Passport near expiration question

[houseofduck]

We have passports. And, our passports are going to expire about 7 to 8 months AFTER our sail date. I know that you are supposed to have a passport that has at least 6 months left on it. So, we should be fine. But, I was wondering, if you are within 6 months of the expiration date, would they deny boarding using that passport?

 

[kiford]

It's entirely dependent on where you're going. For example, on our Northern European cruise this year, our passports have to be valid 3 months beyond our departure date from Denmark but for 6 months from our departure date from St. Petersburg. So you'll have to check each of the ports where you're stopping to determine what the requirements are.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We have passports. And, our passports are going to expire about 7 to 8 months AFTER our sail date. I know that you are supposed to have a passport that has at least 6 months left on it. So, we should be fine. But, I was wondering, if you are within 6 months of the expiration date, would they deny boarding using that passport?

As noted, the "6 months past travel date" is not a given. If you are on a Caribbean cruise, the requirement is just that the passport must be valid. There are ports, primarily in Europe, where 3 months or 6 months past the date you plan on departing that country must be on the passport.

If you are on a cruise that has a port with such a requirement, and your passport does not qualify, then, yes, you would be denied boarding.

 

[over50visits]

You can visit travel.state.gov for official information. According to this source, the 6 months validity rule is because a number of countries require that for you to enter. For example, The Bahamas does not, but the French West Indies does. Disney visits some countries that do have a 6 months validity requirement.

According to Disney when I recently called and asked, they would not accept a passport expiring within 6 months. However, they WOULD accept a birth certificate (as they do for anyone) in a closed-loop cruise to Bahamas/Caribbean.

 

[kiford]

as they do for anyone in a closed-loop cruise to Bahamas/Caribbean

If you are a US citizen. If you are not, then you have to check the rules that apply between your country of origin and the countries you visit. However, just for safety, we always renew our passports when we reach about 7-8 months from expiry since you don't always know if you will have a surprise need to travel abroad.

 

[over50visits]

If you are a US citizen.

Good catch!

 

[stickeymouse]

We have passports. And, our passports are going to expire about 7 to 8 months AFTER our sail date. I know that you are supposed to have a passport that has at least 6 months left on it. So, we should be fine. But, I was wondering, if you are within 6 months of the expiration date, would they deny boarding using that passport?

What itinerary are you sailing? This makes a world of difference. We went on our first Disney cruise because we wanted to leave the country and my wife's passport had recently expired. Thus, we could not fly. We did a short, 4-night Bahamian cruise on the Dream without passports and had no issues. If yours are good for another 7 months after your travel date, you'll likely be fine, but be sure to check the regulations of each country you visit.

 

[houseofduck]

We are definitely fine for our cruise. We will have closer to 8 months left on the passport and we are doing a Caribbean cruise. It just made me curious when the representative mentioned that passports should have 6 months left.

 

[bumbershoot]

According to Disney when I recently called and asked, they would not accept a passport expiring within 6 months. However, they WOULD accept a birth certificate (as they do for anyone) in a closed-loop cruise to Bahamas/Caribbean.

That CM has lost his mind. Of course they'll take a passport with an appropriate amount of time on it for a Bahamas/Caribbean closed-loop cruise for which a BC would suffice.

It isn't all countries that require 6 months, not at all. Even inside of Europe there are differences.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

That CM has lost his mind

Well, we know that the CMs on the phone don't have all the correct answers. I find that to be true for most cruise lines.

 

[Alexle2007]

Gosh, I hope there is no 6 month requirement. DS8's passport expires in July and we are cruising on Fantasy in late April. I didn't want to renew in advance since 1) it's surprise for DH and I'd have to explain the need for renewal and 2) I only want to purchase 2 more child's and this will allow us to renew as an adult then. Oh well. We'll be chancing it.

 

[houseofduck]

You should be fine with a Caribbean cruise. The representative I spoke with was actually a Costco representative. He was reading from a general script, I think. You could always bring a birth certificate for your son as a back up.

 

[jiminy14]

Gosh, I hope there is no 6 month requirement. DS8's passport expires in July and we are cruising on Fantasy in late April. I didn't want to renew in advance since 1) it's surprise for DH and I'd have to explain the need for renewal and 2) I only want to purchase 2 more child's and this will allow us to renew as an adult then. Oh well. We'll be chancing it.

Just started reading this thread because we are sailing the Western Caribbean in late April and my passport and my DD's expire in early September. That leaves us at 4 1/2 months instead of the 6 months being mentioned. I plan on bringing our birth certificates as back-up and hope that we won't encounter any problems.

 

[tvguy]

Gosh, I hope there is no 6 month requirement. DS8's passport expires in July and we are cruising on Fantasy in late April. I didn't want to renew in advance since 1) it's surprise for DH and I'd have to explain the need for renewal and 2) I only want to purchase 2 more child's and this will allow us to renew as an adult then. Oh well. We'll be chancing it.

Wow. I can't imagine spending what a cruise costs without first discussing it with my wife. Great surprise, but DW and I don't spent more than about $200 without talking about it in advance.

 

[kiapepito]

I was looking at our passports earlier today and realized that dd's passport expires in may.. our cruise is in july. we will be at the post office on Monday morning...

 

[houseofduck]

Good catch! Showing up at the port with an expired passport is one of my nightmares!

 

[Alexle2007]

Wow. I can't imagine spending what a cruise costs without first discussing it with my wife. Great surprise, but DW and I don't spent more than about $200 without talking about it in advance.

It's his big 5-0 and we've been talking about doing one in the fall so it's just going to happen a little sooner than he thinks I even contacted his supervisor so she isn't surprised/upset when he suddenly needs a week off. And DS has been totally awesome with keeping the secret and helping me to plan. Only 30 more days to keep the secret!

 

[krisinparis]

Check the state department site posted above...... and if you are close then print out the requirements. We just got back from Costa Rica and have 2 months left on our passports-- Costa Rica recently changed from needing 3 months validity to only needing to be valid on the date of entry.

 

[houseofduck]

I went to the travel.gov web site and checked the passport requirements for the different countries on the Eastern/Western Caribbean itineraries. Here's what I found.

For British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, and St. Maarten:
Must be valid on the date of entry.

For Mexico:
Six months minimum validity required for entry.

 

[houseofduck]

Here is the link to the site.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country.html

Type in the country of interest and it will give you the passport requirement for that country.