If you are going to travel anywhere outside of the US, even if you are a citizen of Canada or the United States, you will need to gain access to a passport if you want to enter or reenter the United States.
And the important thing to note is that you’ll need this passport whether you’re trying to get back into the country by sea, by land, or by air.
As far as needing a passport for a cruise is concerned, there are special dispensations that depend on the location of the cruise and where you will embark and disembark as the trip begins and ends.
We will provide this information in further detail now.
What to Know About Passports and International Cruises
Do you plan to take an international luxury cruise (like from Paris to Nice) at some point in the future? Depending on the location of the cruise, it’s quite possible that you will not actually need to have a passport. There is one scenario where a passport isn’t actually necessary.
As an example, let’s say you plan on going on a cruise to the Bahamas. If the cruise originates in the United States of America – i.e. Florida as an example – and the trip also ends in Florida, then a passport is not actually going to be required.
Also, if you are a United States citizen visiting ports of call in Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama, passport requirements are also exempt in these situations. So you do not need to supply a valid passport if you visit any of these four countries by sea.
When you travel via cruise ship, even if you do not necessarily need a valid passport, it’s highly recommended that you have one anyway. You may accidentally miss a scheduled embarkation and find yourself stuck in another country without valid passport ID.
Follow these guidelines and our other travel tips when vacationing on a cruise ship.