Passport card

[moeferg]

I am sure this has been asked before, but is the passport card an appropriate form of ID to board the ship?

[jmcathome]

Yes. It is the same as  passport, except if for some reason you had to take a plane home you could not use it as a passport. 

[d9704011]

8 minutes ago, moeferg said:

I am sure this has been asked before, but is the passport card an appropriate form of ID to board the ship?

Depends where you cruise is going.  If Caribbean, it will suffice.  Despite what jmcathome says, it is NOT the same as a passport book.

[buckeyefrank]

28 minutes ago, moeferg said:

I am sure this has been asked before, but is the passport card an appropriate form of ID to board the ship?

Assuming you are going on a cruise from the US shores, a passport card is a perfectly acceptable means of documentation.  With that being said, it really provides nothing more than a birth certificate / drivers license would on a cruise.  Unless you are going to be doing border crossings by land, it doesn't make a lot of sense to pay for the passport card just to cruise.  In the event you are stranded in Mexico or an island, the embassy / consulate where you are can assist you in getting home.  You will likely be delayed by a couple of days but you WILL get home.

[JaxsMama]

If you already have one it will work but I wouldn't buy one to use for cruising. Your ID and BC will work just fine. 

[sparks1093]

14 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

Assuming you are going on a cruise from the US shores, a passport card is a perfectly acceptable means of documentation.  With that being said, it really provides nothing more than a birth certificate / drivers license would on a cruise.  Unless you are going to be doing border crossings by land, it doesn't make a lot of sense to pay for the passport card just to cruise.  In the event you are stranded in Mexico or an island, the embassy / consulate where you are can assist you in getting home.  You will likely be delayed by a couple of days but you WILL get home.

It depends on personal circumstances, really. A person who has had several name changes that would potentially need to provide multiple bridging documents to show the name changes between the drivers license and birth certificate could avoid that by having a passport card. A naturalization certificate costs $550 to replace, so if someone is using that then having a passport card prevents having to bring such an expensive document on a cruise. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad also costs money to replace. The passport card also opens up the possibility of doing an open jaw sailing, although they aren't as common as they once were. Finally if someone only travels via cruise having one durable document to use may be sufficient reason for them to get a passport card. And from the threads that I've read of people returning without a passport the delay was measured in hours (although this is dictated by the individual facts and circumstances so the delay could be longer). 

[jmcathome]

1 hour ago, d9704011 said:

Depends where you cruise is going.  If Caribbean, it will suffice.  Despite what jmcathome says, it is NOT the same as a passport book.

If you read I did not say it was the same as a passport book. It is if you do not need to fly or return to the US. On the boat and ashore there is not difference, If yours is it is not the same as mine

[Doggielover68]

4 hours ago, JaxsMama said:

If you already have one it will work but I wouldn't buy one to use for cruising. Your ID and BC will work just fine. 

I have a passport and passport card, but I would prefer to use a passport card vs a birth certificate. It is a pain in the neck to replace a BC, and my husband has a certificate of naturalization that would be an even bigger pain and expense. I prefer to have a replaceable card with me and leave the important papers at home. 

[elcuchio24]

The card was really created for MX/Canada land crossing once they made passports mandatory. It is not meant for flying. It can certainly be used as an ID though, just like an enhanced drivers license or DL/BC. If you have a passport book, that allows you to easily fly back from any destination as needed.

 

 

[elcuchio24]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

It depends on personal circumstances, really. A person who has had several name changes that would potentially need to provide multiple bridging documents to show the name changes between the drivers license and birth certificate could avoid that by having a passport card. A naturalization certificate costs $550 to replace, so if someone is using that then having a passport card prevents having to bring such an expensive document on a cruise. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad also costs money to replace. The passport card also opens up the possibility of doing an open jaw sailing, although they aren't as common as they once were. Finally if someone only travels via cruise having one durable document to use may be sufficient reason for them to get a passport card. And from the threads that I've read of people returning without a passport the delay was measured in hours (although this is dictated by the individual facts and circumstances so the delay could be longer). 

 

All true. But, whenever this discussion comes up cost is often the factor, and not sure how many people would see these as advantages enough to warranty the cost of just a card. UNLESS they already had one anyway :-)

[sparks1093]

4 minutes ago, elcuchio24 said:

 

All true. But, whenever this discussion comes up cost is often the factor, and not sure how many people would see these as advantages enough to warranty the cost of just a card. UNLESS they already had one anyway 🙂

It doesn't matter how many people see them as advantages, it only matters that some do even if most don't. Once I found out how much it costs to replace a naturalization certificate I looked at the possibility of getting a passport card for us to use until the day came that we needed passports. We opted for EDLs instead since that didn't require us to carry an extra document with us. Of course our decision was influenced by the border that is 8 miles from our house, but not to a large degree since we simply stopped going to Canada once the new rules were put in place.

