Do I really need to bring a passport for my UK cruise?
Q I am booked on a UK-only cruise operated by Viking in June. It is sailing from Portsmouth to Portsmouth and not going anywhere abroad. I was told I must bring a passport. I have one, which expires in August. But after I supplied the details I have just been told: “Your passport must be valid for at least six months after your return date in order for you to travel. According to our records, your passport does not meet that requirement.” Do I really have to get a new passport in order not to go abroad?
Name supplied
A In common with many cruise lines, Viking says it requires passports even for domestic cruises. I asked why. A Viking spokesperson told me: “Across the travel industry passports are recognised worldwide as the most reliable form of identification as they are issued by central governments in a standard format. When it
comes to our UK cruises we simply need to ensure that we have correctly identified all of the guests who are embarking.” I then asked about the six month rule, which applies to some countries. The spokesperson said: “It is not essential for domestic UK cruises but it is always advisable to ensure that passports have six months validity when travelling.” What, I then wondered, if your passport expired in May, not August? Would you be denied boarding?
“As is standard across the travel industry, passports are the preferred form of ID,” the spokesperson said. “For our UK domestic voyages, in the unlikely event someone does notify us that they do not have a passport, then we will discuss what other form of identification they may have available. We will try to find a reasonable solution.”
I hope this puts your mind at rest – and also helps other people who are subject to what looks to me like a fairly arbitrary rule.