Yesterday, the Departments of Homeland Security and of State issued
the final rulemaking concerning the requirements of passports for land
and sea border crossings under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
After years of development following 9/11, this ruling is the end of the
process and can be considered FINAL to ensure that you
have the proper identification when traveling.
Effective June 1, 2009, the following rules take effect for cruise
passengers:
U.S. citizens on cruise
voyages that begin and end at the same
U.S. port (closed-loop itineraries) must show
proof of citizenship* and government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s
license). A passport will not be required for passengers that fall into
this category.
*Documents include: Original or certified copy of birth certificate;
Naturalization papers; Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by
Department of State
All other passengers and/or itineraries (such as
cruises which begin in one U.S. port and return to a different U.S. port
or any cruise that begins or ends in a foreign port) will require a
passport or other recognized document. For a list of accepted documents,
see www.travel.state.gov.
The good news for a majority of cruise passengers – American citizens
that leave and return on their cruise from the same U.S. port – is that
the travel document requirements will remain largely unchanged from how
the industry is operating today.
We encourage you to obtain a passport to allow the broadest travel
opportunities. You can visit
www.travel.state.gov to obtain information on how to apply at more
than 9,000 passport acceptance facilities in the United States.
