Passport

[waid10]

My Princess documents came the other day for my 2/19 sailing on the Caribbean Princess. The documents state that your passport must be valid for 5 months past the dates of your cruise. My passport will expire in June 2005 (about 4 months after I cruise).

 

1. Why is it required that your passport be valid after the cruise date?

 

2. Is this rule enforced?

 

I have my birth certificate as back-up so I am more curious than anything. But it just seems strange (and the 5 month duration arbitrary) to require this.

 

Thanks.

[prophotogirl]

You'll do just fine with your BC (no passport needed). You should have no problem using you passport if you are taking your BC as backup.

[twocats]

DH and I just applied for our first passports yesterday and were told by the postal worker that after January 1, passports were going to be required for entrance to Mexico and Canada. Has anyone else been told this? :confused:

[Toto2Kansas]

twocats, That wouldn't surprise me in the least, but I did just read all the info available on the offical government passport site and it does not mention one word of it. So......................I guess time will tell on this one.

I actually would think that word about this would have come out a lot sooner though if it were this January 1st as there are a lot of people that travel to Canada and Mexico by cruise ship or any other means that would need to have this info long before now. :confused:

[tom-n-jules]

DH and I just applied for our first passports yesterday and were told by the postal worker that after January 1, passports were going to be required for entrance to Mexico and Canada. Has anyone else been told this? :confused:

Whenever I fly to Canada a passport is always required and has been for sometime...

[Coral]

My Princess documents came the other day for my 2/19 sailing on the Caribbean Princess. The documents state that your passport must be valid for 5 months past the dates of your cruise. My passport will expire in June 2005 (about 4 months after I cruise).

 

1. Why is it required that your passport be valid after the cruise date?

 

2. Is this rule enforced?

 

The reason why it is required that your passport be valid after the cruise date is in case something happens while you are out of the US. For example - if you go to Italy a month before your passport expires (you are required to have a passport in Italy unlike the Caribbean where a BC will work) and you are in a bad accident or something else delays your return home (earthquake and tsuanami). You happen to be in a hospital or can't travel home for a month and then you have the issue of an expired passport which is also an expired proof of citizenship/identity. You must then deal with Embassy Offices to get your expired passport current so that you can travel home. This was the explanation given to me from my friend who worked at the American Embassy in Rome.

 

I doubt this is enforced on Caribbean/Mexico/Canada cruises but as long as you have your BC - I wouldn't worry about it. Now if you were going to take an Exotic Asisan cruise - I would get it renewed.

[River Rat Jim]

DH and I just applied for our first passports yesterday and were told by the postal worker that after January 1, passports were going to be required for entrance to Mexico and Canada. Has anyone else been told this? :confused:

This will prove interesting if true. We have a summer home in the 1000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence River and frequent various Canadian cities by boat. The procedure has always been to call a toll free number from the dock and give boat registration number, passenger names, birth dates & citizenship. After the usual questions regarding firearms, drugs, etc. they then give you a 4 or 5 digit number that you use if you're stopped. We always bring our passports but have never needed them. This new procedure would clearly discourage frequent American visitors.

 

Jim

[chrysalis]

I think that postal worker was clearly misinformed........

 

 

marc

[AdrieneAGD]

Whenever I fly to Canada a passport is always required and has been for sometime...

 

Not in the past. We flew to Vancouver last winter and did not have passports at the time. As long as you are a US Citizen and have a valid birth certificate on you and photo ID, they let you in.

[bdpacker]

I have a similar situation that I would like your input on. My wife and I are sailing on the Grand Princess out of Galveston on February 5. My passport expires April 24, 2005, and my wife's passport expires May 3, 2005. Is this sufficient, or must we have either (1) renewed passports or (2) official birth certificates? I know the preferred answer is to have one of the two options mentioned above, but what are the consequences or problems if we are unable to locate our birth certificates?

[chrysalis]

you should be OK with your present passports...but I really would spend some time finding those lost BCs...since you will likely need them to renew your passports, in any event.

[tom-n-jules]

Not in the past. We flew to Vancouver last winter and did not have passports at the time. As long as you are a US Citizen and have a valid birth certificate on you and photo ID, they let you in.

I assumed most people would understand that a BC/photo would be accepted as well...

[peppertoo]

Please don't come on 2/19 as the ship sails 2/16. Hope we all make it on board.