Travel Documents, Passports & Visas

What are the Passport & Visa requirements for my cruise?

Please note, If you are a UK or Republic of Ireland citizen (including children and infants), you must have your own full 10 year (5 year for children) passport which is recommended to be valid for at least 6 months after your expected return date to the UK, in certain countries this is an entry requirement. It is no longer possible for children to be included on their parent’s passport.
Guests holding non UK or ROI passports should check with relevant embassies.

We are unable to allow any guest to travel without their own passport and do not accept any other form of photo ID.

Guests holding a passport issued in the Balliwick of Guernsey or the Isle of Man may not be entitled to the same entry exceptions when visiting countries abroad as a guest holding a full UK passport and this should be checked carefully with the embassies of the countries you will visit on your itinerary.

Please visit the following websites for details on UK and ROI passports:

www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/index.htm and www.dfa.ie/home

Visa Information
It is the responsibility of the guest to ensure that when they arrive at the pier to board their ship, that they are in possession of all travel documents required for their itinerary. Guests who do not possess the proper documentation may be prevented from boarding their flight or ship or from entering a country.

We recommend that you contact our recommended visa agent, VisaCentral, for advice and to purchase the most up to date visa requirements for your cruise. VisaCentral are part of the CIBT group of visa companies.

This online service contains up-to-the-minute information on specific visa requirements for all nationalities to all destinations, and handles over a million possible visa requirements. Travellers do not have the expense of travelling to an embassy or the hassle of standing in a queue. To make sure you know about the visa requirements for your destination, please go online to http://uk.visacentral.com/royalcaribbean

Or call the information line to speak to a visa consultant: 09065 500 740† Visa Central are pleased to offer a special discount of 10‰ to Royal Caribbean International customers when booking online. Please quote the discount code which can be found on your Royal Caribbean International booking confirmation. †To speak with a visa consultant, calls will cost £1 per minute from a UK landline. Calls from mobile networks and other providers may vary.

The below is correct at time of writing and should be used for guidance only. Details should be checked with VisaCentral.

United States
For entry requirements if you will visit the United States at any point in your cruise holiday, please click here:

www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/north-central-america/united-states

To enter the US under the Visa Waiver Program, you will need to obtain an ESTA authorisation first. For full details, please click the below link:

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

Please note, you will also require an ESTA if you are visiting Puerto Rico (San Juan) or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

India
UK and ROI passport holders definitely require a visa to enter India. Currently Immigration in India is not allowing any group visas onboard or exceptions to this requirement and if you do not possess the correct visa for India you may be denied boarding or prevented from getting off the ship at any port of call in India.

San Juan (Puerto Rico)
If a guest is going to board a cruise in San Juan and they fly direct without transit through a US airport and the cruise itinerary does not call at a US port, they will still need to complete an ESTA to gain entry under the Visa Waiver Program to San Juan as it comes under the US visa requirements.

China
UK guests do not need a visa for the port call at Sanya. Irish (ROI) guests will need a visa for Sanya.
UK & ROI passport holders do not need a visa for Hong Kong.
Any other port of call in China will require a visa and then you need either the single or double entry type, depending on how many times you enter China on the itinerary including embarkation/debark at a Chinese port, and most importantly whether or not calls to Chinese ports are separated by a call to another country. Please note, the visa ruling about leaving China within 48 hours is only for air travel and does not count for cruises. It is imperative that you provide the full details of your itinerary when applying for a visa and that you ensure they know you are on a cruise.

Taiwan (this is the Republic of China, do NOT confuse with the People's Republic of China (Shanghai, Sanya, Beijing, Tianjin, Xiamen, Hong Kong etc)
Full UK or ROI passport holders do not require a visa to visit on a cruise ship to the following ports

Keelung Harbour, Hualien Harbour, Taichung Harbour, Shuitou, Fuao and Kaohsiung Harbour only.

Passport MUST have 6 months validity from date of entry to Taiwan. For details visit:

www.roc-taiwan.org

Japan
Full UK or ROI passport holders do not require a visa for entry to Japan.
Passport must be valid beyond exit date and have 1 clear page.

Vietnam & Cambodia
Visa provided onboard for a charge of no more than 50 USD per visa per guest.

Thailand
Full UK or ROI passport holders do not require a visa for entry to Thailand.
Passport must be valid for 6 months beyond exit date and have 1 clear page.

South Korea (Republic of)
Full UK or ROI passport holders do not require a visa for entry to South Korea.
Passport must be valid for 6 months beyond exit date and have 1 clear page.

Vladivostok & Petropavlovsk (Russia)
A special regime for transit passengers of cruise vessels is in force for these ports.  According to it, guests of cruise vessels arriving to either city as a port of call (in transit) and not planning tours to other cities except the city of the ship's call, do not require a Russian visa for going ashore on tours or individually.

