Visas, Passports, & Bookings

[MisterMatthew]

Hello kind board-members!

 

I am, finally, going to get the ball rolling on a U.S. passport.  I have two cruises completed thus far.  So, I think it is time to jump in all the way.  

 

I have never had a visa.

I have never had a passport.

 

Q1 .. Does a passport "trump" a visa?  Meaning, is there NOT A NEED for a visa, if you posess a passport?  I see on some ports of call (on the HAL website) say "Visa reqd for some nationalities".

 

Q2 .. Once i get my passport, is it then NO LONGER important to bring my birth certificate to the check in counter at Embarkation?

 

Q3 .. When i book a cruise, am i reqd to have proof of a passport?  Or, do i just need it when i sail?  I ask this, because i am starting the process (this week) at my local post office.

 

Thank you for weighing in.  And, i hope everyone is havind a safe Monday.

 

-----Matthew

[Sea42]

Q1 - No! A passport does not replace needing a visa. Both would be needed if a visa is required.

Q.2 Correct

Q3 - No, the passport is not required when you book but will be required as a part of your online check in process prior to the cruise (if required for the cruise).

Your passport will certainly open up some wonderful new opportunities for travel! Enjoy!

[Cruise Suzy]

A1: If a country requires a visa, that is in addition to your passport. Be sure to check. My DSIL once flew to Brazil but never left the airport and had to return home on the next available flight because she didn't have a visa.

 

A2: Passport replaces birth certificate.

 

A3: HAL asks for your passport number during the online check-in.

[POA1]

As a special bonus for you, the new passport holder, you'll be receiving the fancy, new style passport with the cool plastic page insert! At no extra charge! (Unless you count processing time.)

 

My passport renewed last year and I have the old style. My wife's renewed this year and she has the luxe new kind. It'll be nine years of hanging my head in shame because of my inferior passport.

 

You won't have that problem, because yours will be the awesome new style! 🛳️

[Caribbean Chris]

It can take months to get your new passport so you may wish to pay extra for expedited service, depending on when & where you plan to travel.

 

Starting in 2024, US Citizens and others may need a travel information authorization form for many European countries.

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/27/1190453405/europe-travel-visa-etias-how-to-apply

[Fouremco]

Be aware that there are a number of variations of a visa and that in some cases, a "travel authorization" may be required instead of a visa. Be sure to check well in advance to see if the countries you will be visiting require a visa, e-visa, ETIAS, ESTA, eTA or similar. This website will provide you with the necessary information:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

[cruisemom42]

48 minutes ago, POA1 said:

As a special bonus for you, the new passport holder, you'll be receiving the fancy, new style passport with the cool plastic page insert! At no extra charge! (Unless you count processing time.)

 

My passport renewed last year and I have the old style. My wife's renewed this year and she has the luxe new kind. It'll be nine years of hanging my head in shame because of my inferior passport.

 

You won't have that problem, because yours will be the awesome new style! 🛳️

 

As part of the great unwashed masses, may I ask what is the intended function of the plastic page insert?

[Fouremco]

For many countries, you can apply for a visa (or other travel authorization) online, and there is a government webpage that you can use. But there are also many private enterprises that have webpages that will provide the same service, but at an additional cost. The websites are designed to look as if they are official government sites. Sometimes their services come at quite an outrageous additional cost. For example, one website charges $89 for a US ESTA, significantly higher that the $21 charged by the official US government website. So just be careful when looking for the governments website if you wish to avoid paying a higher price. Caveat emptor.

[ExArkie]

56 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

As part of the great unwashed masses, may I ask what is the intended function of the plastic page insert?

Maybe to keep the unwashed masses from soiling their passports??

 

I was not aware of a new design - mine has an expiration date of 2025, so it’s been a while. I found the following after a short search: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/next-generation-passport.html

 

Turns out plastic pages are more durable.

[MisterMatthew]

I appreciate all of your responses.  Thank you so much.

 

A woman i spoke with at the post ofc said there is an expedited something.  Lol.  Now i cannot recall if it was shipping or processing.

