Can I board a closed-loop cruise to Alaska with a Canadian port call, with just a US Green card?

Question

I am a US Permanent Resident and I booked a cruise to Alaska. It is a closed loop cruise starting and ending in on Seattle, WA. It has one stop in Canada which is Victoria,Canada

I just realized that my wife's passport expired last month. I thought that it would be okay since her Green Card is still valid. The last time we visited Canada I had my Green Card and I don't think I carried my passport. We are going to submit a passport renewal application, but I am not sure it will be renewed in time.

The USCIS link says that people do not have to carry a passport if they are a US citizen and are on a closed loop cruise.

In our case, we are Permanent Residents, not citizens; would our Green Card be fine? If not, what is the final authority that decides if we can travel, or if we could even attempt it?

Do Canadian officials know who is on the ship, or it is just cruise ship staff? Who has final authority to deny our entry on the cruise? What is the best way to approach the situation?

Answer 1

Holland America's travel documents say:

For Non-U.S./Non-Canadian Citizens:

You must have and carry a passport valid for six months beyond the duration of your travel. Please carefully verify the existing identification requirements for your particular travel situation. In addition, non-U.S. citizens who have previously been admitted to the United States for permanent residence must carry their Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551), commonly known as a Green Card. Resident aliens not in possession of this must obtain one at the nearest office of the U.S. Immigration Service.

[...]

Guests are responsible for verifying and obtaining any necessary travel documents for entry and exit to the countries visited, as these requirements vary depending on the specific port and nationality of the traveler. This includes payment of all costs related to arrangements to obtain entry to the countries you visit. Boarding may be denied or fines levied against those guests arriving at the pier without the proper documentation, and those guests will not be eligible for a refund. Payment of any fines levied is the responsibility of the individual guest. Please note that fees and visa requirements are subject to change without notice.

In short, you must have a passport valid for six months beyond the duration of your travel and a green card with you if you're not a US or Canadian citizen. No exception is listed for permanent residents to travel without a passport. That's the cruise line's rule regardless of any government regulations that would allow you to travel with less. The cruise line is the final authority that determines whether you can board, and it can make its own rules about travel documents.

You can always contact the cruise line, but if they tell you that you can travel, I'd want that in writing, and you're still entirely at the mercy of the staff at the port, who could refuse you boarding anyway.

Answer 2

OK this is not an answer as in if this is how it legally works. However, this is what happened when I traveled on Holland America cruiseline with expired passport and a valid GreenCard

1. When boarding the cruise-ship the officer who was responsible for checking our documents acknowledged that the passport is expired but that is fine since the Green Card is valid and we were able to board the cruiseship without any problems
2. When disembarking in Victoria,Canada they asked us to fill a form where we need to provide passport information of one family member(normally head of the family) and we provided my passport information(which was not expired)
3. When we came back to U.S. officer did check only our GC(he checked the passport but did not even bother to mention expired date on the Passport)

Now, we could be extremely lucky that we did not face much scrunity but just for extra preparation I printed out some documentation which I hope may help:

• https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/documents-needed-to-take-a-cruise
• https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1191/~/traveling-outside-of-the-u.s.---documents-needed-for-lawful-permanent-residents

Now, question is when Holland America Website explicitly mentioned that we need the passport then why did they not ask?

First of all I think they have a very generalized guidelines for just-in-case scenarios. The officer who checks our documents at the port is not actually Holland America. That officer is either CBP or in our case they hired a contracting company approved by CBP. So the final authority is the officer on the port which is affiliated with CBP. However, printing the supporting docs helps

Answer 3

According to the Seattle Times:

For “closed-loop” sailings such as Seattle-Alaska cruises that depart and return to the same U.S. port, U.S. officials say that a passport or one of the new alternative documents isn’t required — that a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, are sufficient (those documents are needed to prove both a traveler’s identity and citizenship). However, some cruise lines strongly urge cruise passengers to have passports. So check — and double-check — with your cruise line. (And you must have ID even if you’re not planning to get off the ship in Victoria.)

So I'm interpreting it as you do not need a passport since your cruise is "closed-loop". If it were me, I would bring the expired passport just in case. If you don't get off the ship in Canada, then you shouldn't have a problem.

But you should check with Holland America just to be safe.