Do you need a passport for a Caribbean cruise?

What a closed-loop cruise is

A cruise that starts and ends at the same U.S. port, such as round trip from Miami or Galveston. Most Caribbean cruises from U.S. ports are closed-loop.

What U.S. citizens can use instead of a passport

• A U.S. birth certificate plus a government photo ID such as a driver's license. It must be the original or a state-certified copy; photocopies are not accepted.
• Children 16 and under can travel with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.
• A passport card or an enhanced driver's license (issued by some states) also works for most Caribbean sailings.
• A REAL ID driver's license on its own does not prove citizenship, so it is not enough.

Your cruise line sets the final rules for your sailing, and lines turn away guests without the right documents, with no refund. Check your booking documents.

Why a passport is still the better choice

• If you miss the ship in a foreign port, or have to leave the cruise in an emergency, you will need a passport to fly home.
• If you miss embarkation, a passport lets you fly to the next port to catch up.
• It makes every port of call simpler, with no question about what you can do ashore.

When you need a passport book anyway

• One-way cruises, or any cruise where you fly to or from a foreign port.
• Some itineraries even when closed-loop. Royal Caribbean, for example, requires a passport book for sailings that stop in Colombia (Cartagena) or Panama (Colón), where a passport card is not valid. Check your line's rules if your cruise visits either.
• Any cruise if you are not a U.S. citizen: check your own country's rules and your cruise line's requirements.

Passports generally need to be valid for at least six months after your cruise ends.