[elcuchio24]

44 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

It doesn't matter how many people see them as advantages, it only matters that some do even if most don't. Once I found out how much it costs to replace a naturalization certificate I looked at the possibility of getting a passport card for us to use until the day came that we needed passports. We opted for EDLs instead since that didn't require us to carry an extra document with us. Of course our decision was influenced by the border that is 8 miles from our house, but not to a large degree since we simply stopped going to Canada once the new rules were put in place.

 

again, all true. I just think folks need to be aware of what the card is MEANT for. Many people less informed on the subject than you assume its just a cheaper version of a passport book with the same attributes. 

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, elcuchio24 said:

 

again, all true. I just think folks need to be aware of what the card is MEANT for. Many people less informed on the subject than you assume its just a cheaper version of a passport book with the same attributes. 

I think the State Department makes that quite clear on their website and it's been made clear in this thread as well. 

[coevan]

4 hours ago, elcuchio24 said:

The card was really created for MX/Canada land crossing once they made passports mandatory. It is not meant for flying. It can certainly be used as an ID though, just like an enhanced drivers license or DL/BC. If you have a passport book, that allows you to easily fly back from any destination as needed.

 

 

  

 

As mentioned on this subject previously, my son Captained boats from STT to BVI 6 days a week, all the Captains and crew have passport cards. 

[AAAAmerican]

Passport Cards are wonderful tools.

 

As wll make Xerox Copies as they are allowed to be used.

 

They provide a record as well.

Edited June 10, 2019 by AAAAmerican

[coevan]

1 hour ago, AAAAmerican said:

As wll make Xerox Copies as they are allowed to be used

 

Yes, passport cards are a wonderful tool, for the correct purpose. 

Xerox Copies?  who will accept copies CBP?  

[AAAAmerican]

4 hours ago, coevan said:

 

Yes, passport cards are a wonderful tool, for the correct purpose. 

Xerox Copies?  who will accept copies CBP?  

Most Ports of Call do accept Xerox Copies. 

[sparks1093]

4 hours ago, AAAAmerican said:

Most Ports of Call do accept Xerox Copies. 

Not something that I personally would rely on. Having a copy available to assist in getting a passport replaced is one thing, having a copy in the hope that it will be accepted as an official ID is another.

[bjfitz0703]

Passport cards are fantastic.  Great for an array of purposes.  Flying Internationally requires a book yet the card is most convenient.  I believe it is like $35 and I always get one when I renew my passport. Simple squared to get both.  I always fly with it domestically.   Serves as a great form of gov't id as well.  Go for it!

[FiredogCruiser]

18 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I think the State Department makes that quite clear on their website and it's been made clear in this thread as well. 

 

They do. And I think many of those with them use them for ground trips involving Canadian returns. I do. I carry it with me all the time.

 

However when it comes to cruises, I have used, or attempted to use it, at a number of ports and been constantly surprised by the number of people working at check in operations who have never seen a passport card, and in some cases need to check with a supervisor. As late as this March.

 

I like it for cruising because I put my sign and sail card and  passport card in a plastic card holder on a lanyard have have it for photo ID when traveling off ship at ports of call That, some cash, and maybe a credit card go ashore and everything else, including the passport book, remains in the safe in the cabin.

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, FiredogCruiser said:

 

They do. And I think many of those with them use them for ground trips involving Canadian returns. I do. I carry it with me all the time.

 

However when it comes to cruises, I have used, or attempted to use it, at a number of ports and been constantly surprised by the number of people working at check in operations who have never seen a passport card, and in some cases need to check with a supervisor. As late as this March.

 

I like it for cruising because I put my sign and sail card and  passport card in a plastic card holder on a lanyard have have it for photo ID when traveling off ship at ports of call That, some cash, and maybe a credit card go ashore and everything else, including the passport book, remains in the safe in the cabin.

I thought that their training included being shown exemplars of all acceptable documents but maybe not. Good thing they have supervisors. I have never had anyone fail to recognize my EDL but I haven't used it a whole lot for cruising. 

[mscinmia]

11 hours ago, AAAAmerican said:

Most Ports of Call do accept Xerox Copies. 

But you will not be able to board a cruise ship with a Xerox copy.  You must have the original card.

[FiredogCruiser]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

I thought that their training included being shown exemplars of all acceptable documents but maybe not. Good thing they have supervisors. I have never had anyone fail to recognize my EDL but I haven't used it a whole lot for cruising. 

 

Personally I am of the persuasion that in this day in age, retention is not what it used to be. Especially since most of the embarkation check in workers are only part time employees.

[grandmarnnurse]

On 6/10/2019 at 8:05 AM, moeferg said:

I am sure this has been asked before, but is the passport card an appropriate form of ID to board the ship?

You may be able to use it to board the ship, but a passport is needed to fly home from a foreign port, if ever you need to return home due to an emergency. I bring my passport ALWAYS.

[coevan]

I would never leave U.S. soil without a passport