Sailing with Global Entry Card in lieu of Passport?

Hi All!

I am departing on the Allure of the Seas this Sunday and recently went through the Global Entry/Known Traveler process and received my card.

I was wondering if I am able to travel with this and show it at the port instead of having to bring my passport - has anyone does this and had luck? Issues?

Thanks so much for all of your help!

I was wondering if I am able to travel with this and show it at the port instead of having to bring my passport - has anyone does this and had luck? Issues?

Your question implies you have a passport, is there a reason you would not bring it since your traveling internationally?

The biggest problem I could foresee is if you had to fly back, you would need your passport in that case. Reasons could be medical emergency, missing the boat coming back from an excursion, emergency at home that requires you to come back early, etc.

While the CBP site states that the Global Entry card is acceptable for closed loop WHTI cruises, you may get some strange looks/resistance from the terminal check in personnel. I would contact RCI to get guidance (not always the best from their customer service personnel), in writing. Generally, in a situation like this, where a form of ID is little known, asking for a supervisor works at check-in. For years, I had to do this with my TWIC, which is issued by Homeland Security, but the airport screeners would say it wasn't okay since it only had my photo and name on it, unless read in a special scanner (that to this day, doesn't work properly).

A Global Entry card is a WHTI-compliant document that is valid for land and sea travel to the US from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/whti-program-background/docs-land-sea

However, you may encounter strange looks if you try to use one at check-in. You don't get to see actual CBP agents, instead you will encounter port personnel that may be less familiar with the Global Entry card. Also, during online check-in ahead of time, it may not be obvious how/where to enter the Global Entry card information. I would contact the cruise line about this, but bear in mind that customer service will probably be unused to GE cards in general.

If you have a passport, I would definitely bring it in case you need to abort your cruise and fly home internationally.

A Global Entry card is a WHTI-compliant document that is valid for land and sea travel to the US from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

 

http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/whti-program-background/docs-land-sea

 

However, you may encounter strange looks if you try to use one at check-in. You don't get to see actual CBP agents, instead you will encounter port personnel that may be less familiar with the Global Entry card. Also, during online check-in ahead of time, it may not be obvious how/where to enter the Global Entry card information. I would contact the cruise line about this, but bear in mind that customer service will probably be unused to GE cards in general.

 

If you have a passport, I would definitely bring it in case you need to abort your cruise and fly home internationally.

Thanks to everyone that has replied! This makes sense, I will bring my Passport!

Thanks to everyone that has replied! This makes sense, I will bring my Passport!

Even though I always carry my passport, I would LOVE for them to put some GE kiosks in the cruise terminals!

Even though I always carry my passport, I would LOVE for them to put some GE kiosks in the cruise terminals!

+1000.

4 CBP agents for a 2k+ passenger ship is not enough!!!

Thanks to everyone that has replied! This makes sense, I will bring my Passport!

But ask when you check in and let us know what they say, please.

I did ask an immigration officer whether the GE card would work and he said yes, but that was for getting back into the country, when one is dealing with the department that should know what a GE card is. The average check-in person probably doesn't.

Also, I don't think you can input a GE card when you do your online check-in, and that is supposed to match the document you show at the pier.

This wasn't Royal, but DCL. DH had a situation at work where at the last minute he had to send his passport off to get a Russian work Visa. So for our closed-loop cruise he had his birth certificate and DL. He also brought his Global Entry card, to see if it would work, and the checkin lady had NO clue what it was. Thankfully he had the BC and DL. Because she wasn't going to accept the GE pass.

This wasn't Royal, but DCL. DH had a situation at work where at the last minute he had to send his passport off to get a Russian work Visa. So for our closed-loop cruise he had his birth certificate and DL. He also brought his Global Entry card, to see if it would work, and the checkin lady had NO clue what it was. Thankfully he had the BC and DL. Because she wasn't going to accept the GE pass.

Depending on how much you want to pursue the experiment, this is where the "please call your supervisor" comes in handy. Done this many times with TSA screeners when presented with a Transport Workers Identity Credential (TWIC) which is issued by Homeland Security, and requires a background check. Training of screening personnel, whether TSA or cruise line seems to be a last priority.

Depending on how much you want to pursue the experiment, this is where the "please call your supervisor" comes in handy. Done this many times with TSA screeners when presented with a Transport Workers Identity Credential (TWIC) which is issued by Homeland Security, and requires a background check. Training of screening personnel, whether TSA or cruise line seems to be a last priority.

