Denied boarding due to My travel partner's passport expires 5 months

[tourist2017]

We booked zuiderdam on June 22,2022 at Vancouver port.  But the US border officer denied My travel partner to embark on the ship due to my partner’s passport expires 5 months after the end of our trip.  So no person told me how to deal with the situation except returning our luggage and then we had to go back home. Is there any possible help from the port and the cruise line at the port at that moment?  Is there any possible to get future cruise credit from the cruise line? I sent a email to the cruise line yesterday but still not get response until now. Thanks a lot for your help.

[d9704011]

Typically, it is the traveller's sole responsibility to have the valid documents for travel:  passport, visas, vaccination records, etc...

 

So, I'd say you're out of luck.

[Fouremco]

Is your travel partner a Canadian citizen travelling on a Canadian passport? If so, the CBP officer was mistaken, as for entry to the US, a Canadian passport must only be valid until after the visit. From the CBP website:

 

Canadian citizen's passports are NOT required to be valid for six months past their intended date of departure. Their passports must only be valid up until the date of their intended departure.

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-619?language=en_US

 

 

[Fouremco]

17 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Typically, it is the traveller's sole responsibility to have the valid documents for travel:  passport, visas, vaccination records, etc...

 

So, I'd say you're out of luck.

Agreed. Assuming that the travel partner is a Canadian travelling on a valid Canadian passport, the time to take action would have been at the port. Had the OP or partner known the actual requirements, they could have challenged the CBP officer and asked to speak to a supervisor.

 

I doubt that the cruiseline will compensate the OP and travel partner. 

[Mikamarii]

21 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Is your travel partner a Canadian citizen travelling on a Canadian passport? If so, the CBP officer was mistaken, as for entry to the US, a Canadian passport must only be valid until after the visit. From the CBP website:

 

Canadian citizen's passports are NOT required to be valid for six months past their intended date of departure. Their passports must only be valid up until the date of their intended departure.

https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-619?language=en_US

 

 

...

My apologies to Fouremco...I should have clicked the link you posted first and would have seen that the info posted was from the US customs page.

I've deleted my comment!

Edited June 24, 2022 by Mikamarii

[gnome12]

2 minutes ago, Mikamarii said:

OP says she was stopped by US custom officials. Canada may have their own rules but they can't override that of another country. More info definitely needed as to what happened to get better clarity but agree, if that is the issue I'll think they will be out of luck.

What Fouremco quoted was not Canadian regulations, it was from US Customs and Border Protection.

[lots-of-km2]

Sad to read what the OP has gone thru, including a financial loss.  In situations where it's been discovered that a US border officer has erred in law resulting in denied boarding, does the traveller have any legal recourse? What can be done to make them whole?

[broberts]

49 minutes ago, tourist2017 said:

We booked zuiderdam on June 22,2022 at Vancouver port.  But the US border officer denied My travel partner to embark on the ship due to my partner’s passport expires 5 months after the end of our trip.  So no person told me how to deal with the situation except returning our luggage and then we had to go back home. Is there any possible help from the port and the cruise line at the port at that moment?  Is there any possible to get future cruise credit from the cruise line? I sent a email to the cruise line yesterday but still not get response until now. Thanks a lot for your help.

 

Without knowing citizenship and any other issues raised by the agent it's tough to comment. I would point out that a simple perusal of the know before you go FAQ might have prompted prior corrective action.

 

See Identification Requirements in https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq/know-before-you-go.html.

 

[iancal]

 

 

Bear in mind that there are a number of countries that will not admit those that have less than six months valid time left on their passports. 

 

On one or two occasions when we had 7 or 8 months left an immigration agent in a country has been kind enough to advise us that we were approaching this period.

 

Now, we renew 9-12 months prior to our passport expire date.  Pre covid, hopefully post covid, we did lots of spontaneous travel so we always ensured that our passports had at least 9 months left on the them.

