Passports?

[tekaye]

I am so unbelievably confused about Passports.

We live in the US. Our cruise departs from FL, goes to Nassau and comes back to FL.

DH has a valid passport from when he was 17. I have no idea how it did not expire. But it does not have the correct address.

My passport, gotten at the same time as DH for the same trip, has somehow expired. And it does not have my new name or address.

The kids are 9 and 6 and have no passports. I have contacted our travel agent to find out who needs what and have not heard back (she never answers my emails).

So, who needs to do what? We sail in July and are tight on both time and money so I would rather not have to pay for something I don't need like rush processing, or passports we are not required to have.

I appreciate the help. I have searched the internet but am getting varied results.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I am so unbelievably confused about Passports.

We live in the US. Our cruise departs from FL, goes to Nassau and comes back to FL.

DH has a valid passport from when he was 17. I have no idea how it did not expire. But it does not have the correct address.

My passport, gotten at the same time as DH for the same trip, has somehow expired. And it does not have my new name or address.

The kids are 9 and 6 and have no passports. I have contacted our travel agent to find out who needs what and have not heard back (she never answers my emails).

So, who needs to do what? We sail in July and are tight on both time and money so I would rather not have to pay for something I don't need like rush processing, or passports we are not required to have.

I appreciate the help. I have searched the internet but am getting varied results.

Are you US citizens?

 

[fairytalelover]

If anything goes wrong on your cruise when you are at a port a passport would just bring a peace of mind for you. Why take a chance? We got passports for myself, husband and 6 year old and with normal processing time it arrived within 2-3 weeks. It was super easy and really not that expensive. Plus they are valid for 5 years for kids and 10 years for adults so you have nothing to lose and are good to go for many years. I just like to have a peace of mind when travelling and you never know what can happen.

 

[MomsOf2boys]

They recommend you have one but there are circumstances that allow you to go to the bahamas...
US citizens on a closed-loop cruise, one that begins and ends at the same US port, can use a driver’s license or government-issued ID card and a birth certificate, certificate of naturalization or certificate of citizenship.
Children under the age of 16 traveling by land or sea can use their birth certificates, as can children under the age of 19 if they are under adult supervision and are traveling with an organization such as a school group, church group, volunteer organization or sports team.

However, if your cruise line requires one, they can refuse to allow you on without one, and if you miss the boat or have a medical emergency, you cannot fly to meet the boat or home with your child or loved one without one.

Passport cards are only $55 for adults and $40 for kids. Much cheaper. If your husbands is still good, he must have had an adult one which was for 10 years, and yours must have been a minor's card and only good for 5 years.

 

[trimix]

If anybody is not a US citizen, I believe they will need a passport. Otherwise, you and your husband will need certified copies of birth or naturalization certificates and government issued photo ID, while your children (being under 16) will just need certified copies of their birth or naturalization certificates.

Passports are unnecessary, but will greatly simplify and speed up getting home if a situation arises in Nassau such as a medical emergency or missing the ship. Cruise ships will NOT wait for you!

I understand that under international treaty, passports are not permitted to last more than ten years. And if a passport is incompletely filled out, it is not valid. And passports for minors have only been issued for five year periods.

So either your husband's passport has a typographical error in the expiration date field, which could lead to it being rejected, or that field is blank - which would lead to it being rejected. Either way, it would be a bad idea to try traveling on a passport with a mistake.

 

[1stdcl2012]

For US citizen details, please read:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_989.html

For US citizens going to Bahamas (or any member country of Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) via a closed-loop cruise, you are not REQUIRED to have a passport per current rules. Any document accepted in said WHTI can be used for ID purposes (such as birth certificate and official US driver's license ID). If getting there by AIR, you are required to have a passport.

For non-US citizens, the Bahamas website has different requirement for entry depending on country of origin. You may need VISA as well.

http://nassau.usembassy.gov/information_for_travelers.html
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/
http://www.bahamas.com/vacation-planning/us-resident-non-citizen

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

[SNIP]Passport cards are only $55 for adults and $40 for kids. Much cheaper. If your husbands is still good, he must have had an adult one which was for 10 years, and yours must have been a minor's card and only good for 5 years.

Just to clarify, passport card's cannot be used for international air travel AFAIK. Only passport books.

Ex Techie

 

[tekaye]

Yes, we are US Citizens.

 

[Bonniec]

Can I tag along and ask as well. What about someone living here who is not a US citizen but has a green card. I'm not even sure how to renew the kid's passports since they aren't citizens but have been here for over 10 years

 

[mickeysmyboy]

I'll share with you my knowledge of passports as both a TA and a traveler.

First off, for a closed loop cruise (one that begins and ends in the same port) you don't absolutely have to have a passport. For adults a valid drivers licenses and a valid birth certificate can be used. for a child a valid birth certificate can be used. I say valid birth certificate because the rules on birth certificates changed and it must list both parents names even if one is listed as unknown. It also MUST have a raised seal!

