6 month passport rule? Help!

[puckliny]

I just realized my kids passports expire with in 6 months of our trip. 1 week until the cruise. We're starting from Ft Lauderdale and ends in Puerto Rico on Royal Caribean.

They are saying strongly suggest passports go beyond 6 months past the trip. Do I really have an issue here? Has anyone done this with problems or no problems?

We go to St Thomas, Barbados, St Martin, St Lucia, Nassau. Having a freak out here. Any advice? This is considered open loop since different ports. Are birth certificates and Enhanced Driver's licences not good enough?

[njhorseman]

49 minutes ago, puckliny said:

I just realized my kids passports expire with in 6 months of our trip. 1 week until the cruise. We're starting from Ft Lauderdale and ends in Puerto Rico on Royal Caribean.

They are saying strongly suggest passports go beyond 6 months past the trip. Do I really have an issue here? Has anyone done this with problems or no problems?

We go to St Thomas, Barbados, St Martin, St Lucia, Nassau. Having a freak out here. Any advice? This is considered open loop since different ports. Are birth certificates and Enhanced Driver's licences not good enough?

"Strongly suggest" is not the same as "required". None of the countries you'll be visiting require passports to have 6 months validity. As long as the passports are valid for the duration of the cruise you'll be fine.

 

However you should be aware of the possibility that Royal Caribbean's requirements are stricter than the legal requirements. That is rarely the case on mass market lines but you should check.

Edited April 12 by njhorseman

[jsn55]

You are probably fine, but check directly with the proper authorities and confirm on Royal's website terms & conditions.  

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, puckliny said:

I just realized my kids passports expire with in 6 months of our trip. 1 week until the cruise. We're starting from Ft Lauderdale and ends in Puerto Rico on Royal Caribean.

They are saying strongly suggest passports go beyond 6 months past the trip. Do I really have an issue here? Has anyone done this with problems or no problems?

We go to St Thomas, Barbados, St Martin, St Lucia, Nassau. Having a freak out here. Any advice? This is considered open loop since different ports. Are birth certificates and Enhanced Driver's licences not good enough?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I hope that you will not be denied boarding, however know for future that some countries are 3 months and some are 6 months.  You can be denied boarding to a ship that is going to a country where the requirement is later than your passport expiry.  You can also be denied entry into a country...

[capriccio]

1) You can confirm the general requirements by country on the US State Department's website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html

 

2) Get it in writing from Royal Caribbean that is only a suggestion, not a requirement of the cruise line and be ready to show that at check-in if necessary.

 

3) In a worst case scenario (RCI insisting on an expiry date more than 6 months away) this qualifies as Urgent Travel.  Get an appointment and the passport(s) will be issued the same day.  See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html and

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies.html#Map of Passport Office Locations.

 

4) As far as visiting US territories or returning to the state, it is only required that the passport have not expired before the day or re-entry.

 

Good luck!

Edited April 12 by capriccio

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, puckliny said:

 Are birth certificates and Enhanced Driver's licences not good enough?

This itinerary is not a closed loop cruise.  According to the Department of Homeland Security (https://www.dhs.gov/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative)

 

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents.

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

I hope that you will not be denied boarding, however know for future that some countries are 3 months and some are 6 months.  You can be denied boarding to a ship that is going to a country where the requirement is later than your passport expiry.  You can also be denied entry into a country...

Many countries only require your passport to be valid for the duration of your stay.

[njhorseman]

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

1) You can confirm the general requirements by country on the US State Department's website: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html

In theory that's a good suggestion, but in reality not for cruise passengers. It's not uncommon, particularly in the Caribbean, for countries to have less stringent passport requirements for cruise passengers, especially US citizens, than for those arriving by air. Cruise passengers arriving and departing the same day are often considered to be "in transit" and not subject to the same requirements as other arrivals.

 

Unfortunately the Department of State's website all too often does not reflect these differences, which results in misinforming cruise passengers of passport requirements.

 

It's common for the cruise  lines' own websites, particularly the mass market lines' websites to be a more accurate source of this information than the Department of State website.

