passport needed or not for Caribbean cruise?
in [Cruise Ship]
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From: D Ball on 12 Jun 2010 01:23 > Ignore Charles; there's no room in his black and white thinking for > multiple correct answers. Somehow, in spite of the repeated suggestions, I don't think you are following along, Jack. The card is for Americans who don't want to travel anywhere but nearby North American destinations, hence the jurisdictional terminology "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative." See, e.g., http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html It's your money, but I, too, think it's a waste to have both. The backup card you purchased isn't going to do what you need it to do if you lose your passport anywhere but the limited Western Hemisphere allowances. Like most travelers, I have always had a passport and a backup copy (now online, so it's accessible 24/7 from anywhere in the wordl) in the crazy odds that I lose it. Copies have always been sufficient to get the ball rolling at US embassies abroad in the event temporary assist is required when you lose it. Nothing has changed. There, a state-issued driver's license or ID card is just as credible as the passport card if you need some sort of government ID lesser than passport outside the Western Hemisphere jurisdictional boundaries. It's lovely you have this thing for France and/or French islands near Canada. But France is not part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Insisting that the US "card" work in France typifies the "ugly American" ideology. Americans who desire to be global citizens need to get passports like everyone else in the world. Diana Ball Austin, TX
From: peter on 12 Jun 2010 06:06 X-no-archive: yes On 6/12/10 2:00 AM, in article 5ri516lubttn661plq4cqdubatv1gsr9rn(a)4ax.com, "Jack Hamilton" <jfh(a)acm.org> wrote: > On Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:56:31 -0400, Charles > <fort(a)his.com.remove.invalid> wrote: > >> In article <9ch316pctbqauee5019du1ssha3h9odafb(a)4ax.com>, Jack Hamilton >> <jfh(a)acm.org> wrote: >> >>> Also Bermuda and some Caribbean islands. Oddly, the passport card isn't >>> valid for sea entry into France even though France is closer to the US >>> than are some of the Caribbean islands for which the card is valid. >> >> It seems odd to you because you misunderstand the purpose of the >> passport card. > > "The passport card is the wallet-size travel document that can only be > used to re-enter the United States at land border-crossings and sea > ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. The card > provides a less expensive, smaller, and convenient alternative to the > passport book for those who travel frequently to these destinations by > land or by sea." > > The restriction to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and some islands in the > Caribbean (not all of them) is entirely arbitrary. > > There is regular ferry service (in the summer) between Canada and France > - it takes about an hour. So why should the passport card not be good > for that? If you use that ferry before returning to the U.S. you would re-enter from Canada, wouldn't you, so that that card could actually be used. The language cited doesn't say anything about the local (inbound) passport requirements of Canada, Mexico, "the Caribbean" and Bermuda. We visited Saint-Pierre last month and the ship's card along with any government-issued photo ID was acceptable to the French authorities as it was for the Canadians. BTW: I don't think Charles got it. >
From: Charles on 12 Jun 2010 07:00 In article <plr516de8tq82jrun851l0l984afk1ikhd(a)4ax.com>, Jack Hamilton <jfh(a)acm.org> wrote: > It's one of the reasons I got one. And the fact that having both means > I always have proof of citizenship, even when one or the other is in for > renewal. And really, it's cheap > > I took it ashore in Europe on my last cruise; why lug my passport around > to places where it might get stolen when I have another picture ID whose > loss would not be critical? > > I was never asked for an ID at any of the ports, but I did use it to > join FC Barcelona, which requires a national ID. > > Ignore Charles; there's no room in his black and white thinking for > multiple correct answers. You don't need to take your passport ashore or lug it around. I always leave my passport in my room safe. All you need for ID is your drivers license as picture ID. It is advised that you make a copy of your passport page. You can make a wallet sized copy. I have been asked for ID in random checks returning to the ship and some ports like Bermuda on every return to the ship. All I needed to show was my Drivers License and ship card. The Passport Card is *not* a national ID. We don't have that in the United States. A Passport is all you need. Having both a Passport and a Passport Card is an unneeded and an unneeded extra expense. -- Charles
From: peter on 12 Jun 2010 07:25 X-no-archive: yes On 6/12/10 1:00 PM, in article 120620100700476626%fort(a)his.com.remove.invalid, "Charles" <fort(a)his.com.remove.invalid> wrote: > In article <plr516de8tq82jrun851l0l984afk1ikhd(a)4ax.com>, Jack Hamilton > <jfh(a)acm.org> wrote: > >> It's one of the reasons I got one. And the fact that having both means >> I always have proof of citizenship, even when one or the other is in for >> renewal. And really, it's cheap >> >> I took it ashore in Europe on my last cruise; why lug my passport around >> to places where it might get stolen when I have another picture ID whose >> loss would not be critical? >> >> I was never asked for an ID at any of the ports, but I did use it to >> join FC Barcelona, which requires a national ID. >> >> Ignore Charles; there's no room in his black and white thinking for >> multiple correct answers. I'll drink to that! > > > The Passport Card is *not* a national ID. We don't have that in the > United States. (a) The United States is a nation. (b) The Passport Card is an ID card issued by the United States. Ergo: The Passport Card *is* a national ID. As usual, Charles is wrong. > > A Passport is all you need. Having both a Passport and a Passport Card > is an unneeded and an unneeded extra expense. Many countries will not accept a driver's license as ID contrary to what is suggested by Charles, as American driver's licenses are issued by the states and states are not nations. FC Barcelona would correctly have refused a driver's license from Jack, as it is not a national ID.
From: Ari on 12 Jun 2010 16:21
On Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:00:47 -0400, Charles wrote: > The Passport Card is *not* a national ID. We don't have that in the > United States. Soon tho. -- Ari's Fun Times! http://tr.im/hrFG Motto: Run, rabbit, Run! |