 

---Matthew

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, ExArkie said:

I was not aware of a new design - mine has an expiration date of 2025, so it’s been a while. I found the following after a short search: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/next-generation-passport.html

 

 

Like you, I'm looking at renewing next year since mine expires 2025.

 

The description I guess sounded cooler than the actual thing. I was envisioning some kind of plastic sleeve attached within the passport where you could stash a stand-alone visa or a vaccination record card...

[Blackduck59]

23 minutes ago, MisterMatthew said:

I appreciate all of your responses.  Thank you so much.

 

A woman i spoke with at the post ofc said there is an expedited something.  Lol.  Now i cannot recall if it was shipping or processing.

 

---Matthew

It was probably both, congratulations on your decision to get your passport, it will open the world to you. Also remember that once you have it, it is the most important piece of identification you possess.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

5 hours ago, MisterMatthew said:

Hello kind board-members!

 

I am, finally, going to get the ball rolling on a U.S. passport.  I have two cruises completed thus far.  So, I think it is time to jump in all the way.  

 

I have never had a visa.

I have never had a passport.

 

Q1 .. Does a passport "trump" a visa?  Meaning, is there NOT A NEED for a visa, if you posess a passport?  I see on some ports of call (on the HAL website) say "Visa reqd for some nationalities".

 

Q2 .. Once i get my passport, is it then NO LONGER important to bring my birth certificate to the check in counter at Embarkation?

 

Q3 .. When i book a cruise, am i reqd to have proof of a passport?  Or, do i just need it when i sail?  I ask this, because i am starting the process (this week) at my local post office.

 

Thank you for weighing in.  And, i hope everyone is havind a safe Monday.

 

-----Matthew

The country of your citizenship issues a passport. It certifies you are a citizen and provides a booklet with pages for other countries to affix entry and exit stamps and visas.

 

A visa is an authorization by a particular country for an individual to visit that country.   Every country has numerous types of visas depending on the purpose of your trip:  Tourist, Work, Business, Etc...

 

Entry and exit stamps are used to record the date you entered and the date you left - this is used to ensure you don't stay longer than you are allowed to stay based on the type of visa you received.  

 

Many countries don't require USA citizens to obtain VISAs.  

 

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[aussiegirl]

Q1:  Passports and visas are different "animals".  A passport is proof of your citizenship.  A visa is a requirement by a foreign government to allow you to enter their country. 

 

Q2:  Once you have a U.S. passport, that is your best form of proof of your citizenship.  Put your birth certificate back in your safe deposit box (or wherever you keep it) and use your passport exclusively.

 

Q3:  You do not need a passport to book a cruise, but you will need it when you check in online and when you board the ship. 

 

[sciencewonk]

3 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

The country of your citizenship issues a passport. It certifies you are a citizen and provides a booklet with pages for other countries to affix entry and exit stamps and visas.

 

Entry and exit stamps are used to record the date you entered and the date you left - this is used to ensure you don't stay longer than you are allowed to stay based on the type of visa you received.  

 

Many countries don't require USA citizens to obtain VISAs.  

 

 

It's been a few years )at least pre-COVID) since I got an actual stamp in my passport.  Most countries have gone electronic and just scan the passport.  This is a bit of a bummer; I liked the stamped souvenir.  Also, when I applied for my permanent visa for Australia, they wanted my international travel for the preceding 10 years.  The only way I was able to track that was through the stamps in my passports.

 

Many countries don't require US citizens to obtain visas, but they do require travel authorizations as Fouremco said above.  At least these are easier, quicker, and cheaper than getting a visa.

 

Good luck and enjoy your travel.  Once you're bitten by the international travel bug you might just keep going.

[dawnvip]

Another thing with visas is they are only valid for a certain time, usually indicated by yourself in the application. Your passport will be valid for 5 or 10 years (depending on issuing country).

 

I have visas for Cambodia, Vietnam and Kenya in my passport. All are stamped on date of entry and then stamped again with "used" once I left. They cannot be used again, so I would have to apply again if I want to go back.

