FAQ Travel Documents

CRUISE TRAVEL FOR U.S CITIZENS

Carnival highly recommends that all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). This will enhance the debarkation experience as delays may be expected upon return to the United States for those without one. Additionally, this will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to meet their ship at a foreign port should they miss their scheduled port of embarkation and allow guests that must disembark the ship before their cruise ends due to an emergency to fly back to the U.S without significant delays and complications.

Cruises that begin and end in the same U.S port (referred to as a closed-loop cruise)

For cruises that begin and end in the same U.S port, ALL guests are required to carry proof of citizenship AND proof of identification.

Proof of Citizenship: A birth certificate or any of the WHTI-Compliant Documents listed below are acceptable.

Proof of Identification (I.D): A non-expired government-issued photo I.D is required of all guests 16 years of age and older.

Birth Certificate Information
The following are acceptable:

  • An original Birth Certificate issued by the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
  • A copy of a birth certificate issued by the Department of Health and Vital Statistics
  • A clear, legible, quality Xerox copy of a birth certificate that was originally issued by the Department of Health and Vital Statistics. The Xerox copy does not need to be notarized or certified.
  • Birth Certificate Card
  • A Consular report of Birth Abroad
  • In Regards to Birth Certificates: Guests may obtain a copy of a birth certificate by contacting: The Department of Health and Vital Statistics at: www.vitalchek.com. If the guest has laminated their birth certificate, it is acceptable.


Photo Identification
A non-expired Government-Issued Photo I.D is required of all guests 16 years of age and older. The following are acceptable:

  • Driver’s License
  • Driver’s Permit
  • School/Student I.D (acceptable for guests 16/17/18 years of age)
  • Government-Issued identification card (city/state/federal)

    *If you need to obtain a passport quickly, Carnival recommends that you contact ZVS at http://www.zvs.com/carnival or by phone: 1-866-788-1100. Callers should mention that they are sailing on Carnival to receive discounted service fees.