Are US Passports required for US sailings in Caribbean?

[Into Cruising]

Are Passports required or only recommended?  Can birth certificates and valid government issued ID be used instead?

 

Thanks,

 

Joe

[Shippy]

  We took a Caribbean cruise right before Covid.

I had misplaced my passport & called MSC in a panic.

They said they would accept a Birth Certificate but it MUST be certified.

Luckily I had one & there was no problem. Of course as soon as I got home I found the passport    :O)

[Two Wheels Only]

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-74?language=en_US

[phillibl]

Not required but I personally will always have mine.  If for whatever reason you are stuck in another country you'll need it.

[robc1972]

Passport or passport card are best to have. Birth Certificate will work if that's all you have.
Keep in mind if you miss the boat and have to fly home or to next port you will have a very hard time as a passport is needed for international flight, a card will make it a little easier but international travel with a birth certificate is extremely difficult.

[Native Floridian 26]

Birth certificate works on a closed loop cruise out of the USA.

[wallyj]

You need to check entry requirements for each port. I believe Martinique sp? now requires passport, so if your cruise has a planned stop there, you will have a problem without a passport.

[kilkoyne]

16 minutes ago, wallyj said:

You need to check entry requirements for each port. I believe Martinique sp? now requires passport, so if your cruise has a planned stop there, you will have a problem without a passport.

 

What if someone were to stay on the ship at that port....is a passport still required.

[alyssamma]

10 minutes ago, kilkoyne said:

 

What if someone were to stay on the ship at that port....is a passport still required.

Then birth certificate will be fine.

[kilkoyne]

9 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

Then birth certificate will be fine.

 

Ok, I'm currently waiting for my passport for a cruise in late September but I was also thinking about a short cruise in Aug and I'm not sure I'd have my passport by then.

 

The cruise is only going to Bahamas and Ocean Cay. I'm also not sure it's even worth going on such a short cruise. 😒

[alyssamma]

2 minutes ago, kilkoyne said:

 

Ok, I'm currently waiting for my passport for a cruise in late September but I was also thinking about a short cruise in Aug and I'm not sure I'd have my passport by then.

 

The cruise is only going to Bahamas and Ocean Cay. I'm also not sure it's even worth going on such a short cruise. 😒

You can get an expedited passport the same day. It costs a little extra, but it relatively easy to do (if you live near a processing center...they prob have one in Boston).

[kilkoyne]

30 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

You can get an expedited passport the same day. It costs a little extra, but it relatively easy to do (if you live near a processing center...they prob have one in Boston).

 

As much as I want to cruise it's not worth it for me with travel to only go 4 days. I "should" have it in time for my Sept cruise. Thanks for the heads up with Boston processing center. 👍

[Homosassa]

55 minutes ago, kilkoyne said:

 

What if someone were to stay on the ship at that port....is a passport still required.

 

44 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

Then birth certificate will be fine.

 

No, the birth certificate will not be fine.

 

One must have all the required documents for all ports on the cruise at the time of embarkation or one can not board the ship.

 

Saying "I won't leave the ship at port X" because I don't have a (fill in required document) will not work.

[alyssamma]

6 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

No, the birth certificate will not be fine.

 

One must have all the required documents for all ports on the cruise at the time of embarkation or one can not board the ship.

 

Saying "I won't leave the ship at port X" because I don't have a (fill in required document) will not work.

I do not believe this is true - you don't need a passport if you are going to stay on the ship. The passport would be required to pass through immigration. If you stay on the ship, you don't pass through immigration and don't need the passport.

 

I know people who have done this (not on MSC, but other lines).

 

Here is an excerpt from an article about Martinique. I added the bold...you can stay on the ship no problem.

 

For most islands in the Caribbean, cruisers don’t need to bring their passports ashore when they leave the ship to go exploring. However, the island of Martinique is changing its policy when it comes to cruisers and passports. Now any cruiser who wants to get off the ship on the island must have their passport with them at all times.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by alyssamma

[deliver42]

I've done over 15 Caribbean cruises, and never too my passport off the ship. i put it in the safe, and there it stays.

[alyssamma]

18 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

I've done over 15 Caribbean cruises, and never too my passport off the ship. i put it in the safe, and there it stays.

For most islands this is great and correct advice. However, some islands (e.g., Martinique) have recently changed policy and you need a passport to pass through immigration (like you would if going to Canada or another country).