[capriccio]

20 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

In theory that's a good suggestion, but in reality not for cruise passengers. It's not uncommon, particularly in the Caribbean, for countries to have less stringent passport requirements for cruise passengers, especially US citizens, than for those arriving by air. Cruise passengers arriving and departing the same day are often considered to be "in transit" and not subject to the same requirements as other arrivals.

 

Unfortunately the Department of State's website all too often does not reflect these differences, which results in misinforming cruise passengers of passport requirements.

 

It's common for the cruise  lines' own websites, particularly the mass market lines' websites to be a more accurate source of this information than the Department of State website.

That State Department website identifies if the country is part of the WHTI and the accepted alternative (to a passport) documents in the Entry and Exit requirements section. They also include a warning that a passport is required if having to fly back to the US in an emergency.

 

For example in the case of Barbados:

 

Those traveling to Barbados on a cruise may use another Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document. However, we strongly recommend visitors obtain a passport before travel in case of an unforeseen emergency that requires a cruise passenger to disembark and return by air.
 

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, capriccio said:

That State Department website identifies if the country is part of the WHTI and the accepted alternative (to a passport) documents in the Entry and Exit requirements section. They also include a warning that a passport is required if having to fly back to the US in an emergency.

 

For example in the case of Barbados:

 

Those traveling to Barbados on a cruise may use another Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document. However, we strongly recommend visitors obtain a passport before travel in case of an unforeseen emergency that requires a cruise passenger to disembark and return by air.
 

Yes, they show that for Barbados, but not for every country. For example no such statement is made for Sint Maarten, which is on the OP's itinerary. 

 

Bermuda is another example that is a frequent cruise port of call, although not on the OP's itinerary, where the Department of State does not distinguish between air and cruise arrivals. 

 

The two examples I've cited, Sint Maarten and Bermuda, serve as proof positive of the fact that the Department of State's website does not contain accurate information for every country, including countries that are visited by thousands of cruise passengers every week.

[puckliny]

Thanks, I just got off the phone with RC of course they just state the "policy", they won't say it's ok let alone put it in writing.  Looks like an emergency visit to a Passport Agency.  Do they actually produce the passport the same day?  Going to have to drive from NY to Boston to get an appointment on Weds (2 days before the cruise).

 

This whole open loop thing is a major pain, wish RC was a little more verbal with this, didn't find out until I "checked in'  which allows multiple types of documents and up to just 3 days prior to the cruise.  Then a little note popped up.  OMG!  

 

Thanks for all the advice, looks like I have to do it even though the countries may not need it RC might and they could stop us from boarding.  

[capriccio]

12 minutes ago, puckliny said:

Thanks, I just got off the phone with RC of course they just state the "policy", they won't say it's ok let alone put it in writing.  Looks like an emergency visit to a Passport Agency.  Do they actually produce the passport the same day?  Going to have to drive from NY to Boston to get an appointment on Weds (2 days before the cruise).

 

This whole open loop thing is a major pain, wish RC was a little more verbal with this, didn't find out until I "checked in'  which allows multiple types of documents and up to just 3 days prior to the cruise.  Then a little note popped up.  OMG!  

 

Thanks for all the advice, looks like I have to do it even though the countries may not need it RC might and they could stop us from boarding.  

I noticed you are new to Cruise Critic (welcome!) so you might not be aware of all the different forums. There is a forum specifically for each cruise line where questions and comments by that lines past, present, and future cruisers are posted and answered.  The RCI forum is https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

 

Post your concerns there and ask if anyone has been on your specific itinerary with a US passport with less than 6 month's validity.  This type of question comes up with some regularity (last month it was an itinerary on a different cruise line that included stops in Panama and Honduras if I remember correctly) and posters who had just completed that itinerary were able to give a knowledgeable response.

