Is a "PassPort card" the same as a Regular Passport?

[hoytarchery999]

ive got a question. my friend is going on a cruise with me in august and he didnt have a passport and we told him he needed to get one. after we told him that he needed a passport he went and got a passport "card" thing he called it because it was cheaper than a regular passport he said the place he got it at said it was the same thing as a passport. will this "passport card" work on a cruise?

[rummenroman]

ive got a question. my friend is going on a cruise with me in august and he didnt have a passport and we told him he needed to get one. after we told him that he needed a passport he went and got a passport "card" thing he called it because it was cheaper than a regular passport he said the place he got it at said it was the same thing as a passport. will this "passport card" work on a cruise?

 

 

In short yes

 

The only thing you will have to worry about is if your friend needs to fly home from an island for any reason.

 

As long as the cruise begins and end in the US (Puerto Rico included) you friend will be fine!

[hoytarchery999]

In short yes

 

The only thing you will have to worry about is if your friend needs to fly home from an island for any reason.

 

As long as the cruise begins and end in the US (Puerto Rico included) you friend will be fine!

 

no we dont have to fly this time, just driving to baltimore. thanks

 

when my mom does the online check in and she needs the passport numbers will this card have one?

[rummenroman]

no we dont have to fly this time, just driving to baltimore. thanks

 

You will not have any problem

 

What i ment was if there was a medical emergency while visiting a non-US port and your friend had to fly home. You cannot fly from another country into the US on a passport card. That would be your only issue.

[BPWJR]

From US Dept of State http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html

 

"The wallet-size passport card is convenient and less expensive than the passport book. However, the U.S. Passport Card cannot be used for international air travel. This new travel document can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry."

 

So good for cruises in Caribbean, but no other international travel or any transatlantic cruises

[megr1125]

yes the passport card will have a number...

 

technically it is not the same as a passport as it is only good for land and sea entries back into the USA not for flights....but it will work for your friend in this case.

 

generally though, the passport book is better.........yes the card is cheaper, but it isn't going to help in the event of any future flights.

[crzndeb]

In short yes

 

The only thing you will have to worry about is if your friend needs to fly home from an island for any reason.

 

As long as the cruise begins and end in the US (Puerto Rico included) you friend will be fine!

 

Almost....if the cruise is a closed loop, which means it starts and ends in the same US port, you are ok without a passport (for now)...but in the case of cruises that start in one US port and end in a different US port (ie Panama Canal cruises that go thru canal), you need some type of passport...card or book

[cherylandtk]

Almost....if the cruise is a closed loop, which means it starts and ends in the same US port, you are ok without a passport (for now)...but in the case of cruises that start in one US port and end in a different US port (ie Panama Canal cruises that go thru canal), you need some type of passport...card or book

This is true, but I would clarify that the passport card and passport book are NOT equally accepted on these types of cruises. Some of these require a passport book and cannot use a passport card.

[DMorris]

What ports is your cruise going to? Some islands will be an issue. A friend of mine was denied boarding with a birth certificate because of one port they were going to and a passport was not mandatory, but for South America (for instance) always required a passport.

[hoytarchery999]

What ports is your cruise going to? Some islands will be an issue. A friend of mine was denied boarding with a birth certificate because of one port they were going to and a passport was not mandatory, but for South America (for instance) always required a passport.

 

we are going to bermuda.

[DMorris]

we are going to bermuda.

 

According to the States web site... Bermuda is ok to use the Passport Card for cruises. Can't fly in or out with it.

 

"This new travel document can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry."

[Don Pedro]

Unless you friend is going to make land crossing into Canada or Mexico he probably wasted his money on the passport card. For most cruises it has little advantage over a birth certificate and government issue photo ID.

 

The passport book is far superior as it will be needed in case air travel from a foreign destination become necessary due to missing the ship, medical emergencies or other unplanned event.

[jhmoore143]

when my mom does the online check in and she needs the passport numbers will this card have one?

 

Personally I would carry both just to be on the safe side. The reason I say carry both (if you have it) is because the number on the card is NOT the same number on the book. If you checked in On-Line and put down the number of the passport card, and then decided to bring the passport book instead, you might have issues at the port because the number is not the same.

 

We were going to use our passport cards this trip, but it wasn't until I filled out the on-line registration and submitted it that the numbers were not the same (I used the passport book numbers) - so that is what we will use this time around.