Passport 6 month rule?

[Cruisin' GranAnn]

Does the 6 months before passport expiration renewal rule apply to Caribbean cruises? In other words, if I am booked for a Nov. cruise and my passport expires in Jan. will I be refused boarding privileges? Just curious!

[sapete]

I never travel on an "about to expire" passport if I have the chance to renew early. You never know if you will need to leave the ship in an emergency. A good, valid passport removes one less worry.

[travelinjones]

Originally Posted by Cruisin' GranAnn

Does the 6 months before passport expiration renewal rule apply to Caribbean cruises? In other words, if I am booked for a Nov. cruise and my passport expires in Jan. will I be refused boarding privileges? Just curious!

While we feel strongly that every America traveler should always have a current passport (you never know when a great travel opportunity might arise) you probably don't actually need a passport for your Caribbean cruise. Be sure to check with the cruise line.

Here's a popular post on our blog on the "do I need a passport to go on a cruise" question:

http://www.travelingwiththejones.com...o-on-a-cruise/

[chipq]

Just back from Caribbean cruise (St Thomas, Antigua, Tortola, Nassau) and not one checked the passport. Except for Nassau, they only wanted to see the ship sign & sail card. However, if something serious were to happen which required an extended stay in any country, it could be very difficult to get back to the states with an expired passport. Personally when I hit that six month before expiration time, I like to get the renewal started. Just to have ready if a spur of the moment opportunity came along.

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[sfocruiser]

Definetely get it renewed. Most countries have a hard a fast six months rule. If you are not traveling until November why risk it as you have plenty of time to get a new one.

[Typhoon1]

From HAL website:

Do I Need A Passport?


Holland America Line highly recommends that all guests carry a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the completion date of your travel. Having a passport will enable you to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port in the event you miss your scheduled embarkation or to fly back to the U.S. if you need to disembark the ship mid-cruise due to an emergency.

PLEASE NOTE: It is your sole responsibility to obtain and have available the proper travel documents that are necessary for your travel, including all costs related to arrangements to obtain entry to countries you visit and re-entry to your destination country. Boarding may be denied or fines may be levied against those guests without proper documentation. Payment of any fines levied is the responsibility of the individual guest.

[Slowboat2]

Lets say my passport expires on Dec 1, 2012. If I renew 6 months from the original expiration date, what will the new expiration date become?

[Typhoon1]

Originally Posted by Slowboat2

Lets say my passport expires on Dec 1, 2012. If I renew 6 months from the original expiration date, what will the new expiration date become?

Ten years from the date of renewal.

[sapete]

It will expire 10 years from the issue date from the Department of State.

Issue date: 1 July 2013

Expire Date: 30 June 2023

[sail7seas]

We do not let our passports go to under six months validity. We renew the six months in advance.

But, yes, you will be permitted to travel on it and be readmitted into U.S.

[Lady Chew]

If you need visas, be sure that you have enough blank pages - not individual spaces. We recently went to get our visas for China, and they rejected Mr Chew's application, because he did not have two totally blank pages. He had plenty of individual spaces, but they were scattered. Now we're waiting to get his passport back from DOS with extra pages so we can go back to the Chinese embassy.

Probably not an issue for the Caribbean, though. Just a heads up.

[lorekauf]

My passport expires next April. I'm going on a cruise in November so it won't be good. I'll be renewing in Aug. so 8 months ahead. I'm from Canada so ours are only good for 5 years. Get it done so you won't have to worry.

[Typhoon1]

Originally Posted by lorekauf

My passport expires next April. I'm going on a cruise in November so it won't be good. I'll be renewing in Aug. so 8 months ahead. I'm from Canada so ours are only good for 5 years. Get it done so you won't have to worry.

Just get it done. Don't worry if you're going to lose a few months. Just consider it another contribution you are making to the government.

[lorekauf]

Originally Posted by Typhoon1

Just get it done. Don't worry if you're going to lose a few months. Just consider it another contribution you are making to the government.

Oh, no question. I will do it. I'm one person that always will have one just in case. I'm trying to drag my colleague with me because hers expires in Dec. I'd be freaking about it already. I'll also have a Nexus card really soon so I'm ready to roll.

[catl331]

For US citizens, a passport only costs $0.92 per month. Don't take the chance for the sake of $5.50 or so ... renew now!

[lorekauf]

Originally Posted by catl331

For US citizens, a passport only costs $0.92 per month. Don't take the chance for the sake of $5.50 or so ... renew now!

It's really is pretty cheap. I remember this thread on CC a few years ago with people complaining about the price of a passport going up. I thought it was one of the most silly threads I've seen. If that was my worst problem I'd be SO happy!

[RuthC]

Originally Posted by Cruisin' GranAnn

Does the 6 months before passport expiration renewal rule apply to Caribbean cruises? In other words, if I am booked for a Nov. cruise and my passport expires in Jan. will I be refused boarding privileges? Just curious!

You are getting good advice to renew, and good reasons for it. But, the answer to your question is no, you will not be refused boarding if your passport has less than 6 months left on it. You're on a closed loop cruise.
It's your decision whether or not to take the gamble.

[erewhon]

Originally Posted by Typhoon1

Ten years from the date of renewal.

You are lucky it lasts 10 years, ours are now valid for 5 years.

[PathfinderEss]

Originally Posted by erewhon

You are lucky it lasts 10 years, ours are now valid for 5 years.

Guess we are lucky that ours are good for 10 years. Ours are up this next year, so guess will be getting new one's soon.

[iancal]

Ours are good for 5 years. We renew ours at least 6 months in advance of travel which means sometimes we are actually renewing at 7 or 8 months. That effectively makes our passports 11-13 more expensive than renewal fee. A small price to pay but we will be waiting another 5 years, perhaps more, until we get 10 year passports. And for those of us with the old British Patriality status it means holding on to the old ones as well.