The Importance of Traveling With a Passport

Spring has sprung and the time has come to start planning those summer cruises! While some cruises do not require a passport, you might want to think twice before you opt not to get or bring yours with you.

Citizens of the United States traveling to the Caribbean islands or government defined “contiguous lands and adjacent islands” are not required to carry a passport, if they are arriving and departing at the same port, on the same ship.

However, the unfortunate event of an emergency docking at a non-contiguous land or adjacent island, would require you to possess a passport. If there is ever a need to transfer ships or arrive at an unscheduled port, a passport is required for re-entry back into the states.

Additionally, passports serve as an indisputable form of identification. In the unlikely event your citizenship is questioned, a passport can prove that you are in fact a citizen of the United States.

In terms of convenience, having a passport ensures one less thing you have to lug around. Instead of carrying multiple forms of identification such as a state-issued ID and a birth certificate, you can carry just one form of identification – a passport.

There are so many benefits and reasons than there are not to have a passport. Passports are your key to the world and can be easily obtained at your local post office!

*Photo Courtesy of USCIS*