The thing is, if something were to happen on the cruise, some one got sick and had to leave the ship, a missed boarding, etc to re-enter the US other then on the cruise you need a passport!! There are US consulate in the carribean that will help you but you will have to pay for the passport through them and they are only good for a short time!

Next, I would really, really check that DH's passport hasn't expired! Adult passports are good for 10 years! Children's are less!

You can fill out the paperwork online, http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/get_4855.html, print the paperwork out and then you will need to find a local post office that does passports! http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/ Call the post office before you go because they usually have hours that they do passports! They don't do it all the time!

You have plenty of time!!! You will not have to have them rushed at this point! It takes less then a month from when you send the paperwork in to when you get the passport in the mail!

The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book! I think $40 vs over $100!

Hope this makes sense and hope it helps! Feel free to ask or PM me if you have anymore questions!

 

[TXDCLfan]

I'll share with you my knowledge of passports as both a TA and a traveler.

First off, for a closed loop cruise (one that begins and ends in the same port) you don't absolutely have to have a passport. For adults a valid drivers licenses and a valid birth certificate can be used. for a child a valid birth certificate can be used. I say valid birth certificate because the rules on birth certificates changed and it must list both parents names even if one is listed as unknown. It also MUST have a raised seal!

The thing is, if something were to happen on the cruise, some one got sick and had to leave the ship, a missed boarding, etc to re-enter the US other then on the cruise you need a passport!! There are US consulate in the carribean that will help you but you will have to pay for the passport through them and they are only good for a short time!

Next, I would really, really check that DH's passport hasn't expired! Adult passports are good for 10 years! Children's are less!

You can fill out the paperwork online, http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/get_4855.html, print the paperwork out and then you will need to find a local post office that does passports! http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/ Call the post office before you go because they usually have hours that they do passports! They don't do it all the time!

You have plenty of time!!! You will not have to have them rushed at this point! It takes less then a month from when you send the paperwork in to when you get the passport in the mail!

The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book! I think $40 vs over $100!

Hope this makes sense and hope it helps! Feel free to ask or PM me if you have anymore questions!

INCORRECT ....NOT all states use the raised seal these days some are using water mark others are using holograms along with other methods to authenticate them.

 

[trimix]

Can I tag along and ask as well. What about someone living here who is not a US citizen but has a green card. I'm not even sure how to renew the kid's passports since they aren't citizens but have been here for over 10 years

I believe a valid green card would suffice for each lawful permanent resident on a closed loop cruise.


To renew the kids' passports, you would have to contact the nearest embassy or consulate for their country of citizenship and ask them how to renew the passports.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

INCORRECT ....NOT all states use the raised seal these days some are using water mark others are using holograms along with other methods to authenticate them.

Yes!! You are correct!! Sorry about that!

Directly from state department website, *A certified birth certificate has a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar's signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within 1 year of your birth. Please note, some short (abstract) versions of birth certificates may not be acceptable for passport purposes.

 

[TXDCLfan]

Yes!! You are correct!! Sorry about that!

Directly from state department website, *A certified birth certificate has a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar's signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within 1 year of your birth. Please note, some short (abstract) versions of birth certificates may not be acceptable for passport purposes.

 

[Alztybrn]

The kids are 9 and 6 and have no passports. I have contacted our travel agent to find out who needs what and have not heard back (she never answers my emails).

You need a new travel agent....as a travel agent, I find this completely unacceptable.

 

[Tinkerbell0508]

So if you do have passports for your whole party, do you need to take birth certificates too?

 

[TXDCLfan]

So if you do have passports for your whole party, do you need to take birth certificates too?

no

 

[1stdcl2012]

Can I tag along and ask as well. What about someone living here who is not a US citizen but has a green card. I'm not even sure how to renew the kid's passports since they aren't citizens but have been here for over 10 years

Aside from green card, all of you need valid passports from your origin country (per Bahamas requirement).

I am reposting the link I gave before so you can research yourself:
http://www.bahamas.com/vacation-planning/us-resident-non-citizen

The info is from Bahamas Tourism but they also refer you to Bahamas gov website for details pertaining to your country of origin.
http://www.bahamas.gov.bs

For non-US citizen with green cards, visits to Bahamas less than 30 days DO NOT require a VISA but REQUIRE a valid passport from your origin country. If more than 30 days, a VISA is required for US green card holders.

The US green card needs to be current (it does expire so check the date). The validity period should include all the dates of the cruise. Normally for international travel, 6-month validity is required, but the Bahamas website didn't say they require 6-months probably because most visitors come for short visits only.

 

[Tinkerbell0508]

Thank you!!

 

[Tinkerbell139]

Thanks for the info!!! I am going to renew our passports this weekend. They would have expired shortly after our cruise.