US Passport Requirements for cruise trips and more….

As of January 23, 2007, with implementation of the first phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, citizens of the United States who travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda are required to have a valid passport to enter or re-enter the United States by air.

If you are planning to fly off to a relaxing all-inclusive vacation in Jamaica or the Dominican Republic or the Riviera Maya, you need a passport. If your cruise starts or ends in St. Maarten or the British Virgin Islands or Vancouver - anywhere outside the United States - and you plan to fly to or from the port, you need a passport.

Under the first phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, a passport is not required for a land-based trip or roundtrip cruise departing and returning from a US port to Mexico, the Caribbean and/or Canada. You are, however, required to have a certified birth certificate -- the one with a raised seal (if you do not have one, order it from the Town Hall in the city where you were born) or naturalization papers and a government-issued photo ID (such as a drivers license or military ID).

Note: If there is an emergency and you have to return home by plane from a foreign port, you may be denied entry into the United States if you do not have a passport. If you miss your cruise embarkation and have to fly to a foreign port to meet the ship, you will need a passport.

At the end of March 2008, Homeland Security issued the final rules for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative; these rules will become effective on June 1, 2009:

Sea Travel (such as cruises):
U.S. citizens on cruise voyages that begin and end at the same U.S. port (closed-loop itineraries) will not be required to have a passport, but must show proof of citizenship and government-issued photo ID.

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 and/or ends in a foreign port) will be required to have a passport.

Land Travel:
Effective June 1, 2009, a passport will be required for air, and land (car, bus, train, motorcycle, foot) to every foreign country. In response to border communities' needs for a less expensive means to fulfill this requirement, the State Department is offering a Passport Card. This card can be used at land and sea points of entry when arriving from the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and Bermuda. It cannot be used for air travel.

The only exceptions to the new regulations are travel by air, land and/or sea to and from the United States territories (the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands and Swain Island) and the Commonwealth (Puerto Rico) - but if the plane or ship stops at any foreign port en route, you will need a passport.

Remember, only American-registry ships are able to cruise from the United States without stopping in a “foreign” port. Most large cruise ships are not US-registry and do stop in a "foreign" country for Alaskan cruises, Hawaiian cruises and fall cruises through New England. If you are not on a closed-loop itinerary, even if you plan to stay on board when the ship docks in a “foreign” port, you will need a valid passport to board the ship.

Although the regulations announced in March 2008 are labeled as the final passport ruling, they could be changed. What are you waiting for? The cost of a passport is not excessive. Why not apply for one now, before you need it. With a passport, you will be able to go anywhere you want at any time without giving it a second thought.

Eliminate some of the stress from thinking about US passport regulations and instead, have fun choosing your next great escape.