Recent changes in passport rules have left many people confused, unsure whether or not they need a passport to travel to certain destinations. For example, for the first half of last year, you did not have to have a passport to go to the Bahamas. However, on June 1st, 2009, the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) went into effect, and the rules changed.
Now, if you are an American citizen traveling to the Bahamas, you will more than likely need a passport to go. Under the WHTI, if you are traveling to the Bahamas by plane, you must have a US passport book.
If you are traveling by sea, you can use a passport book or one of the following documents:
- a passport card
- a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST card
- an enhanced driver’s license (only some states have these).
Please note that the passport card can only be used if you are traveling to the Bahamas by sea-it’s no good for air travel.
Exceptions
There are, however, a few exceptions to the above rules. For example, if you are traveling to the Bahamas on a closed-loop cruise, a cruise that begins and ends at the same US port, you can use your driver’s license and birth certificate instead of a passport.
There are also a couple of exceptions for children. Children under age 16 can use a birth certificate, naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship IF they are traveling to and from the Bahamas by sea. Children under age 19 can also use birth certificates IF they are traveling by sea and IF they are traveling with a school group, a church group or a social or cultural organization supervised by an adult.
Just like adults, children in any age group must have a passport book to travel to the Bahamas by plane.
If the new passport regulations have caught you off guard, RushMyPassport can help. We hand-deliver your application to the US Department of State and then rush your new passport back to you, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.
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[...] Effective June 1st, 2009, the requirements to travel to the Bahamas have changed. Please see this entry for the most up-to-date [...]
January 13th, 2010 at 10:35 pmI called Rush my Passport today and I was told you must have a passportt
cruising to the Bahama’s from the US. On this site it said “No” could
use license and birth certificate. Would you please clarity this for
me.
Thank you.
PS Also, Mexico, a loop cruise from the USA.
May 26th, 2010 at 11:21 pmHi Joy,
As long as its a closed-loop cruise (beginning and ending at the same US port), you should be fine to re-enter the US with your driver’s license and birth certificate (make sure it’s the official copy, not a hospital copy, though).
BUT I would actually call the cruise line to double-check- Mexico is requiring passports for US citizens to enter if they are traveling beyond the “border zone,” which is usually 20 to 30 km in but varies depending on location. So, again, I would urge you to call your cruise line before you try to board with your license and birth certificate. They’ll be able to tell you for sure if you need a passport or not.
Also, remember that you have to have a passport for air travel to/from Mexico and the Bahamas, so it’s best to have one for a cruise just in case you need to fly back for any reason, or in case you miss the boat at port and need to fly somewhere to catch up to it.
Enjoy your vacation!
May 27th, 2010 at 1:04 pmHey am from Maimi.
And i wanted to know if I go on a cruise will I need a passport.
Thank tou!
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:45 pmHi Cristina,
It depends. Where are you cruising to?
June 25th, 2010 at 8:48 pmwhat if you are 13 without the orignal birth certifite going to a crusie to the bahamas and startss and ends in orlando????
June 26th, 2010 at 2:11 amhey i am going to hawai tomarrow by plane,US to Hawai and hawai to US
June 28th, 2010 at 4:14 amdo i need a passport?
Going on a cruise from miami to bahamas.. with my 16 yr old daughter..do we need passports?
July 7th, 2010 at 10:15 amHi Shirley,
Possibly. If the cruise begins and ends in Miami, you can just bring your driver’s license and your birth certificate. However, if you can get a passport before you go, that’d be best because it would mean you could fly home in case of an emergency.
July 8th, 2010 at 8:44 pmNo, you don’t need a passport because Hawaii is part of the US.
July 8th, 2010 at 8:54 pmHi Misty,
You’ll still need your birth certificate to use as proof of citizenship. You can order a copy here: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm
July 8th, 2010 at 8:55 pmDo I need a passport to take my boat from miami to the bahamas for the day.
July 12th, 2010 at 10:16 amYes, you need your passport or another WHTI-compliant document.
July 24th, 2010 at 9:08 pm