We are set to sail Sept 30th. Just wondering if it is mandatory yet for a pass port? I thought I saw something that said it begins in November or December of this year.
Please let me know. If it not mandatory by the time that I cruise, then I can keep that $$$ in my pocket until later.
In the proposed implementation plan, which is subject to a period of initial public comment, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines. The proposed timeline will be as follows:
December 31, 2006 - Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
December 31, 2007 - Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.
SS Norway (12 times) '85 - '97; Radiance OS 06/01; Island Princess 11/04, Grand Princess 11/04/05, Golden Princess 7/21/06, Golden Princess 2/24/07, Explorer of the Seas 12/23/07, Island Princess 11/15/08
Although a passport will not be required for your September cruise, I would suggest that you get one now anyway. If you apply now, you will beat the rush that is sure to happen at the end of the year. And having a passport is the easiest way to travel IMHO.
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Mary Lou Scanlon
NCL Pride of America April 24, 2010
NCL Epic February 12, 2011
RCCL Allure of the Seas - September 18, 2011
Celebrity Eclipse - February 11, 2012:
RCCL Navigator OTS - February 9, 2013
Yep, I agree with above posters. Where are you taking the ship out of?
It would be easier to get a passport because if you lose your birth certificate, its going to be rough getting home (assuming you are out of the country).
At least with a passport, you can go to a US Embassy & its easier to take care of if you lose it.
Chalk up the extra $$, sell something on Ebay & I would get the passport.
We are set to sail Sept 30th. Just wondering if it is mandatory yet for a pass port? I thought I saw something that said it begins in November or December of this year.
Please let me know. If it not mandatory by the time that I cruise, then I can keep that $$$ in my pocket until later.
Although a passport is not strictly required until next year, it's much easer to go through customs and immigration with a passport than with other acceptable documents. You'll make your life a lot easier by getting a passport now so that you will have it in time for your cruise.
BTW, I should mention that initial passport applications can run into some snags that may take time to sort out. When my mom went to get her passport, for example, the passport office sent the application back with a letter stating that they needed additional documentation because her birth was recorded late. Apparently the attending physician failed to submit the paperwork and her family did not discover the error until she was a teenager, so her godparents had to sign affidavits attesting to the date of her birth in order to establish the record. The passport office required (1) a copy of her baptismal record (or something equivalent) and (2) a copy of the page of the first national census after her birth on which her name appeared. She had to write to the census bureau for the census record and obtain a baptismal certificate, then resubmit the whole package. The result was a delay of about two or three months in issuing her passport. Most folks don't run into these snags, but it's good to have plenty of time on your side if you do.
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Passport Mandatory yet?
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