Passport Question

[SRF]

Lose your passport or have it stolen and you are screwed. Passport in safe and you miss the ship your passport will be on the dock with the port agent. Have been to many countries and have only taken the passport off the ship once while in Tunis where it was required to do so. my unsolicited opinion..

 

And having your passport waiting when you miss the ship is not guaranteed.

 

They ships crew will TRY to do this for you, and most times will, but it is not a given.

 

And if you carry your passport and have it stolen, they probably also got all your other ID, cash, and credit cards.

 

It not like people are only going to steal your passport.

[SRF]

Yes, military for most of it and several closed loop cruises and trips to Canada before the rules changed.

 

 

 

I have an Enhanced Drivers License which allows me to cross the Canadian border that is 8 miles from my front door. Many folks in my community have an EDL or passport card in order to cross the border and it's the only foreign travel they will ever do. They would scoff at the idea that they need a passport.

 

I do not see the benefit in getting a passport card versus a book. The cost is slightly lower, but not a huge about, and you are much more limited. And if you later need a book, it will cost you.

[SRF]

I don't understand the fear of losing a passport I am sure at some point in this huge world that this has happened to someone. Yes it would be a pain to replace it but I would have a bigger issue if my smart phone was lost, stolen or damaged in anyway. There is more information stored in that than on my passport or drivers license. They can take my wallet, my money, my credit cards but I couldn't function without my phone.

 

Also a number of people will tell you here in CC, they carry a copy of their passport on their phone.

 

To me, the phone is a MUCH larger target for a thief than a passport these days.

[SRF]

A phone is easier and faster to replace than a passport.

 

Not really.

 

Also, when was the last time you backed up your phone? And are you carrying a back up with you when you travel?

 

If not recently backed up, then you replace the phone, but lose much of your data. If you do have a backup, but not with you, you cannot actually replace it fully until you get home, unlike the passport.

[Iamcruzin]

Also a number of people will tell you here in CC, they carry a copy of their passport on their phone.

 

 

 

To me, the phone is a MUCH larger target for a thief than a passport these days.

 

 

 

Absolutely. The passport is meaningless to the thief. It just happens to get stolen or lost with everything else.

 

 

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[sparks1093]

I do not see the benefit in getting a passport card versus a book. The cost is slightly lower, but not a huge about, and you are much more limited. And if you later need a book, it will cost you.

 

Of course you don't see the benefit, you don't live near the border (and if you do your travel is not limited to just crossing the border). So what you are saying is buy the book now and spend the extra money now because you MIGHT have to have it later? Meh, that argument is lost on me. I would rather not spend the money now and then if it turns out later that I do have to then I do (and if you have a passport card your application for a passport can be mailed in just like a renewal). People have different travel patterns that have different travel needs. They get to choose what documentation to use.

[sparks1093]

Absolutely. The passport is meaningless to the thief. It just happens to get stolen or lost with everything else.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Even if it is meaningless it's not like the thief is going to come running up to you and say "hey, this doesn't do me any good so you can have it back". It's still no longer in your possession.

[Charles4515]

Not really.

 

Also, when was the last time you backed up your phone? And are you carrying a back up with you when you travel?

 

If not recently backed up, then you replace the phone, but lose much of your data. If you do have a backup, but not with you, you cannot actually replace it fully until you get home, unlike the passport.

 

My iPhone backs up to iCloud automnaticly every day when connected to WiFi. Whenever I have replaced my phone I have everything restored in an hour or less over iCloud. And the backup was done within the last 24 hours. If you can't do that with whatever phone you have....... your phone stinks.

[sparks1093]

And having your passport waiting when you miss the ship is not guaranteed.

 

They ships crew will TRY to do this for you, and most times will, but it is not a given.

 

And if you carry your passport and have it stolen, they probably also got all your other ID, cash, and credit cards.

 

It not like people are only going to steal your passport.

 

Having your passport waiting IF you miss the ship you mean. So under your analysis you need several things to go wrong- 1) you need to miss the ship, 2) you need to not be able to communicate with the ship to let them know you'll be missing the ship, 3) the ship needs to fail to retrieve your passport and give it to the port agent.

 

Of course the likelihood of anything happening to anyone, whether missing the ship or having the passport go missing, is very low for most people so there is no right or wrong answer.

[Iamcruzin]

Also a number of people will tell you here in CC, they carry a copy of their passport on their phone.

 

To me, the phone is a MUCH larger target for a thief than a passport these days.

I don't carry a copy of my passport on my phone. All of my information is encrypted in an app that at anytime can be erased with access of a computer or someone else's smart phone. My passport information in useless to anyone but me. It's filed with a government agency that has my photo and finger prints. You can't open a credit card or take out a loan with a passport. People should be more concerned about losing their medicare cards that have the social security number on it. Although I don't know how long they will be around. My 85 yr old father just got a new one with a new ID number that isn't his SS number. Also many Doctor's offices and hospitals still ask for the social security number their forms. You are not required to give them that number and you shouldn't. Recently I have had knee surgery. Every form from the MRI form to the hospital admittance form asked for Social Security.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Enhanced Drivers Licenses and Nexus cards can be used like a passport card. Jake does not have an Enhanced Drivers License. The Enhanced Drivers License is only available in Michigan, Minnesota, New York Washington and Vermont. For an extra fee. He is confusing it with Real ID compliant licences.

 

It seems we confuse Enhanced ID with Real ID. Beginning October 1, 2020, the federal government will require your driver license or identification (ID) card to be REAL ID compliant if you wish to use it as identification to board a domestic flight or enter military bases and most federal facilities. Real ID has nothing to do with international travel.

If you have a valid U.S. passport, passport card, military ID, or another form of Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) approved identification, these documents will still be accepted to board a domestic flight. Federally compliant identification will also be required to access military bases and most federal facilities.

 

 

The EDL will serve as a limited use international travel document that will contain a vicinity Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip and a MRZ used to facilitate border crossing and verification by Customs and Border Protection at a land and sea port of entry. NOTE: not international airports crossings. DHS has worked to align REAL ID and EDL requirements. Now that the REAL ID final rulemaking has been published, DHS will ensure that State-issued EDLs meet REAL ID compliance benchmarks over time.

However, there are some key distinctions between the two programs that should be noted. While the REAL ID requires proof of lawful status in the United States, the State-issued EDL will require that the card holder be a U.S. citizen. An EDL will also include an international document standard MRZ to allow CBP officers to read the card electronically if RFID is not available. The EDL MRZ is different from the REAL ID 2-D PDF-417 MRZ which is used by State and local law enforcement officials.

I have a SENTRI card, which is like the NEXIS only for southern border crossing, it is an RFID compliant ID which can be read by CBP 200 feet from the inspection booth. Funny thing is my USPP also has a RFID chip, but it can't be read by the CBP scanner at either northern or southern borders, since CBP and Department of State apparently don't talk to each other. So, I still take my USPP and SENTRI card traveling internationally as it also gives me Global Entry access.

I must agree, I never worry about talking my USPP ashore or stuffing it in my back pocket. It's not gold and there's no reason to treat it as such. It's just a form of ID that's accepted internationally.

Edited August 6, 2018 by ATSEAMYLIFE