You are correct that training of screening personnel often lags behind. When the passport card came out a few years ago, TSA screeners were slow to recognize it. For several years there were reports of the card being refused by TSA (and this despite it being listed 2nd on the TSA list of acceptable documents).

Even though I always carry my passport, I would LOVE for them to put some GE kiosks in the cruise terminals!

That would be so awesome. Our whole family has GE cards. I wonder why they don't add kiosks. It would speed things up and reduce the burden on the agents. If you are GE cleared then you should be good to go whether it is at an airport or other border crossing.

Hi All!

 

I am departing on the Allure of the Seas this Sunday and recently went through the Global Entry/Known Traveler process and received my card.

 

I was wondering if I am able to travel with this and show it at the port instead of having to bring my passport - has anyone does this and had luck? Issues?

 

Thanks so much for all of your help!

Just came through Port Everglades yesterday. Don't expect any special privileges there as they are not equipped for Global Entry at Port Everglades. It was so bad yesterday coming through too. No special line for US citizens and it took us 2 hours to get through the line….miserable!

Even though I always carry my passport, I would LOVE for them to put some GE kiosks in the cruise terminals!

That would be the best possible improvement to cruising!

We also have the Global Entry card and it hasn't worked at any of the ports we've been sailing into since getting them. The port personnel knew what they were, but we couldn't use them. They told us that the cards could be used at the airports, but not at any shipping ports.

So I would advise you to bring the passport.

Enjoy your cruise!

Even though I always carry my passport, I would LOVE for them to put some GE kiosks in the cruise terminals!

I too would love a GE kiosk in Port Everglades. Came back from a TA in November and the custom line was awful.

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Just came through Port Everglades yesterday. Don't expect any special privileges there as they are not equipped for Global Entry at Port Everglades. It was so bad yesterday coming through too. No special line for US citizens and it took us 2 hours to get through the line….miserable!

Oh gosh, is that normal there? Please say no, please say no, please say no....

chengkp75, I would love to pursue that sort of thing, but he likely wouldn't. :) One of his coworkers got mouthy with a TSA or Immigration or Customs dude about some paperwork coworker had filled out correctly, and was nearly sent to the back of the line for it (and that would have been lucky). The official dude was 100% in the wrong, but boy does that not matter in the moment, at an airport... Because of that sort of thing, DH just grins and moves on.

Oh gosh, is that normal there? Please say no, please say no, please say no....

 

 

chengkp75, I would love to pursue that sort of thing, but he likely wouldn't. :) One of his coworkers got mouthy with a TSA or Immigration or Customs dude about some paperwork coworker had filled out correctly, and was nearly sent to the back of the line for it (and that would have been lucky). The official dude was 100% in the wrong, but boy does that not matter in the moment, at an airport... Because of that sort of thing, DH just grins and moves on.

Well, you've got to pick your battles. I don't argue with CBP (Immigration or Customs), because as I've said, I've found that they can make up the rules as they go along. TSA is a different thing, and certainly the cruise line check in agents, they are pretty much drones, and have been told to always kick a problem up to the supervisor. But when I'm required by my profession to pay $165 to get an ID card that no one at ports takes as ID because of all the flaws in the governments roll out of card readers (sound familiar?), I darn well want to be able to use it for something, so I always use it at airports. It's always great to watch a new screener look at it, because it has nothing other than my name and photo on it, and an expiration date. Everything else is digitally recorded on the card, but no working readers have been issued, even after nearly 10 years and one renewal.

We also have the Global Entry card and it hasn't worked at any of the ports we've been sailing into since getting them. The port personnel knew what they were, but we couldn't use them.

That's because there are no GE kiosks at any port terminals. When you have a GE card, you don't walk up and show the card to a CBP agent; you use the GE kiosk. The GE website clearly states where GE is available and no cruise ports are listed, and obviously not all airports are listed either. So I don't know why you would have expected to be able to use them at ports. :confused:

That's because there are no GE kiosks at any port terminals. When you have a GE card, you don't walk up and show the card to a CBP agent; you use the GE kiosk. The GE website clearly states where GE is available and no cruise ports are listed, and obviously not all airports are listed either. So I don't know why you would have expected to be able to use them at ports. :confused:

It may be because the GE card is recognized as a WHTI compliant document, and is acceptable for land and sea travel as per this quote from the CBP website:

WHTI was successfully implemented on June 1, 2009 for entry into the U.S. by land and sea. U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry are required to present a WHTI-compliant document such as a valid passport, U.S. passport card, Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI, Global Entry or FAST), or an Enhanced Driver’s License.

