Passport Information

[jagoodbar]

Just a heads up to everyone. In November, my wife and I head to Australia for a cruise aboard the Volendam, to Australia/New Zealand. From this board, I was under the impression that I had to renew my passport since it expires in April 2011. I checked with Holland America and they said it depended on the country. So, I called the Australian Consulate and they said as long as my passport was didn't expire while I was in country, I would be OK, but to check with the airline I was traveling on. So, I called V Australia and they said it would be no problem as long as I had my Electronic Visa. I haven't yet checked with New Zealand, but I will shortly. I might still renew my passport prior to the cruise but it appears it won't be necessary.

Jon

[CaveDiving]

Hi,

I don't understand why you're fooling around. Just send your passport in and get it renewed. Then you don't need to worry about anything expiring.

Scott & Karen

[jtl513]

I agree with CaveDiving. What are you losing, 1/2 year out of 10? $5 under the pricing when you first got it? Not worth taking any chances for that little money!

[sail7seas]

There is absolutely no chance at all I would depend upon the reps you spoke with on the phone about something so important. I would be sending our passports out for renewal and wouldn't dream of taking the chance.

Best wishes. Hope it works out fine for you and you have a great time. Sounds like a dream trip.

[xxoocruiser]

I agree with CaveDiving. What are you losing, 1/2 year out of 10? $5 under the pricing when you first got it? Not worth taking any chances for that little money!

OP won't loose out on anything. If a passport still hasn't expired at the time of renewl, the new expiration date is 10 years from the expiration date on the one that's about expire.

[3rdGenCunarder]

OP won't loose out on anything. If a passport still hasn't expired at the time of renewl, the new expiration date is 10 years from the expiration date on the one that's about expire.

Are you sure? I renewed mine a few months early in order to be outside the 6-month limit my cruise required. My start and expiration dates were tied to the renewal date, not the expiry date of the previous passport. This was two years ago.

[sail7seas]

OP won't loose out on anything. If a passport still hasn't expired at the time of renewl, the new expiration date is 10 years from the expiration date on the one that's about expire.


That is not what happened with ours. Because of our travel schedule, I had to send ours for renewal about 7 months ahead of expiration. The expiration on our new passports is 10 years from the date of renewal, Not from the date the old ones would have expired. We are on our 3rd or 4th passport and every renewal has gone 10 years from renewal date.

[Storylady]

Your passport should not expire within 6 months of your trip. I would renew it. Don't forget to apply for an Australian tourist visa also.

[pms4104]

OP won't loose out on anything. If a passport still hasn't expired at the time of renewl, the new expiration date is 10 years from the expiration date on the one that's about expire.
Not correct ... unless the State Department recently changed its policies, and I've not seen any announcement to that effect. The new passport will be issued to be valid for 10 years from the date it is issued. And the old passport is returned to you with a hole in it, so it cannot be used for travel once a replacement has been issued.

[0bnxshs]

Your passport should not expire within 6 months of your trip. I would renew it. Don't forget to apply for an Australian tourist visa also.

Don't confuse a tourist visa with an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) and make sure you get your ETA through http://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ and no where else, unless you just want to pay excessively for it. Our ETAs through this Australian government website cost under US$20 per person. I don't consider this advertising as it is a government website, but I suppose someone might. You'll simply print out a receipt for your ETA (with the number), but we didn't even have to show it at Australian immigration, they looked it up as it is connected to your passport number.

We just renewed our passports, taking advantage of the lower price that changed in July to a rather higher price, and the dates of expiry on them were as of the dates we received them in the mail, minus a couple of days, even though our old ones didn't expire until Mar. 2011. Also, don't expect to get them back together, they seemingly come from 2 different places now.

[tamsocal]

Are you sure? I renewed mine a few months early in order to be outside the 6-month limit my cruise required. My start and expiration dates were tied to the renewal date, not the expiry date of the previous passport. This was two years ago.

same with us. the other post re not losing months was incorrect for us. Sent in early since expiration was sept & we are cruising sept/oct
the issue date was july & new expire date is july-- not 5 yrs from sept (kid passport only valid x5 yrs)

[3rdGenCunarder]

same with us. the other post re not losing months was incorrect for us. Sent in early since expiration was sept & we are cruising sept/oct
the issue date was july & new expire date is july-- not 5 yrs from sept (kid passport only valid x5 yrs)

The shorter time on the kid passport is important to remember.

Our friends were going on a family cruise in Europe. Their son was in college, and had a passport from a previous family trip. All family passports were obtained at the same time. Mom and Dad checked their dates and saw that they were OK. Didn't check the son's passport, as they figured his was OK, too. He found out that it was expired when someone lookat at it AT THE AIRPORT! So he couldn't fly out with them. Fortunately, they were spending a few days at the embarkation port. The airline rebooked his ticket, and the next day he went to a same-day passport agency to get a new passport and then raced to the airport.

