Passport & Visa Requirements for Your Cruise or Land Vacation
Effective January 8, 2007, passports will be required for all U.S. citizens flying to or from all international destinations. This includes all areas of the world in which our ships sail, such as the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Central and South America.
As early as January 1, 2008, subject to U.S. Government amendment, passports will be required for all U.S. citizens cruising to or from all international destinations. This includes all areas of the world in which our ships sail, such as the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Central and South America. Until that time, the following travel document requirements apply:
You will need a valid passport and, in some cases, a visa. If you live in the U.S., you will also need the original copy of your Alien Registration Card (ARC or "Green Card") and any other documentation the countries on your itinerary require due to your alien status.
Citizens from the Visa Waiver Program countries of: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunel, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom seeking to enter the United States will be required to have in their possession a machine readable passport valid for the duration of the voyage. A machine readable passport is one having an alpha-numeric code on the bottom of the picture page. Example:
P<<UKDOE<<<JOHN<<<<1234567890M1234567890M1234567890<1234567890Visa Waiver Program travelers arriving in the U.S. on or after October 26, 2005 with passports issued on or after this date must present passports with a digital photograph.
Visa Waiver Program travelers arriving in the U.S. on or after October 26, 2006 with passports issued on or after that date must present a biometric passport or obtain a visa for entry into the United States.
- A valid passport is required; visas are required where they apply. This includes Europe, Asia, Central and South America.
- For domestic travel which includes: the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, a passport (valid or expired) is highly recommended.
- In the absence of a passport, a birth certificate (original or a certified copy), plus a picture ID card issued by a federal, state or local government agency is required.
- A voter registration card or Social Security Card are not considered to be proof of citizenship.
- Children under 16 years of age do not require a picture ID.
BestCruiseBuy.com strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport during their cruise. This greatly assists guests who may need to fly out of the United States to meet their ship at the next available port should they miss their scheduled embarkation in a U.S. port; guests entering the U.S. at the end of their cruise; and guests needing to fly to the U.S. before their cruise ends, because of medical, family, personal or business emergencies, missing a ship's departure from a port of call, involuntary disembarkation from a ship due to misconduct, or other reasons.
Guests who cruise after January 8, 2007, and need to fly to the United States before their cruise ends will likely experience significant delays and complications related to booking airline tickets and entering the United States if they do not have a valid U.S. passport with them.