Specific Passport Questions

[hschlink]

My husband and I are scheduled to leave on a closed loop cruise out of Tampa going to Key West and Cozumel in a few weeks.  We both have passports that have expired.  We also have our birth certificates and the enhanced driver’s licenses.

 

I don’t think I have any time to renew our passports before we leave on March 4^th.  As long as I have a birth certificate and the drivers license I know I’ll be fine getting on the boat.  Will I also be fine when I leave/return to the boat in Key West and Cozumel?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

Holly 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Yes.  Leave your BC in the safe, you won't need them until you disembark in Tampa.  Bring your DL & SeaPass cards with you in the ports. 

[stevea36]

your birth certificate must be an original with a raised seal, otherwise it will not be accepted.  Also, in case you get stranded in Cozumel or, for some other reason, need to fly home, you will be stuck without the passport.

[ryano]

11 minutes ago, stevea36 said:

your birth certificate must be an original with a raised seal, otherwise it will not be accepted.  Also, in case you get stranded in Cozumel or, for some other reason, need to fly home, you will be stuck without the passport.

 

This is probably splitting hairs but certified copies are all you can get of your BC.  The "original" is always kept on file and is never given out.   Also, a lot of states no longer have  a "raised seal" on the BC.  They use a watermark or other identifier.      A certified copy from VitalChek or the county courthouse is a sufficient boarding document for a cruise, along with a drivers license or government issued ID.

 

You are never "stuck" if you dont have a Passport either 🙂    It may take a couple extra days but you will eventually get home.

Edited February 11, 2019 by ryano

[leaveitallbehind]

You don't mention which cruise line you are on and you should check with them to confirm as ID policies are cruise line specific, and there are one or two that require a passport when the others do not.

 

However, to be clear, in general US citizens sailing on US based closed loop itineraries only need a valid picture ID and a birth certificate  -or-  a current passport at port of original embarkation to board. 

 

You are then fine departing the ship at any port within that itinerary.  Some ports will require a valid picture ID along with your ship card for their security check to re-board, but the cruise line will identify this prior to disembarking in those ports.

Edited February 11, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[zqvol]

3 hours ago, stevea36 said:

your birth certificate must be an original with a raised seal, otherwise it will not be accepted.  Also, in case you get stranded in Cozumel or, for some other reason, need to fly home, you will be stuck without the passport.

 

Birth certificates DO NOT have to have raised seals. They have to be government documents not from the hospital. Most birth certificates issued since the mid 1980's are on special paper, and do not have any seals on them.

[sparks1093]

If they let you board with the documentation that you have then you will be able to get off at any of the ports. If you don't have what is required in the way of documentation then you wouldn't be allowed to board the ship in the first place.

[SRF]

Actually, with expedited service, you can probably get your passports renewed in time.

 

Definitely, if you travel to a passport office.

 

Do you really have an "Enhanced" driver's license?  These are only issued by about 5 states, all of which are border states.  Everyone else issues REAL ID ones.  Different thing.  EDL works like a passport card for land or sea border crossings.  REAL ID does not.

 

Also, if the name on your BC does not match your photo ID, it would be smart to have the bridging document to show the name change.  So if your name changed due to marriage, bring a copy of the marriage certificate.

[Silverspringcruiser]

You have time to renew your passports. It's an extra $60 to expedite (2-3 weeks, but from personal experience it's less) plus the cost for priority mail in both directions.

Get a Passport in a Hurry.

[boulders]

Naturalized US citizens and US citizens born abroad can't travel with just their birth certificate, because their birth certificate won't prove US citizenship. You have to have been born in the US for the birth certificate to be accepted for a closed loop cruise out of the US. 

[Shmoo here]

18 minutes ago, boulders said:

Naturalized US citizens and US citizens born abroad can't travel with just their birth certificate, because their birth certificate won't prove US citizenship. You have to have been born in the US for the birth certificate to be accepted for a closed loop cruise out of the US. 

According to the State Department website (regarding ID required for a closed loop cruise):

 

An U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original, notarized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by Department of State, (DOS) and/or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

[SRF]

22 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

According to the State Department website (regarding ID required for a closed loop cruise):

 

An U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original, notarized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by Department of State, (DOS) and/or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

They were TECHNICALLY correct, in that those born outside the US or naturalized cannot use their BIRTH CERTIFICATE. 😄

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

They were TECHNICALLY correct, in that those born outside the US or naturalized cannot use their BIRTH CERTIFICATE. 😄

Yep, DW's German birth certificate is just a souvenir now. Her Naturalization Certificate is what she needs.

[Shmoo here]

4 hours ago, SRF said:

 

They were TECHNICALLY correct, in that those born outside the US or naturalized cannot use their BIRTH CERTIFICATE. 😄

Yeah, I got that (after I posted).  But I initially read it as "if you're not born in the US, you must use a passport only".

 

 

[SRF]

16 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

Yeah, I got that (after I posted).  But I initially read it as "if you're not born in the US, you must use a passport only".

 

 

It happens.

 

But also, what IS correct is, if you are not a US CITIZEN, you must use a passport only.

[boulders]

51 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

It happens.

 

But also, what IS correct is, if you are not a US CITIZEN, you must use a passport only.

 

Nope. If you're a green card holder, you use that instead of a passport.

 

What you do need is documentation that shows that you are allowed to enter the US for the period of time the nice immigration people believe that you will be staying. A passport (without the proper visa) won't work if it's not a US passport and you say you live in Nebraska. 

 

My point in my previous post was that there is no one size fits all declaration of the type of documentation that is needed to get off a cruise in the US. Not all US citizens can just use their birth certificate. Not all non-US citizens enter the US with their passport. 

[SRF]

1 hour ago, boulders said:

 

Nope. If you're a green card holder, you use that instead of a passport.

 

 

OK, forgot that one.

 

So if you are not a US citizen OR PERMANENT RESIDENT, you must use your passport. 😄

 

[sparks1093]

19 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

OK, forgot that one.

 

So if you are not a US citizen OR PERMANENT RESIDENT, you must use your passport. 😄

 

I believe that Canadians may use Enhanced Drivers Licenses from the 4 provinces that still issue them (but I may have misread it, I only paid attention to the part of the WHTI that applies to US citizens). ETA I just checked the Royal website and it direct me to the CBP website where I found: 

• Canadian citizens can present a valid passport, Enhanced Driver’s License, or Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST).

Edited February 15, 2019 by sparks1093

[crazyank]

On 2/13/2019 at 9:41 PM, boulders said:

Naturalized US citizens and US citizens born abroad can't travel with just their birth certificate, because their birth certificate won't prove US citizenship. You have to have been born in the US for the birth certificate to be accepted for a closed loop cruise out of the US. 

this is completely incorrect.  US citizens born abroad should have a "consular report of birth"  That document IS proof of citizenship.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, crazyank said:

this is completely incorrect.  US citizens born abroad should have a "consular report of birth"  That document IS proof of citizenship.

You need to read what you quoted a little closer- it says that they can't travel with their "birth certificate" and that is completely correct because it does not prove US citizenship. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad is not a birth certificate.

[SRF]

4 hours ago, crazyank said:

this is completely incorrect.  US citizens born abroad should have a "consular report of birth"  That document IS proof of citizenship.

 

And a Consular Report of Birth is not a birth certificate, so the post was actually correct.  It just did not mention the other possible items.