[calvin81]

Dawn and Alan - can you give any advice for getting Vietnam and Cambodia visas? The online information I've seen is a little confusing. 

On 9/11/2023 at 8:32 PM, dawnvip said:

Another thing with visas is they are only valid for a certain time, usually indicated by yourself in the application. Your passport will be valid for 5 or 10 years (depending on issuing country).

 

I have visas for Cambodia, Vietnam and Kenya in my passport. All are stamped on date of entry and then stamped again with "used" once I left. They cannot be used again, so I would have to apply again if I want to go back.

 

[Iamthesea]

Are birth certificates still OK for cruising from the U.S. to the Caribbean/Bahamas?   I do have a passport (received the new one last April after an agonizing wait.  It was my third passport, and probably my last), but my grandchildren do not have one.  Taking them on a spring break cruise.

[oakridger]

12 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Are birth certificates still OK for cruising from the U.S. to the Caribbean/Bahamas?   I do have a passport (received the new one last April after an agonizing wait.  It was my third passport, and probably my last), but my grandchildren do not have one.  Taking them on a spring break cruise.

 

Have you considered getting the grandchildren passports?  There is still plenty of time before spring breaks.

 

~Nancy

[sandiego1]

When you apply for the passport, I suggest checking the box for the large book. There is no additional costs flans you get more pages. I neglected to do that last year when I renewed (stupid error). Now I have very few completely blank pages. Immigration clerks don’t stamp in order as they are in a rush and just look for a blank page. I have many pages with a single stamp. When we go on a long or World Cruise , we need at least 6 blank pages before starting the cruise. Between that and Visas which will sometimes be attached to your passport, I will definitely run out of pages before my passport expires.

[SilvertoGold]

So, Mr M, where are you planning to cruise?

 

Good that you are getting a passport. We use ours all the time at home for various ID requirements. Drivers Licences are OK but passports are the gold standard. However, we take our DL with us in ports instead of the passport as it is fine for ID at the dock and easier to replace if lost or stolen.

 

Good luck and keep us informed on how it goes.

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by SilvertoGold

[Gunther1]

While there is a wealth of knowledge to be gleaned from this site, regarding passports and visas, I would NOT assume that everything you read on here is the gospel.

 

A couple of months ago, I gave up trying to explain to a woman taking an Alaska cruise from Seattle that she needed more than just her DL (it was NOT an enhanced DL). She insisted that “somebody on CC” told her that she needed nothing more than that….and she chose to believe that.

 

I never did find out if she was denied boarding.

 

Your best bet: go to official US government sites.

 

As an aside, as a former pier 91 check-in person in Seattle, I can attest from first-hand knowledge that people ARE denied boarding because of the required documentation.  I’ve seen it….and it ain’t pretty.

[oakridger]

4 minutes ago, Gunther1 said:

s an aside, as a former pier 91 check-in person in Seattle, I can attest from first-hand knowledge that people ARE denied boarding because of the required documentation.  I’ve seen it….and it ain’t pretty.

 

My good friend works at the San Francisco Cruise Pier, and it breaks her heart every time people are denied boarding for lack of documentation. It happens pretty frequently because people don't do their research before traveling.  

 

I'm so happy to hear that @MisterMatthew is getting his passport!!  Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world!!

 

~Nancy

Edited September 13, 2023 by oakridger

[Fouremco]

31 minutes ago, Gunther1 said:

A couple of months ago, I gave up trying to explain to a woman taking an Alaska cruise from Seattle that she needed more than just her DL (it was NOT an enhanced DL). She insisted that “somebody on CC” told her that she needed nothing more than that….and she chose to believe that.

Unfortunately, some people only hear what they want to hear. I very much doubt that any post saying that she only needs a non-enhanced DL would have survived without multiple posts correcting the misinformation.

 

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by Fouremco

[Langoustine]

Many years ago, my wife and I flew into Frankfurt, and the immigration officer's stamp was so low on ink that my entry stamp was almost unreadable. Several weeks later, no one could find it before we flew out, and we were denied boarding until they (and I) finally found the very, very faint entry stamp. I think the new system is much preferable.