[puckliny]

17 minutes ago, capriccio said:

I noticed you are new to Cruise Critic (welcome!) so you might not be aware of all the different forums. There is a forum specifically for each cruise line where questions and comments by that lines past, present, and future cruisers are posted and answered.  The RCI forum is https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

 

Post your concerns there and ask if anyone has been on your specific itinerary with a US passport with less than 6 month's validity.  This type of question comes up with some regularity (last month it was an itinerary on a different cruise line that included stops in Panama and Honduras if I remember correctly) and posters who had just completed that itinerary were able to give a knowledgeable response.

Thanks for the tip, will do.

[Mary229]

Regardless of any country’s rules your cruise line may have their own higher standard.  Get your info directly from Royal and as another has said get it in writing.   Whether one country would have you or not makes no difference if you are denied boarding 

Edited April 13 by Mary229

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Regardless of any country’s rules your cruise line may have their own higher standard.  Get your info directly from Royal and as another has said get it in writing.   Whether one country would have you or not makes no difference if you are denied boarding 

The cruise line has it in writing already on their website and that is all one is going to get. You can call CS all day long and all you will get is a stock answer that is in keeping with what is there. The CS reps are not trained to be documentation experts and will not answer specific questions for those "one off" situations. If one goes to Royal's FAQ it does say that they strongly recommend that everyone use a passport and then it says, "The passport must be valid for six months after the day your cruise ends." Now, there may be something else somewhere on the website that qualifies that, but that statement sounds pretty conclusive- "must be". That doesn't read like a suggestion or a recommendation. So, if I were traveling on Royal I would make sure that my passport had 6 months left on it, even though I know that this isn't required by the US or any of the countries being visited.

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

The cruise line has it in writing already on their website and that is all one is going to get. You can call CS all day long and all you will get is a stock answer that is in keeping with what is there. The CS reps are not trained to be documentation experts and will not answer specific questions for those "one off" situations. If one goes to Royal's FAQ it does say that they strongly recommend that everyone use a passport and then it says, "The passport must be valid for six months after the day your cruise ends." Now, there may be something else somewhere on the website that qualifies that, but that statement sounds pretty conclusive- "must be". That doesn't read like a suggestion or a recommendation. So, if I were traveling on Royal I would make sure that my passport had 6 months left on it, even though I know that this isn't required by the US or any of the countries being visited.

So you don’t want to call - do not rely on the website, read the cruise contract.  I am not familiar with the RCCL terms and conditions but I do know people are left at the pier for documentation reasons.   They can rely on  what some people on cruise critic (aka the internet) say are they can seek proper factual information.  Me, I would go to the source 

[ontheweb]

On another thread, our on site expert about what documents are needed @Ferry_Watcher has said that in Seattle an expired passport would be acceptable as long as you also have an official Birth Certificate. If they would accept an expired passport, how could you turn down a valid one with less than 6 months remaining!

 

I do believe Royal Caribbean is one of the lines she and her colleagues handle in Seattle.

[chengkp75]

12 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

On another thread, our on site expert about what documents are needed @Ferry_Watcher has said that in Seattle an expired passport would be acceptable as long as you also have an official Birth Certificate.

Just understand that @Ferry_Watcher deals only with cruises to Alaska, so Canada is the only foreign nation's requirements she would be familiar with.

[capriccio]

14 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

On another thread, our on site expert about what documents are needed @Ferry_Watcher has said that in Seattle an expired passport would be acceptable as long as you also have an official Birth Certificate. If they would accept an expired passport, how could you turn down a valid one with less than 6 months remaining!

 

I do believe Royal Caribbean is one of the lines she and her colleagues handle in Seattle.

Wasn't that comment about closed loop cruise requirements?  The OP is on a Fort Lauderdale to San Juan cruise.  In that case a valid passport is required but the question is the length of validity and is 6 months a requirement of RCI or a recommendation?

Edited April 14 by capriccio

[Essiesmom]

13 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

On another thread, our on site expert about what documents are needed @Ferry_Watcher has said that in Seattle an expired passport would be acceptable as long as you also have an official Birth Certificate. If they would accept an expired passport, how could you turn down a valid one with less than 6 months remaining!

 

I do believe Royal Caribbean is one of the lines she and her colleagues handle in Seattle.