[Storylady]

Don't confuse a tourist visa with an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) and make sure you get your ETA through http://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ and no where else, unless you just want to pay excessively for it. Our ETAs through this Australian government website cost under US$20 per person. I don't consider this advertising as it is a government website, but I suppose someone might. You'll simply print out a receipt for your ETA (with the number), but we didn't even have to show it at Australian immigration, they looked it up as it is connected to your passport number.



You are correct. We paid just $20 for our visa's. It was so confusing to know which to apply for that we just had our travel agent do it. I just wanted to warn the OP that it need to be done. Although, you could possibly do it at the airport when you arrive--but after a long flight---I'm not sure I would want to go through the hassel.

[PaulMCO]

Just a heads up to everyone. In November, my wife and I head to Australia for a cruise aboard the Volendam, to Australia/New Zealand. From this board, I was under the impression that I had to renew my passport since it expires in April 2011. I checked with Holland America and they said it depended on the country. So, I called the Australian Consulate and they said as long as my passport was didn't expire while I was in country, I would be OK, but to check with the airline I was traveling on. So, I called V Australia and they said it would be no problem as long as I had my Electronic Visa. I haven't yet checked with New Zealand, but I will shortly. I might still renew my passport prior to the cruise but it appears it won't be necessary.

Jon

You are technically OK.
Australia -- just need a valid visa thru your stay.
New Zealand -- 3 months from end date in NZ.

However as others have said why wait you have time and you will have to renew it in April.

[sevenseasnomad]

Just a heads up to everyone. In November, my wife and I head to Australia for a cruise aboard the Volendam, to Australia/New Zealand. From this board, I was under the impression that I had to renew my passport since it expires in April 2011. I checked with Holland America and they said it depended on the country. So, I called the Australian Consulate and they said as long as my passport was didn't expire while I was in country, I would be OK, but to check with the airline I was traveling on. So, I called V Australia and they said it would be no problem as long as I had my Electronic Visa. I haven't yet checked with New Zealand, but I will shortly. I might still renew my passport prior to the cruise but it appears it won't be necessary.

Jon

Good heavens, what are you waiting for? The fees are supposed to go up substantially, but State Dept. has not issued a date for when they take effect. Let me clarify. As of May 30, fees had not increased. I haven't checked recently. Please, don't get caught having to pay an increased fee because you waited.

[hmh]

The passport fees went up on July 12. We sent ours in about a week prior to that date; they processed the check on July 14;our passports were issued on August 4 and we got them on August 9. Our old passport and the extra pic arrived today. Interesting item: we sent the application, etc. to the National Passport Office in Philadelphia. But the passports were sent back from Portsmouth, NH. Anyway, we're now good until 2020! hmh:)

[RAJKR74]

The passport fees went up on July 12. We sent ours in about a week prior to that date; they processed the check on July 14;our passports were issued on August 4 and we got them on August 9. Our old passport and the extra pic arrived today. Interesting item: we sent the application, etc. to the National Passport Office in Philadelphia. But the passports were sent back from Portsmouth, NH. Anyway, we're now good until 2020! hmh:)

We knew the fee for passports were going up and we had our son's pictures taken and the application filled out and signed. On Monday 7-12-10 we heard that on 7-13-10 the fee was going up...yikes. Called the passport information phone and was told if it was postmarked on 7-12-10 we could still pay the old fee. Raced the app. and letter to the postoffice. Check cleared but have not gotten the new passport back yet.

[ariawoman]

I wouldn't mess around with this if I were you. There's a reason they tell you to be cautious. Is it really worth it financially to wait? (I know the answer is basically no to that question). The cost of a passport for 10 years is what, like 1 dollar a month for 10 years? lol.

Personally, I don't need to get "stuck" somewhere because something unexpected occurred. You just never know.

Mine is good until July 2019, so I'm set :-)

[scottjeanne]

I renewed my passport. I sent it in on July 27 and it came back yesterday. It expired in January 2011. I was nervous as we did a mediterranean cruise last month and the the 6 month limit was cutting it close. No one said a thing. Now I am safe for the Mexican cruise in January.

[GeriatricNurse]

The passport fees went up on July 12. We sent ours in about a week prior to that date; they processed the check on July 14;our passports were issued on August 4 and we got them on August 9. Our old passport and the extra pic arrived today. Interesting item: we sent the application, etc. to the National Passport Office in Philadelphia. But the passports were sent back from Portsmouth, NH. Anyway, we're now good until 2020! hmh:)


In Canada, a (24) page passport costs $87, while a (48) page passport costs $92! (Hopefully), commencing in 2011, Canadians are going to be issued 10 year passports, (like, seemingly, the rest of the world)!
When I renewed my passport in 2009, it took only 9 days from start to finsih!:)

[jtl513]

OP won't loose out on anything. If a passport still hasn't expired at the time of renewl, the new expiration date is 10 years from the expiration date on the one that's about expire.NOT true. We just recently lost 7 months on a renewal.

[0bnxshs]

You are correct. We paid just $20 for our visa's. It was so confusing to know which to apply for that we just had our travel agent do it. I just wanted to warn the OP that it need to be done. Although, you could possibly do it at the airport when you arrive--but after a long flight---I'm not sure I would want to go through the hassel.

