Passports

NO PASSPORTS NEEDED ON CLOSED-LOOP SAILINGS!!!!

(FOR U.S. CITIZENS!)

Updated 10/1/2010

Dear Valued Travel Partner,

One of the many great values you offer your clients is the expertise and guidance on "what they will need" to board a cruise with us. This is the kind of information that is not always easily clear to even your most experienced cruisers, who may have sailed with different documents in the past. So, as a reminder, please note that U.S. citizens must bring one of the following WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) compliant documents in order to sail on a cruise that departs and ends from the same U.S. port:

• Valid U.S. Passport
• Passport Card
• Original or legible copy of a Birth Certificate (issued by the Department of Vital Statistics)
• Certificate of Naturalization
• Enhanced Driver's License
• Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card (i.e. Nexus Card, Sentri Card or Fast Card)
• A Consular Report of Birth Abroad
• If married, a marriage certificate to show married name.

Copies of the following will NOT be allowed:

• US Passports
• Naturalization Papers

Originals, or copies will NOT be allowed:

• Baptismal Certificates
• Hospital issued "Certificate of Birth"

As always, we recommend that all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking cruises that begin and end in the same U.S. port, traveling with a passport facilitates your customer's disembarkation experience. It also makes it easier for them to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port should they miss their scheduled embarkation or need to fly back to the U.S. for an emergency.

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A NOTE ABOUT BIRTH CERTIFICATES

Please begin advising all clients to be sure they have an OFFICIAL Birth Certificate - not something from the hospital .... We had a client go to the pier on Saturday and they were refused boarding because their certificate they brought to the pier had

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A letter from Carnival Cruise Lines!

May 26, 2009

Dear Travel Partner,

There has been much attention on the new travel requirements for U.S. Citizens going into effect on June 1, 2009, and we would like to clarify this for you.  While the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requires valid passports for land and sea travel, a final ruling was issued allowing leniency for “closed-loop” cruises, i.e., sailings that both originate and terminate in the same U.S. port.

U.S. citizens taking “closed-loop” cruises are not required to have a passport but will need proof of citizenship and a government-issued photo ID, such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate and a driver’s license.  Children will also be required to carry a birth certificate and a photo ID if over the age of 15.

Although a passport is not required for “closed loop” cruises, we strongly recommend all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel), a passport card or an enhanced driver’s license (EDL). Having these documents will enable them to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port in the event they miss their scheduled embarkation or to fly back to the U.S. if they need to disembark the ship mid-cruise due to an emergency.  

If a cruise begins and ends in different U.S. ports or begins and ends in a foreign port, a valid passport or other recognized WHTI-compliant document is required. A valid passport is required if you are traveling on any of our Europe cruises.

For more information, a complete list of WHTI-compliant documents or to obtain a passport application, visit www.travel.state.gov

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that ALL guests need proof of citizenship in order to travel and failure to present a valid document at check in will result in denied boarding and no refund will be issued.  

We hope you will take the time to share this important information with your clients and encourage them to invest in a passport as the preferred document of choice for proof of citizenship. 

Thank you for your support!

Lynn C. Torrent
Senior Vice President of Sales and Guest Services
Carnival Cruise Lines 

Everything you always wanted to know about getting your passport

June 15, 2008 copied from the website: www.dhs.gov

Department of HOMELAND SECURITY

Cruise Passengers

U.S. and Canadian citizens arriving on cruises from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, or the Caribbean will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of identity and citizenship, such as a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. View complete list of acceptable documents at CBP.gov.

Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport when you dock at a foreign port, depending on the islands or countries that your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruiseline to ensure you have the appropriate documents for the stops you’ll be making on your cruise.

Posted in April, 2008

FINAL Passport Rule Issued for Land and Sea Borders
Yesterday, the Departments of Homeland Security and of State issued the final rulemaking concerning the requirements of passports for land and sea border crossings under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. After years of development following 9/11, this ruling is the end of the process and can be considered FINAL when helping your clients ensure they have the proper identification when traveling.

Effective June 1, 2009, the following rules take effect for cruise passengers:

U.S. citizens on cruise voyages that begin and end at the same U.S. port (closed-loop itineraries) must show proof of citizenship* and government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license). A passport will not be required for passengers that fall into this category.

*Documents include: Original or certified copy of birth certificate; Naturalization papers; Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by Department of State

All other passengers and/or itineraries (such as cruises which begin in one U.S. port and return to a different U.S. port or any cruise that begins or ends in a foreign port) will require a passport or other recognized document. For a list of accepted documents, see www.travel.state.gov.

The good news for a majority of cruise passengers – American citizens that leave and return on their cruise from the same U.S. port – is that the travel document requirements will remain largely unchanged from how the industry is operating today.

How to get a passport 

First Time

Visit www.travel.state.gov to obtain information on how to apply at more than 9,000 passport acceptance facilities in the United States.

First time passport applicants need to apply in person. This section contains a useful guide to determine whether or not an in-person visit is required as well as information on preparing documents and obtaining passports quickly.

How to Apply & Documentation
How to Get a Passport Quickly
Where to Apply in the U.S.

Passport Fees

March 8, 2005

Routine Services (Form DS-11)
Non-Refundable

Age 16 and older: The passport application fee is $67. The execution fee is $30. The total is $97 .

Under Age 16: The passport application fee is $52. The execution fee is $30. The total is $82 .

The passport application fee includes the $12.00 Security Surcharge, which became effective March 8, 2005.

Methods of Payment -  see this link:   http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/fees/fees_837.html

• CURRENTLY: 
  U.S. citizens need to present either (a) a passport, passport card (available in spring 2008), or WHTI-compliant document; or (b) a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, along with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.
• LATER:
  On June 1, 2009, the U.S. government will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI.  The final rulings are above.

   

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LAND AND SEA TRAVEL
The following summarizes information available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website.