While the GE webpage does mention the kiosks at airports, the WHTI treats it as an acceptable passport substitute at land and sea ports of entry without mention of the kiosks. I'd assume that the CBP computer that scans passport bar codes, would have a GE reader as well, at the agent's station.

My opinion is that the check in personnel are not familiar with the GE card, so they say it isn't acceptable. But if you were to use this at disembarkation, showing it to the CBP agent would probably suffice. It won't be as quick as the kiosk, and no special lines, but it would probably work. Someone should try boarding with BC/DL and disembarking with GE card, or asking CBP at disembark whether it is acceptable.

It may be because the GE card is recognized as a WHTI compliant document, and is acceptable for land and sea travel as per this quote from the CBP website:

 

WHTI was successfully implemented on June 1, 2009 for entry into the U.S. by land and sea. U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry are required to present a WHTI-compliant document...

 

While the GE webpage does mention the kiosks at airports, the WHTI treats it as an acceptable passport substitute at land and sea ports of entry without mention of the kiosks.

Yes it says by land and sea without mention of kiosks, but it doesn't say ALL passengers arriving by land and sea, and it lists specifically WHICH ones are set up to accept the GE card and no ports are listed...yet. Likewise, the initial list of airports was very small, so there were and probably still are airports where one can arrive but there are no kiosks set up. Should the CBP agents be able to scan it? Maybe, but apparently they don't, so I wouldn't expect to be able to use it anywhere other than the locations specifically listed on the website.

From the part of the CBP website that you missed:

"How Does the Global Entry Program Work?

Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Though intended for frequent international travelers, there is no minimum number of trips necessary to qualify for the program. Participants may enter the United States by using automated kiosks located at select airports.

At airports, program participants proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and make a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit."

The page is titled "Document Requirements for Land and Sea Travel". It then says that "US citizens and nonimmigrant aliens from Canada entering the United States by land or sea are required to present a valid WHTI-compliant document, which include"...and it states GE.

There is no reason for a normal person to go looking any further. This is the topic in question, there's the answer; those are the documents and GE is listed. Done.

The airport stuff doesn't even make me say "hmm" (and I say "hmm" a lot), because it's a section talking about airports. It's not saying that's the only place to enter. Even if that thought came into my head I would go back to "the page clearly stating document requirements for land AND SEA TRAVEL" told me GE is valid. So obviously they just didn't want to talk about ports but they did want to talk about airports.

But hey, people always want to say you have to have a certified copy of a BC for closed loop cruises when not using a passport, when all the sites clearly state that a copy is OK for a BC (and they don't put "certified" before that). So people have different levels of reading into official documents!

The page is titled "Document Requirements for Land and Sea Travel". It then says that "US citizens and nonimmigrant aliens from Canada entering the United States by land or sea are required to present a valid WHTI-compliant document, which include"...and it states GE.

 

There is no reason for a normal person to go looking any further. This is the topic in question, there's the answer; those are the documents and GE is listed. Done.

 

Ok, I give up. If you want to continue to be disappointed that you can't use your GE card when disembarking a ship, have at it. But it's been denied before, despite what you've read, so I guess at this point I don't understand why you continue to try and continue to be disappointed, unless you think magically it might change. So go ahead, continue to be disappointed when you can't use it.

Just a heads up- you might land from an international flight some day at not be able to use it at that particular airport, even though the site says "air and sea travel" and doesn't clarify right in that exact paragraph that not ALL airports are included. Then again, feel free to go ahead and expect to be able to use it at every single airport in the country if you want to because that's how you interpret the website. ;)

 

But hey, people always want to say you have to have a certified copy of a BC for closed loop cruises when not using a passport, when all the sites clearly state that a copy is OK for a BC (and they don't put "certified" before that). So people have different levels of reading into official documents!

I'm actually curious... do you have a link to the sites that specifically state that a copy is ok? Not disputing that, I've just never seen it and would like to.

Terminal 18 (Allure Oasis) in Port Everglades will be getting the kiosks with in the next 6 months. I was told this by a customs agent last week as I exited the Allure.