Edited June 24, 2022 by iancal

[tourist2017]

Thanks a lot for all of you. My partner is Canadian permanent resident so that is why the officer asked for 6 months expire date. 

[Fouremco]

36 minutes ago, tourist2017 said:

Thanks a lot for all of you. My partner is Canadian permanent resident so that is why the officer asked for 6 months expire date. 

Ah, that explains it, travelling on a non-Canadian passport definitely changes things.

 

At this point, you can try to garner some sympathy from your cruiseline and hope to get and FCC, or you could try your travel insurance company. Regrettably, I doubt that either one will compensate you. 

[tourist2017]

I sent my email to hollandamerica last week but I did not receive any response.  On last Wednesday on the Vancouver port, I asked for help in the two level halls and met port staff. Port staff were very nice. I will call hollandamerica and see how we can do.  Hope have a good news

[Fouremco]

9 hours ago, tourist2017 said:

I sent my email to hollandamerica last week but I did not receive any response.  On last Wednesday on the Vancouver port, I asked for help in the two level halls and met port staff. Port staff were very nice. I will call hollandamerica and see how we can do.  Hope have a good news

Good luck!

[tourist2017]

Today, I found my credit card was charged $559.65 ( pending) by zuiderdam but we are not on the ship. We were denied to board the ship and back home on June 22

 

I called 18779324259 ( General reservation assistance Canada) when I was in trouble on boarding day - June 22 and waited about 10 minutes to have chance to hear a representative response. It is very clear to hear the waiting music but the representative could not hear me and hang up soon. 

 

I just called 18779324259 again. The same situation happened:  waited about 8 minutes to have chance to hear a representative response. It is very clear to hear the waiting music but the representative voice was not clear and the representative also hang up quickly.

I am calling one once.  Any people know some trick or other phone number?

[tourist2017]

so happy to have a representative to talk with me now.  I told the representative my situation and look for help. Now the representative is friendly and working for the issue. I am waiting now. 

[tourist2017]

I really like cruise trip. I almost retired now so I will lots of time and took lots of time to watch lots of cruise video on youtube channel and have plan to have few cruise travels times per year.  My first cruise trip is from san diego to hawaii back and forth - 15 days. It had lots of fun

[tourist2017]

That is also the first time I login the cruisecritic and got lots of help from the forum. Really appreciate for all the help from the forum

[Oceangoer2]

19 hours ago, tourist2017 said:

That is also the first time I login the cruisecritic and got lots of help from the forum. Really appreciate for all the help from the forum

Any results yet?  Would like to know if you received good news.

[tourist2017]

Yesterday, a representative received my call and very friendly to told me that it need supervisor to make a decision. And then asked me to hold few times. At last , after holding 70 minutes, the call was disconnected suddenly. Until now , no people call me back. The call disconnected 24.5 hours ago. 
 

 

[tourist2017]

I sent emails to guest relations team  on June 23 and yesterday . No response

 

the port staff gave me a Covid related claim form. There has a guest relations team email. 

[*Miss G*]

I wonder if you posted on the Holland America Facebook page whether you could get some form of response.

 

Also, the next time you speak with a representative, ask them for their contact information, before they put you on hold, in case you get disconnected again.

 

Good luck.

[tourist2017]

30 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

I wonder if you posted on the Holland America Facebook page whether you could get some form of response.

 

Also, the next time you speak with a representative, ask them for their contact information, before they put you on hold, in case you get disconnected again.

 

Good luck.

Very helpful . Thanks a lot

[tourist2017]

I did not use my fb in the last few years. I need to find my fb account and password. I will try later

[tourist2017]

At 2:20pm, I call the 800 line again. It said the waiting time less than 10 minutes. Actually I listened 20minutes music. After that, there suddenly no music, I said “hello” few times, no response. Another 15 minutes passed, there has no voice from my phone but the connection does not disconnected. How can I do? Hang up or wait more minutes?

[tourist2017]

It is funny that we receive hollandamerica email to do a survey about our cruise experience today. I can not answer most questions since we did not get on the ship.