Going in 2006? (Passports Required) About This Page:

[Kimmielee]

Thanks Dillon!

[dmpyron]

State recently dropped the requirement and will be announcing new rules by October. But the changes for next year are out. However, the Homeland Security bill does require them as of January 1, 2008. No way around that one. I personally think we'll see the dates pushed to Dec 31, 2006 for Caribbean travel.

Most of Congress is going crazy over this provision. Did nobody read the bill before they passed it? And Bush was surprised to find out about it. Heck, I read the fine print in my cruise brochures before I book one.

[Tink1]

It is now official. THE U.S. government has backed off a Dec. 31 deadline for requiring travelers to present a passport or "other accepted document" to enter or re-enter the U.S. from the Caribbean, Bermuda and Central and South America.

Such travelers will have until Dec. 31, 2006, to comply, under a proposal issued last week by the departments of State and Homeland Security. People entering or re-entering by sea or air from Canada and Mexico will need passports or other acceptable identification by Dec. 31, 2006. By the end of 2007, the requirement will apply to land crossings too.

[Dave Marx]

While the government has modified its proposal (and everything except the January 1, 2008 "drop dead date" set by Congress is still just a proposal), there's a strong chance that the cruise lines will still require folks cruising the Bahamas/Caribbean in 2006 to have passports. Why? Because with the final rule-making now set for October, that leaves folks cruising in early 2006 with precious little time to get a passport, should the government change its mind again. The safest route for the cruise lines is to require passports.

Personally, I think all this uproar is a bit ridiculous. Unless Congress rescinds the January 1, 2008 law, the originally proposed gradual phase-in of passport requirements made a lot of sense. Why put off until tomorrow what you can start doing today? If folks think the passport office would be too busy with a three-step phase-in, how bad will it be with a two-step or even one-step process?

If you've traveled lately, you may have noticed the electronic terminals where non-residents must check-in and leave a fingerprint. If they can put that system into effect, what's the big deal about requiring passports? If we can put up with security inspections that undoubtedly cost us more per-person per journey than a passport, why the resistence to this? (Whether built into airfares or added on to our tax bills, the cost of Homeland Security is quite high).

Bottom line is that if you expect to travel out of the country over the next 10 years (including Canada and Mexico), you're going to need a passport. Forget the proposed deadlines. Do it now, and get it over with. Adult passports are good for 10 years, so the cost per year is nominal.

[Lilianna]

I saw this thread and thought "Yeah, yeah, I got it all under control." HA! My son's expired Feb of this year and though mine hasn't expired, my name has changed. Guess what I'm doing next week. I hope the lines aren't long at the passport office.

[dmpyron]

CLIA (the Cruise Line Industry Association) announced in May that the member lines would be requiring passports for all travel that arrived in the US on or after December 31, 2005. As of today (September 13th), they haven't said anything contrary to that position. I recently booked a client who returns New Years day. I was asked whether or not they had passports.

[dmpyron]

Disney will require passports for any cruise leaving after December 23, 2006. Several other cruise lines have made similar announcements. Carnival says it's for any sailing that arrives on or after December 31, 2006.

[litlTink]

this is our first cruise for April 29 /06 and I verified if we need passport for our 7day eastern . According to my travel agent/ DCL web. if traveling after Dec 28 2006, you will be required to have passports. I hope this helps
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[litlTink]

FYI According to my travel agent and also posted on DCL.com anyone traveling on or after Dec 28, 2006 will be required to have a passport, and Children will also be requied to have a passport.

[dmpyron]

The actual effective date is December 31, but CLIA is recommending any cruise that arrives on the 28th or later require passport because of the potential for delays.

[Dave Marx]

CLIA's recommendation is a bit confusing (and actually, I can't find it at the CLIA site).

DCL, for example, is requiring passports for everyone sailing on December 28 or later, because those sailings will be arriving back in the States on or after December 31.

Also note that DCL is requiring that cruisers provide passport numbers for all passengers to DCL at least 75 days prior to sailing. That means you should be obtaining those passports way in advance of your cruise. Apply early, and avoid the Christmas rush! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] If you already have birth certificates in hand, apply for your passport no later than 4.5 months prior to your cruise, or expect to pay through the nose for expedited applications. If you don't have birth certificates, add another 2-3 weeks to that estimate if you were born in the U.S., or several months if you were born outside the country.

[Micanddel]

Actually I have read you don't need passports until Dec 2006. I travel Sept 30th so we are flying under the radar for now!!!
Michelle

[Nenita998]

Thank God I got passports for my family last year!!!!!!!!!!

[teriandcb]

My daughters and I all have current passports but do you know if you also have to have a permission letter from a noncustodial parent to go outside the U.S. We never have before but I didn't know if this has changed. Thanks!

[Dave Marx]

[ QUOTE ]
My daughters and I all have current passports but do you know if you also have to have a permission letter from a noncustodial parent to go outside the U.S. We never have before but I didn't know if this has changed. Thanks!

[/ QUOTE ]

Custody rules are set by the individual states and the terms of the divorce settlement, not the Federal government. Ask a qualified legal advisor if you have questions about your personal circumstances.

However, nothing I know about the new law suggests that they're requiring proof-of-parental-rights. The new passport law is intended to keep watch on who is entering the U.S., not who's leaving. The "No Fly" list and similar initiatives that exist to keep people from fleeing U.S. jurisdiction are separate - those are usually compared to passenger manifests, not passports. I really don't know whether a non-custodial parent could get his/her former spouse (and children) onto such a list, short of a judge issuing an arrest warrant.

If such permission was required, I'm quite confident there'd be huge public attention given to the issue. Think about this... Any time a solo parent tries to travel out of the country with the kids, they'd be asked to prove that they have their spouse/former spouse's permission to do so, or lacking that, that the children's other parent is deceased. Let's see, you'd need birth certificates for each child listing the parents' names so they can match the name of the absent parent to the name on the permission letter or death certificate (passports don't carry that info), copies of marriage certificates, divorce decrees providing unlimited rights to travel, any change-of-legal name documents, notarized letters... There's no end to the ways a malicious ex-spouse could abuse such a requirement (a state judge could strip an individual of all parental rights, but a federal law could restore them? Supreme Court, here we come!). No way that would fly (so to speak). The cost to the airlines, cruise lines, government and the traveling public would be huge. As beneficial as it would be to try to catch non-custodial parents in the act of abduction, I don't think this would be the way they'd do it.