Malaysia and Singapore
Full UK or ROI passport holders do not require a visa for entry to Malaysia or Singapore
Passport must be valid for  6 months beyond exit date and have 1 clear page.

Bahrain
Guests will be able to secure visa onboard the vessel.  Please note this service is not available to citizens of Croatia, Syria and Pakistan.

Croatia
Many nationalities, including UK and ROI citizens, do not require a visa to travel to Croatia for a stay less than 3 months.

Egypt
Most guests are provided with a Quick Trip Visa onboard the vessel which is valid for 72 hours and allows entry to Egypt. If your itinerary has multiple ports of call in Egypt, you will get a visa at each port.  This service is available to citizens of the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Please note this service is not available to Israeli citizens.

French Polynesia
Many nationalities, including UK and ROI citizens, do not require a visa to travel to French Polynesia for a stay less than 3 months.  For nationalities that do require a visa, it must be obtained in advance of the sailing.  Schengen visas are not valid for French Polynesia.

Israel
Many nationalities, including US, Canadian, UK and ROI citizens do not require a visa to travel to Israel for a stay less than 3 months.  Citizens of Jordan, Egypt, Tunis, Malaysia, Qatar, Indonesia, Eritrea, Somalia, Morocco and Bahrain must obtain a visa prior to joining the vessel.  Other nationalities that require a visa may be able to secure a visa onboard the vessel.  The fee varies based on the volume of visas requested but can be quoted at $70/pp or less.

Jordan
Guests will be able to secure visa onboard the vessel.

New Zealand
Many nationalities, including US, Canadian, UK and ROI citizens, do not require a visa to travel to New Zealand for a stay less than 3 months.

Oman
A group visa will be issued onboard upon submission of the guest manifest.  Guests are not required to do anything to be included in the group visa.  For stays over 24 hours, such as Brilliance of the Seas will have in 2011 and 2012, there will be a visa charge of approx. $15/pp.  Please note this service is not available to Israeli citizens.

Papua New Guinea
Guests will be able to secure visa onboard the vessel for a one-time fee of less than $50/pp which will be charged to their onboard account.

Turkey
Intransit cruise guests do not require a visa for Turkey.  Guests flying into Turkey to embark a vessel may obtain a visa upon arrival at the airport.  Guests disembarking in Turkey will be able to secure a visa onboard the vessel.

Ukraine
Intransit cruise guests do not require a visa for Ukraine. Nationalities, including UK and ROI, don't require a visa to enter Ukraine for a stay less than 3 months.

United Arab Emirates
UK and ROI citizens do not need a visa.

Australia
UK and ROI citizens must apply for an eVisitor document or an ETA, please see the below website:

http://www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/visitors.htm

Russia
Guests participating in one of our shore excursions and/or private car/van arrangements will be covered by our group visa for the duration of the shore excursion.

Guests who wish to sightsee independently or sightsee outside Royal Caribbean Cruises' shore excursion hours MUST obtain an individual Russian Tourist Visa before leaving home. Russian Tourist Visas cannot be issued during your cruise. Guests who have not purchased a shipboard organised shore excursion and do not possess a valid Russian Tourist Visa will not be permitted ashore in St. Petersburg.

Guests with an Individual Tourist Visa must present (a) a valid passport (b) Russian Tourist Visa (c) one photocopy of passport page showing guest picture and personal information and (d) a confirmation letter or voucher from your Russian tour company sponsoring your Russian Tourist Visa to the Russian Immigration Officer as you depart the ship.

Russian Tourist Visa Sponsorship
Should you wish to obtain an individual Russian Tourist Visa, you will need to be sponsored by a licensed Russian Tour Company. This company will have to create a programme and provide a voucher to the guests confirming all the arrangements, along with a reference letter which includes a visa reference number. Once a visa has been issued, it needs to reference the same Russian tour provider as the voucher confirmation. A Russia Tourist Visa will not be accepted by the Russian Immigration official as valid without a confirmation voucher for pre-arranged services.

Guests should consider the following when selecting a tour provider in St. Petersburg:
 1) The tour provider needs to be licensed to operate in Russia and authorised to provide services to foreign visitors.
 2) The tour provider must be authorised to issue Russian visa reference numbers.
 3) The tour provider should be authorised and have a permit to meet the guest inside the Port of St. Petersburg. If the tour provider is not authorised to enter the port area, you will be advised to meet them at the port entrance, which is located approximately 3 miles from the ship.

The Russian Tourist Visa issued and stamped on your passport will only apply to the referenced tour company, the person named on the visa and for a specific travel date. The sponsor of each tourist visa is legally required to be the provider of services for the guest named on the visa and will have their licence revoked if a visa holder is found ashore without a pre-arranged activity.

The above requirements are subject to revision at any time without prior notification to the cruise line. Once onboard the ship, adjustment to the current regulations will be provided as we receive them from the Russian officials. Please also be aware that these regulations can also be at the discretion of the individual officers on duty on the day of arrival and may vary at any time.