What documents are needed if you are going on a cruise

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Requirements for documents depend on what type of cruise you are going to.

1 option. You start a cruise in one city in the United States, and return to another

For example, you board a ship in San Diego, California, go through the Panama Canal (stop at a foreign port during a cruise) and land on land in Miami, Florida. The requirements in this case are quite simple: according to Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), you must have a valid passport with you. It should be even the smallest children.

2 option. You return at the end of the cruise to the same city from which you sailed.

If the cruise ship sails from the American port and returns to the same port after the end of the voyage, then such a cruise is called “closed” (Closed loop). For example, if you board a cruise liner in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, visit at least one foreign port, such as Bermuda or Cancun, and return to Fort Lauderdale, then you were on a so-called closed cruise. American citizens traveling on such a cruise can leave the United States and return to the country if they have any document confirming their citizenship: driving license confirming citizenship (Enhanced Driver's License, EDL), a birth certificate issued by the state (structure Vital Records Department in the state of birth of a citizen), or a passport. Citizens older than 16 years - if you have a driver's license or ID card issued by a government body (picture ID), in which there is a photo, name and date of birth.

Note: The EDL allows a citizen to return to the United States from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. This document take only at checkpoints on land and at sea. It is not valid for air travel.

American citizens before 16 can provide either the original or a certified copy of their birth certificate, consular certificate of birth abroad issued by the State Department, or a certificate of naturalization issued by the US Migration Service.

Note: Baptism certificates or birth certificates from the hospital are not accepted. Voter registration cards and a certificate of social security number are not considered proof of citizenship.

If the child is a newborn and the parents have not yet received a birth certificate from Vital Records Department, and the birth certificate issued by the hospital will do. The United States does not require a passport. (Consular certificate of birth abroad, issued by the State Department, or a certificate of naturalization issued by the US Migration Service, are also accepted.)

It may happen that one or even several Caribbean islands along your route will require a passport to enter their country. In this case, the cruise company, in turn, may require that you have a passport when boarding, even if this is not a requirement of the United States.

The US Customs and Border Protection Agency (FER) makes only demands for entry into the United States. To understand what documents are required to enter each of those countries that you will visit during the cruise, necessarily ask the cruise company, the travel agency or directly the authorities of the country of arrival.

If you have a green card, the United States government does not require you to have a passport for any kind of travel, including by air, land, or sea. But at the same time in other countries you may be required toоmore likely. On a Caribbean island that does not require a passport from US citizens, the holder of a green card may be asked to present not only a passport, but also a visa. To return to the United States, such a citizen must submit the form І-551 (green card).

If you are not an American citizen, and you do not have a permanent residence permit, then you will need a passport and / or other document, depending on your status in the United States, for both closed and open cruises. If you are traveling by program Visa Waiver Program (VWP), then the immigration stamp (I-94W), which you received when you first entered the US, allows you to re-enter the country after the end of the cruise, provided that this happens before the end of the 90-day period of your stay that you did not travel beyond the nearest islands or adjacent territories, and that you have not been outside the US for longer than 30 days.

If the cruise ends later than your 90 day period, you will have to apply for a new entry permit, and also convince the customs officer that you left on a cruise with no purpose to bypass the requirement for 90 days for VWP travelers.

If you are a citizen of one of the VWP countries and enter the US by land, you DO NOT NEED to ask for ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization, electronic travel authorization). If you enter the United States by air or sea, you MUST take ESTA and MUST get this permission before boarding the ship. It is not necessary when entering the United States, but is required when re-entering the United States as a passenger on a cruise ship. You can apply for ESTA at this link.

For filing will need to pay a fee, which consists of two parts:

• Handling fee. All applicants for an electronic travel authorization must pay a $ 40 processing fee.
• Permission fee. If your petition is granted and you receive permission to travel to the United States by Visa Waiver Program, $ 10 will be written off your credit card. If you are refused permission, then you pay only for the processing of the application.

The customs and border control service is not responsible for the fees for filing these documents from third parties.

Read also on ForumDaily:

12 luxury cruises that last more than 100 days

What you need to know before you go on a cruise

10 secrets how to save during a cruise

7 tips for those who go on a cruise for the first time

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