Can I cruise to Alaska without a passport?

[kbert92069]

There are numerous cruises round trip to Alaska from Seattle.  I know they stop in Canada due to the rules but if I don't get off the ship in Canada do I still need a passport?

[klfrodo]

If you're a US citizen and take a cruise that begins in Seattle and returns to Seattle, then you don't need a passport. You just need a Govt. issued photo ID and a birth certificate. You can even get off the ship in Canada for a port visit if you choose.

Now, if there issues regarding your citizenship or you're concerned about having a felony on your record that wasn't disclosed in your initial post,,,, then that might change things.

Edited July 14, 2023 by klfrodo

[BruceMuzz]

klfrodo is correct in saying that *legally*you may not need a passport on a closed-loop cruise from Seattle to Alaska.

But some cruise lines require a passport anyway.

You really should check with the cruise line you are booking with.

 

Note;

Remaining on a ship in a foreign port makes no legal difference.

The ship - and you - entered the sovereign waters of that country a few hours earlier.

You are already in that country whether or not you go ashore.

 

Also note;

If you are cruising without a passport and you, or your family, or the ship has any problems, you will be unable to fly home.

[Essiesmom]

Should one of your ports be Skagway, you would not be able to take an excursion that crosses into Canada/Yukon.  EM

[floatn]

If you are cruising without a passport and encounter issues necessitating your early departure such as emergency, of course, you CAN fly home. It will be challenging to organize and costly, but, of course, you'll eventually get home.

[mjkacmom]

12 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

klfrodo is correct in saying that *legally*you may not need a passport on a closed-loop cruise from Seattle to Alaska.

But some cruise lines require a passport anyway.

You really should check with the cruise line you are booking with.

 

Note;

Remaining on a ship in a foreign port makes no legal difference.

The ship - and you - entered the sovereign waters of that country a few hours earlier.

You are already in that country whether or not you go ashore.

 

Also note;

If you are cruising without a passport and you, or your family, or the ship has any problems, you will be unable to fly home.

To be fair, they will not be forced to live out their days in Canada, they will be able to fly home but will need to make extra arrangements.

[sparks1093]

19 minutes ago, floatn said:

If you are cruising without a passport and encounter issues necessitating your early departure such as emergency, of course, you CAN fly home. It will be challenging to organize and costly, but, of course, you'll eventually get home.

 

6 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

To be fair, they will not be forced to live out their days in Canada, they will be able to fly home but will need to make extra arrangements.

As I understand it most of the arranging is done by the authorities other than actually booking the flight. And this presupposes that one is leaving the cruise at the (typically) one port stop in Canada. Leave the ship in Alaska and you just get on a plane (there might be an issue with a PVSA violation, but under the right circumstances that fine may be waived). A closed loop cruise to Alaska has far less risk than a typical closed loop cruise to the Caribbean.

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

klfrodo is correct in saying that *legally*you may not need a passport on a closed-loop cruise from Seattle to Alaska.

But some cruise lines require a passport anyway.

You really should check with the cruise line you are booking with.

 

Note;

Remaining on a ship in a foreign port makes no legal difference.

The ship - and you - entered the sovereign waters of that country a few hours earlier.

You are already in that country whether or not you go ashore.

 

Also note;

If you are cruising without a passport and you, or your family, or the ship has any problems, you will be unable to fly home.

Hmmm, I recall a ship having to disembark everyone in a Caribbean port (I believe St Maarten, but it's been a while) due to mechanical issues. Everyone flew home, even those without passports. CBP issued them a letter authorizing them to fly without a passport. The regulations that give us the closed loop exception gives the authorities the ability to waive the passport requirement for emergencies and for humanitarian reasons.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Appreciate the question being asked - at least these folks will show up for their cruise with their birth certificate and driver's license.

For some reason there has been even more folks showing up for their Alaska cruise (in Seattle) carrying just their regular Driver's License - no passport or birth certificate.  Many of these folks say that 'they weren't told' that they needed a passport or BC; or that they believed that their AZ (or whatever state) driver's license that has a star on it was all they needed.  So frustrating, so sad, and so preventable.

 

So I appreciate my fellow CCer's who respond to questions like this with kindness and facts.  Hopefully, others will read this, remember it, and share the simple fact that 'yes, you do need to have a passport or birth certificate' if you want to sail to Alaska.

[sparks1093]

36 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Appreciate the question being asked - at least these folks will show up for their cruise with their birth certificate and driver's license.

For some reason there has been even more folks showing up for their Alaska cruise (in Seattle) carrying just their regular Driver's License - no passport or birth certificate.  Many of these folks say that 'they weren't told' that they needed a passport or BC; or that they believed that their AZ (or whatever state) driver's license that has a star on it was all they needed.  So frustrating, so sad, and so preventable.

 

So I appreciate my fellow CCer's who respond to questions like this with kindness and facts.  Hopefully, others will read this, remember it, and share the simple fact that 'yes, you do need to have a passport or birth certificate' if you want to sail to Alaska.