You make an excellent point in warning the OP (along with the rest of us) about getting needed documentation together, etc. So many people post complaining about not knowing until the last minute or worse that there would be a visa requirement or a reciprocity fee to wherever they were going that it seems there ought to be a sticky thread stating so!

Happy cruising!

[scottjeanne]

As a post script, I sent my old passport in for the renewal (as required) and I did not get it back as I have in the past. It makes me sad as I enjoyed reviewing the stamps we received on past vacations.

[GeriatricNurse]

As a post script, I sent my old passport in for the renewal (as required) and I did not get it back as I have in the past. It makes me sad as I enjoyed reviewing the stamps we received on past vacations.


In Canada, Passport Canada gives one the option to either have their old passport returned or for them to keep it.:)

[jtl513]

As a post script, I sent my old passport in for the renewal (as required) and I did not get it back as I have in the past. It makes me sad as I enjoyed reviewing the stamps we received on past vacations.Are you in the US? We got our old ones back on a renewal a few months ago, but not in the same envelope/mailing as the new ones. IIRC the old ones came back about a week later.

[scottjeanne]

jt:

You are correct. I opened the mail today and found my old passport. I am really excited. It seems odd that I got my new passport last week and my old one returned by separate mailing this week.

[jtl513]

jt:

You are correct. I opened the mail today and found my old passport. I am really excited. It seems odd that I got my new passport last week and my old one returned by separate mailing this week.I don't understand why they do it that way either!

[2bout2c]

I don't understand why they do it that way either!
The new and the old come from two different locations. The new one comes from the office that issues passports. The old one comes from the office you sent in your request. By sending the old passport back to you and not forwarding to the "issuing office" for the new one, I'm sure it must save a dime or two.

[jtl513]

The new and the old come from two different locations. The new one comes from the office that issues passports. The old one comes from the office you sent in your request. By sending the old passport back to you and not forwarding to the "issuing office" for the new one, I'm sure it must save a dime or two.Sorry, that doesn't make sense to me. Transfers from one office to the other could be done in bulk, by truck. Mailing a second envelope probably costs a lot more.

[maxout]

I believe that physical passport portion of the renewal process is handled by a contractor and once the renewal is approved the authorization is handled electronically and the new Passport is generated at the contracted site while you old passport went to the U.S. Government office handling the approval and is then returned from there, to you.

[sapper1]

Just a heads up to everyone. In November, my wife and I head to Australia for a cruise aboard the Volendam, to Australia/New Zealand. From this board, I was under the impression that I had to renew my passport since it expires in April 2011. I checked with Holland America and they said it depended on the country. So, I called the Australian Consulate and they said as long as my passport was didn't expire while I was in country, I would be OK, but to check with the airline I was traveling on. So, I called V Australia and they said it would be no problem as long as I had my Electronic Visa. I haven't yet checked with New Zealand, but I will shortly. I might still renew my passport prior to the cruise but it appears it won't be necessary.

Jon
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=215000

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries_pays/report_rapport-eng.asp?id=17000

Here are two links from the Canadian government website on travel. You are correct re Australia's requirement---as long as you leave Australia before your passport expires you are OK.

New Zealand requires that your passport be good for at least three months after you leave New Zealand.

[tamsocal]

As a post script, I sent my old passport in for the renewal (as required) and I did not get it back as I have in the past. It makes me sad as I enjoyed reviewing the stamps we received on past vacations.

Ours arrived separately-- they still return them

OOPS- didn't read all the posts between..... scottjeanne has already rec'd passports in mail......

[jagoodbar]

OK, after reading all the posts, we sent in for new Passports a little less than three weeks ago. We received our new Passports in the mail today so we are all set to go. I also applied for the Australian Electronic Visa today and it cost $20.00 Australian for each of us. I also went on the Holland America Website and updated our information with our new Passport Numbers. We are now ready to go with no worries. Thanks everyone for the excellent advice.

Jon

[Laminator]

If the new one gets lost in the mail you will still get the old one back. I am sure this would save you valuable time going thru the red tape in obtaining a new passport. If the old one gets lost it's not really the end of the world. Passports for identity thieves are gold so I am sure there may be security issues behind their reasoning also.

[Bill B]

I just got an ETA through the Australian government website http://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETAAus5En.html for my Volendam cruise in January. It's very easy, there was instant confirmation and it cost AUD 20.

Keep the following in mind -

Your ETA is valid for travel to Australia for 12 months from the date it is granted or less if your passport is valid for less than 12 months. You can apply for an ETA at any time and, provided you arrive in Australia within the ETA validity period and you have the same passport you used to apply for the ETA, you may apply for the ETA in advance. However, you should be aware that you will need to apply for a new ETA if your passport expires and you are issued with a new passport.

If I was the OP, I'd get a new passport before I applied for the ETA because it's good for multiple entries during the one-year of validity period. If the OP applies with his current passport, the ETA will expire when the passport does next April.