So you’re off on a cruise … crank up the excitement levels! Whether it’s your first or your 50th, the adventure of heading off into the wild blue yonder beyond the sight of land never gets old.
Once you’ve chosen your cruise destination and length, shopped for some new resort clothes and swimmers, you may be wondering, do you need a passport for a cruise?
Do you need a passport for a cruise?
Well, that depends …
- If you are cruising within Australia only and your ship is not travelling onto a foreign country, the answer is no. So if for example you are sailing from Sydney to Brisbane, you won’t need a passport.
- If however the ship you’re travelling on is sailing from Brisbane onto other countries such as Vanuatu or Fiji, you will need a passport. This is in case there is some unexpected reason the ship can’t dock at Brisbane and needs to head straight onto its next destination with you on board.
- If you are cruising from an Australian port to the port of another country, you will need a passport – usually with at least six months’ duration left on it after your return date. (To be safe, check this with your cruise operator). This is still the case even if you don’t plan on disembarking there – you need a passport to enter a foreign country’s waters, regardless of whether you plan to get off the boat.
- And if you are cruising from another country (eg, the USA) into Australia, then again yes, you will need a passport to disembark here.
Do I need a visa to cruise travel?
Australian passport holders don’t need a visa for any South Pacific, Australian, or New Zealand itinerary.
If your cruise is heading beyond these countries to places such as the USA or Europe, you will need to look into visa requirements. For example, Australian passport holders will require a valid ESTA for travel to the United States. This can be applied for online and usually takes between one and three days to process.
Happy Cruising!