But that was a different question/situation.  She said that an expired passport could be used as picture ID.  They would accept it as ID, not as proof of citizenship.  EM

[caribsun]

Have grandma on babysitting standby.

[CDNPolar]

For me, the only way to know what is truly required is the following:

 

1) Going to a credible and verifiable government site of the country you are visiting and looking for their passport requirement.  If it says 6 months it is 6 months.  If it says it is 3 months or whatever, it is whatever.

2) Go to the US site for travelling Americans and they will tell you what each country requires.  In Canada, I go to the Canadian Government travel site and it spells out the exact requirements to visit any country in the world as a CANADIAN citizen.  The requirements for an American could be different.

3) Go to the cruise line and ask.  If they come back with 6 months, then trust that it is 6 months.

 

I offer advice on many things on Cruise Critic, but one thing that I will never do is tell you yes or no in a case like this.  YOU need to do the proper investigation on this yourself or you or someone you are travelling with could be denied boarding.  Don't take our anecdotal responses as your action required. 

 

This is your responsibility as a travelling person to understand the laws and rules of admittance to any country you are going to.

 

Sorry - I don't mean for this to sound as harsh as it probably does.  I just feel that this is not something that should be discounted and not taken seriously.  I say this because I know where people have had poor results in this regard.

Edited April 14 by CDNPolar

[sparks1093]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

So you don’t want to call - do not rely on the website, read the cruise contract.  I am not familiar with the RCCL terms and conditions but I do know people are left at the pier for documentation reasons.   They can rely on  what some people on cruise critic (aka the internet) say are they can seek proper factual information.  Me, I would go to the source 

And that's exactly what I advised- go to the source, which is the website (even quoted the website). Every cruise line's terms and conditions includes a provision about documentation and specify boarding will be denied if the passengers documentation is not sufficient and it is up to the passenger to ensure they have the correct documentation. They aren't going to let CS muddy the waters by saying anything the website does not.

[Mary229]

6 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

And that's exactly what I advised- go to the source, which is the website (even quoted the website). Every cruise line's terms and conditions includes a provision about documentation and specify boarding will be denied if the passengers documentation is not sufficient and it is up to the passenger to ensure they have the correct documentation. They aren't going to let CS muddy the waters by saying anything the website does not.

Websites are written by marketing and are not reliable. The cruise contract is written by legal. I could cite examples of discrepancies 

Edited April 14 by Mary229

[Ferry_Watcher]

4 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Just understand that @Ferry_Watcher deals only with cruises to Alaska, so Canada is the only foreign nation's requirements she would be familiar with.

 

Thanks, you are correct.  I always mention in my answers that my 'wheelhouse' of knowledge is within the Seattle cruise experience.  Seattle's Pier 91 does serve X, Royal, Carnival, HAL and Princess.  NCL is at Seattle's Pier 66. 

 

The goal/hope of the check-in team is to embark all passengers who can be legally vetted for citizenship.  And let's be clear here, we are speaking only of US born citizens, who have any wiggle room in regards to citizenship documents, and where all the cruises are a closed loop sailing (returning to the same US port). 

 

As a 'boots on the ground' Pier Agent for Alaska bound cruises, I have knowledge of what we can accept as a check-in agent, what I need to involve my supervisor with, and what might end up with the Ship's Documentation Officer - because at the end of the day, that officer is the one who is ultimately has the final word.

 

Generally speaking, if it is a cruise that just requires a US gov't issued birth certificate, then the level of supporting photo ID is less acute.  That is why we can accept an expired passport as photo ID, or in the case of older minors, their school photo ID (public, private or religious).  And we have a number of women who will successfully use their US gov't issued birth certificate, along with their current ID photo (usually a driver's license) to board a cruise ship, even though their last name has changed due to a marriage.  

 

So, generally speaking, if just the bare minimum for proof of citizenship is needed (US gov't issued birth certificate), the likelihood that a just expired passport used as photo ID, in conjunction with the child's US gov't birth certificate for this 16 yr old, should not be a problem

 

 

 

 

Edited April 14 by Ferry_Watcher