tekjr1

Cheryl,

Sorry, still have not been into the office (airport) since the last couple of very busy days. I will post someting as soon as I get a chance to get some answers.

Tom

Tom,

 

Thanks! Sorry :( this will be so long-winded, but there are some details I want to make sure I address:

 

The questions are more cruise-specific, so your co-workers at the airport may not know..But here goes: Since the BC/DL combo is acceptable at this point for most of those Florida cruises, and many cruisers still use those docs, some folks on this board swear up and down that a married woman needs to have her name change from the BC shown via marriage license. Most women, however, swear up and down they don't.

 

 

The odd wrinkle in this is that I have heard, but cannot locate officially, that if the threat level goes up (Orange? Red? I am not sure which) then the BC/DL travellers need to prove that sort of name change at the port...which might be why there are the odd few posters who swear up and down they were told "Good thing you had this or I could not have let you on the ship".

 

I guess what I am looking for is clarification as to whether this is an actual requirement of the USA, or if this is urban myth promulgated by a)ancient history and how things were done 10 years ago and/or b) mis-informed part-time check-in clerks (who simply hand off passengers with uncertain docs to CPB for clarification). One hears stories of "and then the poor woman was sent crying to the Immigration office and I never saw them on the ship" with the implication that they were denied boarding, when in fact, they may have just been processed through secondary screening.

 

The next one might be easier, or at least shorter :D:

 

In the past, one could use an expired passport (issued less than 15 years ago, I think) as proof of citizenship. Had to have a current ID card, however. One can still use that expired passport to obtain a renewal passport by mail, but my question is whether that expired passport is still useful as a citizenship document for other purposes? A recently expired passport is not listed in the CBP website as an acceptable citizenship document under the list but I have heard that in some cases an expired passport would be preferable to a birth certificate to some agents. So my question here is just how useful is a recently expired passport? Does it help to bring it along if a pax happens to have one? Does it prove anything by itself? If travelling on a BC/DL, does an expired passport help in some way? Or is it essentially an outdated document?

 

Going on the "certain degree of discretion" comment, I am thinking that an expired passport might be a useful document to pack, particularly for someone travelling with a BC/DL.

Sorry I did not get back last night. Out again all night on the water. Had to deal with a gentleman that was attempting to bring things into the US that are not allowed.

On the BC/DL/Marriage License issue I will do some digging with the Port Director and hopefully come up with an answer. This gentleman worked the Canadian land border for a long time.

On the expired Passport question: As I mentioned before, the CBP Agent at the border has a lot of discretion. I have accepted expired passports from persons arriving on private yachts from foreign countries. Like you said if the are recent and they have another form of id, I usually clear them with a warning to renew. The document is not listed on the CBP approved list, but even expired is still a proof of US Citizenship. I will check on this also.

Tom,

 

Darn, I was hoping to get your viewpoint and perspective on the use of expired passports as well as the specific occasions when a marriage license is or is not needed. (Both being recurrent questions that show up on these boards on a regular basis). Oh well, if you happen to know anyone else in your agency who deals with those issues on a regular basis and would be willing to answer a few of those questions, do let me know...and last but certainly not least, thank you for what you do on a daily basis to keep the rest of us safe.

My pleasure. I take a lot of pride in my occupation. I just don't mention it anymore while I'm on a cruise since it tends to get people to share their personal CBP experiences with me. Some of them are frequently not good ones. My office is located at the international airport in Ft Myers. I deal with the inspectors every day. They constantly clear flights. I will certainly ask them about the need for a marriage license. I'm guessing this pertains to recently married whose maiden names are still on passport? Also, please let me know what you would like to know about expired passports. Are we talking about the 6 month issue? I will tell you that upon re-entering the country, the inspector has a certain degree of discretion they can exercise in dealing with these issues.

