A cruise line may keep your passport for the duration of your cruise or certain segments to make it easier for immigration to check passports when travelling between different countries.
People Also Ask
On a cruise, you may not get a single passport stamp. Most ports do not require cruises visitors to pass through immigration. If you cherish passport stamps, you'll have to seek them out.
In the United States, anyone on a cruise ship whose last port of call was outside the US is required to pass through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), unless if the last port of call was equipped with US preclearance facilities (in which case the ship will be treated as a domestic arrival).
Do I need a passport? We recommend that everyone taking a cruise from the United States have a passport book. Though some “closed-loop” cruises may not require a U.S. passport, we recommend bringing yours in case of an emergency, such as an unexpected medical air evacuation or the ship docking at an alternate port.
For U.S. citizens: Royal Caribbean strongly recommends that all guests travel with a valid passport. For Round Trip cruises from the U.S. that DO NOT include Panama or Colombia, U.S. citizens 17 and under will be able to present either an original, n...
Find a port agent.In cases when cruisers are late returning to the vessel, the ship's crew will often remove the passengers' essential items -- passports, cell phones and medication -- from the ship to leave with the port agents. These officials can help you with contacting your ship and making travel arrangements.
For Americans, some popular cruise destinations, such as Russia and Australia, require visas. Check with your cruise line because individual country policies can vary.
Bottom lineCruise documents provide the verification you'll need to board your vessel on embarkation day. They include identification, boarding passes, health forms and any required visas, which you should always keep handy in your carry-on bag or personal item.
Depending on your itinerary, the ship may collect your passport to speed up the clearance formalities at each port of call. We suggest you bring with you a few photocopies of your passport's personal page which includes the picture, and that you carry one of these photocopies with you each time you leave the ship.
If everything is running like clockwork, however, you have absolutely nothing to lose by asking politely for an official stamp. More often than not, the officer will be happy to give you one and you'll have an extra memory to take away from your travels. It can even work in places where there isn't immigration.
In addition to luggage screening, cruise lines also have other security measures in place to ensure the safety of all passengers on board. This can include passenger screening before boarding, onboard security personnel, and surveillance cameras throughout the ship.
Much like a hotel or plane, cruise lines in the U.S. are not required by law to do criminal background checks, or block passengers who may be registered sex offenders. Published policies for cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian do not state any restrictions on passengers with a criminal history.
If you are a U.S. citizen and your cruise embarks or disembarks in a foreign country, including Canada, you will always need your passport for the cruise (in some cases a passport card will suffice).
Maritime LawTypically, while in international waters, a cruise ship follows the same laws of the country that it is registered to. If the ship is out to sea, under the captain's discretion, you can be detained in a separate room until the ship can dock at the next port and local law enforcement can get involved.
While it doesn't happen too often that a passenger gets left behind, people arriving late is all too common. If you stand out on deck, shortly before the ship is scheduled to depart, you'll likely notice the last few stragglers running for their life in order to get back to the ship before the gangway is pulled back.
Carnival offers many Caribbean cruise options including sailings that depart and return to U.S. ports like Baltimore, Norfolk and New Orleans. These don't require a passport as they are closed-loop sailings.
Birth Certificate InformationA clear, legible copy (photocopy) of a birth certificate that was originally issued by a government agency (state/county/city) or the Department of Health and Vital Statistics. The copy does not need to be notarized or certified. Birth Certificate Card. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad.
U.S. citizens are generally required to present a valid U.S. passport when traveling to The Bahamas, as well as proof of anticipated departure from The Bahamas. Those traveling to The Bahamas on a cruise may use another Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document.
Arriving at the UK borderThese visitors require a specific one month grant of leave, which has to be given by an immigration officer in the form of a stamp. Without this stamp the visitor will be unable to evidence they can undertake the permitted paid activity.
A visa, or visa stamp, is a physical stamp or sticker in your passport that is issued by a U.S. embassy or consulate outside of the U.S. It indicates that you are eligible to apply for entry to the U.S. in a specific immigration category such as F-1 or J-1 student.