[kilkoyne]

It looks like I could cruise without a passport. I should still get my new passport in time but it's nice to know I could get away without it.

Edited July 16, 2021 by kilkoyne

[Homosassa]

15 hours ago, alyssamma said:

I do not believe this is true - you don't need a passport if you are going to stay on the ship. The passport would be required to pass through immigration. If you stay on the ship, you don't pass through immigration and don't need the passport.

 

I know people who have done this (not on MSC, but other lines).

 

Here is an excerpt from an article about Martinique. I added the bold...you can stay on the ship no problem.

 

For most islands in the Caribbean, cruisers don’t need to bring their passports ashore when they leave the ship to go exploring. However, the island of Martinique is changing its policy when it comes to cruisers and passports. Now any cruiser who wants to get off the ship on the island must have their passport with them at all times.

 

 

You are confusing the need to carry one's passport ashore with the need to have a passport so that the ship can be cleared to dock at the port.

 

Ship clearance is done by the local authorities BEFORE passengers are allowed to go to ashore. Once the ship is cleared (You have heard the announcements that the ship is cleared and that passenger can debark, haven't you?),  passengers can opt not to debark the ship, but to clear the ship, all passengers (and crew) must have any documents required by that country for entry.

 

Once again, one must be very careful that one has the required document that the country requires. Martinique requires cruise ship passengers to have passports and the local immigration officials will be clearing the ship before any passenger or crew is allowed ashore which means all on board must have the required document (passport).

 

That is why at the point of embarkation, a cruise line will determine if a passenger has all the required documents for each port. No document, no boarding of the ship. 

[alyssamma]

25 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

You are confusing the need to carry one's passport ashore with the need to have a passport so that the ship can be cleared to dock at the port.

 

Ship clearance is done by the local authorities BEFORE passengers are allowed to go to ashore. Once the ship is cleared (You have heard the announcements that the ship is cleared and that passenger can debark, haven't you?),  passengers can opt not to debark the ship, but to clear the ship, all passengers (and crew) must have any documents required by that country for entry.

 

Once again, one must be very careful that one has the required document that the country requires. Martinique requires cruise ship passengers to have passports and the local immigration officials will be clearing the ship before any passenger or crew is allowed ashore which means all on board must have the required document (passport).

 

That is why at the point of embarkation, a cruise line will determine if a passenger has all the required documents for each port. No document, no boarding of the ship. 

I guess the cruise lines disagree with you 🙂 As mentioned, I've known people who have done this - both in the Caribbean and for Alaska cruises that stop at Canada. I found the above article plus several others that this.

 

From Carnival's website about Martinique:

 

• For cruises that visit Martinique, guests going ashore are required to carry a valid, unexpired passport. .

 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by alyssamma

[step78]

Martinique is a part of France. Non-Schengen visitors need a passport. 

[alyssamma]

15 minutes ago, step78 said:

Martinique is a part of France. Non-Schengen visitors need a passport. 

Yes, to go *on shore*, but not to stay on the boat....and that was the point. The OP wanted to know if they would be ok if they didn't go ashore.

[step78]

You're in Schengen if you're on the ship as well. Don't know how the authority it handles in Martinique. We had a pre-covid cruise on another European caribic island. Did not need a passport (it was Schengen, and I'm European) americans needed a passport. 

[alyssamma]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:56 AM, alyssamma said:

From Carnival's website about Martinique:

 

• For cruises that visit Martinique, guests going ashore are required to carry a valid, unexpired passport. .

Again, see quote directly from Carnival.

 

OP doesn't need a passport if staying on the ship. You need one if getting off.

 

10 minutes ago, step78 said:

americans needed a passport. 

Are you saying you know for a fact that *every* American on the ship had a passport? None were traveling with a birth certificate?

 

Or are you saying Americans that *got off the ship* needed a passport?

[step78]

Americans needed a passport to enter the island. Europeans not. We needed a passport to enter the US.  I'm not familiar with American rules for identifacation 

[alyssamma]

5 minutes ago, step78 said:

Americans needed a passport to enter the island. Europeans not. We needed a passport to enter the US.  I'm not familiar with American rules for identifacation 

Right...to go ashore...no one is disputing that.

 

The OP was asking about staying on the boat...and no passport needed for that.