Guide to Cruise Passport Policies for U S. Travelers

Table Of Content

• Repositioning or One-way Cruises within the United States
• Arrival Instructions
• Travel document requirements for sailings from U.S. homeports (excluding Honoulu, Hawaii & Seward, Alaska)
• Cruise Passport Requirements
• Grab That Passport and Book Your Cruise!
• What documents do I need if I don't have a passport?

This changes if you take a one-way cruise from San Juan to the United States. This falls under the one-way voyage category, where a passport to cruise is required. As of 2024, visitors to the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe must possess a valid passport.

Repositioning or One-way Cruises within the United States

U.S. departure ports for enjoyable Hawaiian cruises include San Francisco, San Diego, Long Beach and Honolulu. If neither of these two choices fits your short timeline, we recommend using a trusted professional passport expeditor to get your new passport in as few as 24 to 48 hours. A professional expeditor can easily navigate the passport application process on your behalf and make sure that you get your new passport in time for your trip. Rushed expedited service is a better choice when you have a tight schedule. Rushed service can be completed within 14 days—also not including mailing times.

Arrival Instructions

A few longer, seven- to 15-night itineraries stop in the Bahamas on their way into the Caribbean. Departures from Bayonne, Manhattan, Baltimore and Charleston will often get you weeklong Bahamas itineraries, as will sailings from Tampa, Galveston and New Orleans. At TPG, we always recommend cruising with a passport, but there are many reasons why you might want to set sail without one. Please refer to this website for a list of countries that do not require a visa for Taiwan.

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Travel document requirements for sailings from U.S. homeports (excluding Honoulu, Hawaii & Seward, Alaska)

Keep in mind that cruise passport requirements can change based on shore excursions, too. For example, any time you cross a land or sea border into a foreign country, you’ll need a passport, whether it's riding Alaska's White Pass and Yukon Railway or taking day trips to smaller Caribbean islands. Additionally, it's a good idea to check entry requirements of all individual ports in your itinerary, as you might need a visa as well.

Cruise Passport Requirements

All nationalities are eligible to enter New Zealand by sea on a ship with the NZeTA. However, only the visa waiver countries can obtain an NZeTA visa to enter New Zealand by air (for cruises that start in Auckland). Guests from all nationalities that are not part of the visa waiver program (except for New Zealand and Australian passport holders) must get a visitor visa to enter New Zealand by air. Please refer to this website for the most updated visa policies to visit Japan by cruise ship. Anyone who requires a Japanese visa and is unable to present one at check in on embarkation day will be denied boarding.

Grab That Passport and Book Your Cruise!

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Even if you're on a closed-loop sailing, certain islands in the Caribbean – Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barts, Barbados and others -- require a passport for entry. It's your responsibility (not your cruise line's) to learn the requirements of each of the destinations you're visiting before you go. If you’re looking for cruises that don’t require a passport, take a round trip sail to Bermuda from New York City, Baltimore, Charleston or one of two Florida ports of call.

You might consider keeping it in an under-clothing money belt that you wear, or leaving it in the room but locking it in your suitcase with a TSA-approved lock. Travelers crossing the U.S.-Canada border by land or sea can opt to use a passport card instead of their passport book. But if you have a change of plans and need to take a plane, you would be out of luck as you would need a passport book to fly. Plus, as much fun as simple round-trip cruises are, passports open up additional vacation possibilities in the form of longer, point-to-point and overseas trips.

Depending on where you are traveling and your nationality, you may also require an entry visa to board the ship or enter certain countries the ship will visit. While most cruise lines are happy to provide this information, it is ultimately the passenger’s responsibility to ensure they have all of the necessary visas before they board the ship. It’s worth noting that although you can take a closed loop cruise with proper ID and your birth certificate, we recommend getting a passport. Passports are generally easier to check than other documentation and may save you time when boarding and deboarding. The U.S. Customs & Border Protection agency states that if you're cruising without a passport, you'll need proof of identity and U.S. citizenship in the form of a state-issued birth certificate.

What documents do I need if I don't have a passport?

Some countries mandate a passport for entry, regardless of how you arrive—land, air, or sea. For U.S. citizens, there are specific passport and travel document policies tied to both the cruise line and destination that must be adhered to for a smooth vacation. Our guide aims to explain these requirements, preparing you for potential emergencies and ensuring you’re well-equipped for cruise travel. To help eliminate any chance of losing your passport while on the ship, we recommend keeping it in your stateroom or suite.

Children under 19 can use these same documents only if they are traveling with a school, church group, sports team, or other organization with adult supervision. A U.S. passport book is a government-issued document that allows U.S. citizens to travel internationally by air, land, and sea. We always recommend you bring a U.S. passport onboard, regardless of your cruise itinerary. As we've shown, you have plenty of options for where to cruise without a passport, and many travelers do so without incident.

Closed-loop cruises travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda but start and end at the same U.S. homeport. However, there are some caveats you'll need to know about ID requirements. Alaska is part of the United States, but some cruises either depart from a Canadian port like Vancouver or make a stop in a Canadian port like Victoria. In these cases, it is necessary to have a passport or passport card with you as identification. Even though Alaska is part of the U.S., the answer can depend on the embarkation and disembarkation points, where the ship sails and your age. Passport-free cruises to Bermuda include ample five- to 10-night sailings from the East Coast ports of Baltimore, Bayonne, Boston and Manhattan.

If you have a chronic medical condition, please bring a recent report from your physician. The medical staff on board is not available for daily care, unless you are hospitalized in the Medical Center. If you are unable to function independently with respect to eating, dressing or attending the ship’s safety briefings, you must bring a caregiver with you.

Most people’s official state ID would be their driver’s license, state ID card, or learner’s permit. However, even if your cruise is closed-loop, starts and ends at the same US port, bring your passport. This means you’ll need a passport regardless of whether you plan to fly or drive in or out of the country.