Regards,

Tom,

Thanks for the reply..and I agree with you that the passport is the only way to go. Am on my fourth renewal myself. :)

 

I would be most interested to hear your ongoing thoughts as changes occur, and the REAL ID comes into play. Getting the information from one 'in the trenches' will be a real asset to this thread. Along those lines, do you have anything you wish to add regarding the REAL ID act; has that hit the radar of your day-to-day work yet?

I think the first real good test is going to be when Washington gets the EDL's going. Unfortunately I won't see them too often since I live and work in Ft Myers, Florida. Even though I have offered my "professional" opinion on passports, there are others within my agency that are much more versed in the field. Don't get me wrong, I deal with people entering the country every day, however the ones I come into contact with are usually smuggling something and trying to enter in an illegal manner. A lot of private vessel cruisers are looking forward to the card and there is discussion about being able to use it to enter the Bahamas and Canada for now.

We're not too involved with REAL ID Act stuff where I am. I don't think it is even going to be enforced until March of 2009. TSA will be more involved in checking compliant dl's probabaly. As I mentioned before, I don't really clear cars coming across the border or cruise ship passengers.

It will be real interesting.

Hope some of this helps. I am much more of an expert on drug smuggling via vessel.

Tekjr--

Thanks so much for chiming in on this thread..particularly since it is very hard to obtain accurate information on the document requirements of other countries, particularly for cruise passengers. Their websites often list the 'general' requirement, but fail to mention the various cruise or 24 hr stay requirements.

 

You mentioned that Bahamas and Canada will start requiring passports soon; which to me says that they will no longer accept the BC/DL or the new passcard from cruise passengers. Is this what you were saying? If so, could you please provide a little more background for us, including expected implementation? I am not challenging your knowledge, or disagreeing with your recommendation, I am just trying to gain more understanding of the various country requirements. Thank you :).

At the risk of sounding like a typical government employee, I will tell you we are not sure when a lot of this will take place. Please don't assume the the Canada or Bahamas requirement is immediately imminent. It is not. I'm just basing that on the fact that we usually have a reciprocity type of agreement between the countries on immigration policies. Therefore, if we are requiring a passport for Canadians they will probabaly follow suit. The number of countries that allow you to enter with a bc/dl are becoming fewer.

There are still lots of issues surrounding the new passport cards. At this time there are "rumors" that they may be accepted in Canada. Nothing official. Most of the agents I work with feel that a U.S. Passport is the best thing to have. Each of my family members (wife and 2 sons) have one for our upcoming trip to Alaska (via Vancouver).

Pleae feel free to inquire and I will always try to help. I draw the line after I get on the ship....bad experience once when a passenger found out I worked for CBP. I don't make the rules.....

Thanks,

Tom

Actually, the information I received from Carnival for our April '08 cruise is that the push back of the date that cruise passengers will need a passport is due to the fact that the government is planning to issue a smaller Pass Port type card and the cost will be significately less - approximately $50 per card.

 

I am waiting for that to be implemented before I spend $400 on passports for a family of 4.

 

This is the statement from Carnival in my documents:

 

The U.S. Government will require that all of our guests, including U.S. Citizens be in possession of a valid passport when traveling on any Carnival Cruise. This requirement will become effective no later than June 1, 2009. This effective date may be moved to an earlier date pending the U.S. Government's implementation of new identification cards (PASScards) that will provide a less expensive alternative form of documentation. For travel by air, the passport deadline will remain January 8, 2007.

Greetings,

I make my living as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent (CBP).

The passport cards are coming and they will give you return access to the US only. If you travel outside the US, GET A PASSPORT! I can't stress the importance of this single document enough. It is the only proper form of ID when traveling abroad. The US is making it tougher on any non US citizen to enter the US and in return these countries are doing the same. In the near future, long time neighbors like Canada and the Bahamas will also be asking for passports. Trust me on this. 100.00 spent on this document is the best insurance policy you will ever buy if you are in a foreign country and need it. Please don't take a chance, acceptance of birth certificates and dl's can go away in a flash.