MsSoCalCruiser Posted September 13, 2017 #1 Share Posted September 13, 2017 If you have a lot of cruises planned the year your passport expires is it be OK to renew it the year before the expiration date? Also, when you renew your passport do you have to send in the one that you have or do you get to keep and use that one until your new one arrives? Thank you in advance :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satxdiver Posted September 13, 2017 #2 Share Posted September 13, 2017 If you have a lot of cruises planned the year your passport expires is it be OK to renew it the year before the expiration date? Also, when you renew your passport do you have to send in the one that you have or do you get to keep and use that one until your new one arrives? Thank you in advance :) Yes you can renew it early. You do have to send in your current passport which they will cancel in order to issue a new one. It will be returned with a hole punched in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdoer Posted September 13, 2017 #3 Share Posted September 13, 2017 You will receive your new passport and 10 days to two weeks later your old one will come back to you. You just have to figure a time that you can be without any passport for about 3 weeks or so. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheezedr Posted September 13, 2017 #4 Share Posted September 13, 2017 You can always send in your passport early. The down side is that you do not get the full 10 year value when you do that. They will cancel the old passport at the time the new one is issued. You must send in your old one when renewing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted September 13, 2017 #5 Share Posted September 13, 2017 All you have been told is correct. When we renew a passport very early I will include a short note explaining why. It's not necessary but we do it just to avoid any questions that might arise as to why we are doing this. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsSoCalCruiser Posted September 13, 2017 Author #6 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Thank you all for your helpful replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsSoCalCruiser Posted September 13, 2017 Author #7 Share Posted September 13, 2017 All you have been told is correct. When we renew a passport very early I will include a short note explaining why. It's not necessary but we do it just to avoid any questions that might arise as to why we are doing this. Keith Thank you, Keith for this excellent suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casofilia Posted September 13, 2017 #8 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Although I am in New Zealand when I wanted to get an early passport I was called by our Passport Office for the reason why. I would agree with Keith cover yourself by including a reason in writing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety3 Posted September 13, 2017 #9 Share Posted September 13, 2017 You may also have to list your passport expiration date in various travel records; be sure to track them so you know which ones to update. Assuming that the OP is a Southern California cruiser based on handle (and is still in CA), since California is a border state, you can probably get an "enhanced" driver license, which confirms citizenship and can be used for sea and land voyages, at least into/out of the US (no idea if it is trusted further than that). If you aren't flying internationally, that can be a great way to deal with passport actions and to decouple/desynchronize the expiration dates of two documents so at least one is always valid. I got my EDL (ECDL for me) when I knew I'd have to send my passport in for an India visa, so as soon as I had my ECDL, I sent off the passport for the visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylandtk Posted September 13, 2017 #10 Share Posted September 13, 2017 FYI-California does not issue EDL licenses. While Real ID now requires proof of citizenship for many states, it is not the same as EDL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sterling2 Posted September 28, 2017 #11 Share Posted September 28, 2017 We mailed our passport renewal forms in on September 16. They received it on the 18th, we got our passports today, 9/28/17. Super fast service but did not request expedited.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennybenny Posted September 28, 2017 #12 Share Posted September 28, 2017 If you have a lot of cruises planned the year your passport expires is it be OK to renew it the year before the expiration date? Also, when you renew your passport do you have to send in the one that you have or do you get to keep and use that one until your new one arrives? Thank you in advance :) You can always renew early, but you cannot keep your old passport. It may be worthwhile to pay the expedite fee to get your passport sooner and make sure you provide your next travel plans. If you have a passport card you could renew one of them and travel on the other until the new one arrives and then renew the second one. Either will work for a cruise if it's closed loop. I just got my first passport card ever and plan on doing that in 10 years. Yes, it's a hassle, but you always get 2 photos when you do passport photos. You only have to submit one, and you can mail in your renewal. Only pain is having to go to the post office twice to send with proof of delivery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satxdiver Posted September 29, 2017 #13 Share Posted September 29, 2017 Since the EDL has come up, I looked online at https://www.dhs.gov/real-id-faq-implementation to see which states issue them. This is what DHS said on their web site: New York, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington currently issue "enhanced driver's licenses" (EDLs) that are designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security as acceptable to enter the United States at land and sea ports of entry in accordance with the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky TGO Posted September 29, 2017 #14 Share Posted September 29, 2017 When we renew a passport very early I will include a short note explaining why. It's not necessary but we do it just to avoid any questions that might arise as to why we are doing this. Keith That’s a very good idea. Thanks Keith. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepWaterMariner Posted September 29, 2017 #15 Share Posted September 29, 2017 I just renewed my passport 4 years early because I was afraid I didn't have enough blank pages for a world cruise leaving in January. My old passport has a visa from Brazil that's good for another nine years so the old passport isn't just an artifact, it will go with me on any trip to Brazil during that time period.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now