months til it expired. She was turned away at the airport. She handled it with such maturity, I was so proud of her. She was able to catch up with the group 3 days later.

You won't have the same opportunity with a cruise.

[littledipper]

I also called Carnival for the same question and she did not really want to answer me but sent me this via email.

 

"1) Passport: Canadian citizens may present a valid Canadian passport when traveling via air, land or sea between the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere countries. Carnival recommends that all guests travel with a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the completion of travel."

 

Our passports are expiring 8 days before 6 months and I decided to renew before the cruise. It's just not worth the stress of wondering if they will accept it.

[gill_boo]

Part of the reason they ask your passports to be valid beyond the cruise is in the remote chance something happens. What if something horrible happened and your DD ended up in hospital and was not stable enough to be transferred for a month and then her passport is now invalid. Would you want to take that risk?

 

I am Canadian as well. When I got my passport last year it took 12 days to get. So if you get on it now, you would have a nice cushion and wouldn't have to worry. Plus, she is probably going to travel within the next 5 years so why bother with the aggravation of trying to find out this information. Just get the new passport.

[misguidedangel]

Yur DD is fine, but if she intends to travel to the states six-months before the expiry it will have to be renewed. My passport was good, still is, until Dec 31, 2008, but since I was travelling Sept 6-13 and that was only 3.5 months, I had to renew it in July of this year.

 

The renewal process is really easy and fast. It still will cost around $100 to replace (including cost of picture), but she will have the passport in ONE week. I work one block away from a Gov't of Canada building and was in and out in 15-20 minutes, no more two, three, four, or more hour waits to drop of an application.

 

Homeland Security is paranoid we're not going to return home...alas, WHY wouldn't we--better health care, schools, social safety net. Sure, our climate sucks the further North you go, but Canada is a gem of a country!!!! I'm not even tempted to stay in the US longer than necessary (for fear of the crime problem--especially gun violence).

[number4]

Thank you for all the reply, I am going to renew her passport tomorrow.