For some reason people have it in their head that the REAL ID compliant licenses are sufficient to prove both citizenship and identity, very likely because they had to produce their birth certificate to obtain it. Short of each cruise line emphasizing this in their FAQ I don't know what can be done (and of course even if it is in the FAQ that doesn't mean that folks will read it, but at least an attempt to educate was made). I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, that's for sure. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Short of each cruise line emphasizing this in their FAQ I don't know what can be done

 

You are correct my Friend - the cruise lines really need to do a better job in letting passengers know what type of documents are required.  I even read the info on the various cruise lines' sites, and it's not even clear to me (when I know what is needed).  It's all too vague.

 

Just this week I personally had two different groups of travelers (on the same day), one group had 4 people, the other 5 people - all were traveling with just driver's incenses.  At that point the hope is that someone at home can find the birth certificates and get them electronically sent to the terminal.  I don't know how my two groups fared, but I hope they made it on to the ship.

[floatn]

You're traveling out of the country and you need to prove your citizenship to return. A driver's license simply doesn't prove that. But a birth certificate, provided you were born in the US, DOES. So, a birth certificate is required, or some other form of citizenship proof. The driver's license is to prove your identity, nothing more.

[Charles4515]

45 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

You are correct my Friend - the cruise lines really need to do a better job in letting passengers know what type of documents are required. 

Even when the cruise line site is clear about what is required people being people they find ways to confuse themselves. I see that in their posts to CC. Also pretty common the cruise line web site is clear but they are nervous about it and call the cruise line and the rep tells gives them the wrong answer. Some posters say call the cruise line but the ruise line  call center employees give bad answers. 

[Charles4515]

14 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

klfrodo is correct in saying that *legally*you may not need a passport on a closed-loop cruise from Seattle to Alaska.

But some cruise lines require a passport anyway.

You really should check with the cruise line you are booking with.

 

There are only a couple of cruise lines that require a passport anyway. They are not mass market cruise lines.  They are niche cruise lines like Oceania and Regent. 

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

To be fair, they will not be forced to live out their days in Canada, they will be able to fly home but will need to make extra arrangements.

An Alaska roundtrip out of Seattle will  have the lowest odds of having to fly home. Besides the odds of an emergency being low there will likely only be one port stop in Canada to comply with the PVSA. 

[zqvol]

17 hours ago, kbert92069 said:

There are numerous cruises round trip to Alaska from Seattle.  I know they stop in Canada due to the rules but if I don't get off the ship in Canada do I still need a passport?

You can take that cruise with just a birth certificate and a government issued photo ID.

[kbert92069]

I appreciate everyone's responses.  I have a passport and a global entry but recently sent the passport back with my renewal application and I have no idea how long it will be before I get it back..

Thanks,

Karl

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, kbert92069 said:

I appreciate everyone's responses.  I have a passport and a global entry but recently sent the passport back with my renewal application and I have no idea how long it will be before I get it back..

Thanks,

Karl

It's always good to know what alternatives are available.

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, kbert92069 said:

I have a passport and a global entry but recently sent the passport back with my renewal application and I have no idea how long it will be before I get it back..

 

Just don't rely on your Global Entry card - use your birth certificate if it qualifies for your cruise.

[new_cruiser]

23 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Should one of your ports be Skagway, you would not be able to take an excursion that crosses into Canada/Yukon.  EM

Mostly true - there are some alternative items that could be used. One alternative is an Enhanced Driver's License or ID can be used instead of a passport. Presently, only some states on the Canadian border issue Enhanced Driver's Licenses/IDs. Another is a trusted traveler card (e.g. Nexus, Global Entry).

 

Full list is here:

https://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/canada-travel-requirements.html

[klfrodo]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Just don't rely on your Global Entry card - use your birth certificate if it qualifies for your cruise.

The Global Entry card is WHTI compliant though, right?

Edited July 15, 2023 by klfrodo

[new_cruiser]

3 hours ago, kbert92069 said:

I appreciate everyone's responses.  I have a passport and a global entry but recently sent the passport back with my renewal application and I have no idea how long it will be before I get it back..

Thanks,

Karl

 

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

Just don't rely on your Global Entry card - use your birth certificate if it qualifies for your cruise.

Actually, according to the following site, a Global Entry card works for crossing at a US-Canada land border:

https://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/canada-travel-requirements.html

 

I know in the past I've found the same info on a US .gov site but I'm having trouble finding it ATM.

[Charles4515]

6 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

The Global Entry card is WHTI compliant though, right?

You can use it instead of a drivers license as photo ID but you would still need a birth certificate. 

[new_cruiser]

BTW, if you would rather travel with a passport, there is an urgent passport process can be used if travel is within 14 days. It requires calling to make an appointment and then visiting a State Department Passport Office in person. How convenient that is depends on how close you live to one of the offices. When I used the process in May, the appointment I could get was a few days before the start of travel so it can be a bit of a nail biter with a paid-in-full cruise depending on the process succeeding. 

[new_cruiser]

6 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

You can use it instead of a drivers license as photo ID but you would still need a birth certificate. 

What I read says it is the same as using an EDL - it can be used at a land border crossing so it doesn't need a birth certificate.

 

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

Edited July 15, 2023 by new_cruiser