How lame am I-I don't even know if I spelled the word correctly.
However, I thought that I'd heard somewhere that if your pasport expired shortly after your cruise was finished, you may have a problem getting back into the country (USA in this case folks). I thought I'd heard something about it couldn't expire within 10 months or so- was I dreaming, or did I hear somewhat correctly?

You heard correctly but the time frame is 6 months. If your passport expires within 6 months of the scheduled return from a trip outside the country, it's considered expired.

Check them before scheduling future trips and get them renewed early. It can be a nightmare if you find this info out too late and have to scramble and pay the expediting fess to get one quickly before a trip.

Cheers, Neil

Travelagents should ask for the valid document.

Is it me, or is that really dumb? What's the point of having an expiration date if they aren't even going to follow it? If they want to deny someone travel 6 months earlier than the passport expires, why don't they just bump up the expiration date by 6 months?

Maybe there is some legit reason, but I don't know what it is.

It is probably because we were in the Caribbean, not overseas and it was 2006, but my passport expired on the day that we were returning to the US after a Caribbean cruise. I had no problem coming through customs in Miami.

Like MiketheKid, I can't figure out why a passport is considered "expired" if the actual expiration date is six months away.

Nothing against TA's, but I normally book direct with the Cruise Line. However, I do agree with Mike-if it says it expires on a certain date, who, and why is it considerd expired PRIOR to the date the government applies? Is this a 9/11 thing, or has it been in effect for a long time? My first Passport expires 10/2010-just wondering..............

quote:

Originally posted by Jim1012:
How lame am I-I don't even know if I spelled the word correctly.
However, I thought that I'd heard somewhere that if your pasport expired shortly after your cruise was finished, you may have a problem getting back into the country (USA in this case folks). I thought I'd heard something about it couldn't expire within 10 months or so- was I dreaming, or did I hear somewhat correctly?

You will not have a problem getting into the USA if you are a US citizen. However many countries require the 6 months time frame and the cruise line may deny you boarding because of this.

The offical site for the US State Dept. is www.travel.state.gov and it's very hard to find the information there. But, with a little digging I found it. It's under FAQ, "How long is a passport valid and when should I renew my passport?"

The advice givien is, you should renew your passport approximately 9 months before it expires. Says some countries require that your passport be valid at least 6 months beyond the dates of your trip. Some airlines will not allow you to board if this requirement is not met.

Also, not mentioned on the site but that statement about some airlines also applies to most cruiselines who have also adopted this rule for many itineraries and some lines for all sailings that require a passport. The reason the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, etc are not a problem is that a passport requirement is not yet in effect if traveling by sea to these ports.

So... the requirement is not imposed by our government but by the governments of the countries you'd be visiting. Since the 6 month window is needed by many, most airlines and cruiselines simply impose the rule for all requiring a passport rather than use the man hours and time needed to check and verify each and every country on your itin and those you may actually want to visit while on your trip.

Cheers, Neil

I have read some stuff on this, in travel mags, and heard some stories too. I am under the impression, it is because IF something happens to you while you are in there country, you still have 6 months time left on you passport, from time of entering the country. I have also heard, it is suggested to get a longer visa for entering a country, then you will really need. Like, if you are in a country for 2 weeks, to get a 3 or 6 month visa. For the "just in case". I posted about this supposed "visa issue" in the lido deck. So, this is my opinion of why it is required. Lil' Lori