Please note that there may be a visa requirement for your cruise and It is the responsibility of each 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 strongly advise that you contact our recommended visa agent, VisaCentral, for the most up to date advice and to purchase any visas required for your cruise. Visa Central are part of the CIBT global group of visa companies.
Their 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 use the VisaCentral 'widget' at the top of this page, or go online to
http://uk.visacentral.com/royalcaribbean
You can also call the information line to speak to a visa consultant: 09065 500 740† VisaCentral are pleased to offer a special discount of 10% to Royal Caribbean International guests when booking online.
†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.
Visa Information
The below is correct at time of writing and pertains to UK and Republic of Ireland (ROI) passport holders and should be used for guidance only. Details should be checked with VisaCentral, especially if you hold a passport from another country. Please note, some UK passports issued in the Isle of Man or the Bailiwick of Guernsey, do not have the same visa exceptions as a full UK passport and guests holding either of these passports should check this 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 or the ESTA link below:
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 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 so we strongly advise you to obtain an Indian visa. Please ensure you give full details of your cruise itinerary as this will determine the type of visa required.
A cruise guest requires a Tourist Visa and when applying you are required to complete an application form. You may be asked to supply a sponsor in India for your trip and your address in India. Please note, this information is not required and you should fill out 'self sponsored' and 'NA' in these 2 sections. Your passport must have a minimum validity of 190 days from after the date of your visit to India and contain at least 2 blank pages. The length of validity for your visa starts from the date it is issued, so please bear this in mind when considering how far in advance of your cruise you wish to apply for the visa.
Further details can be found here:
in.vfsglobal.co.uk (UK) or
www.indianembassy.ie (ROI) or by using the VisaCentral widget on this page.
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
Full UK passport holders 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 apply to 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 calling at 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.orgVietnam & Cambodia
Visa provided onboard by Royal Caribbean for a charge of no more than 50 USD per visa per guest.
Israel, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, UAE, Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia.
Visas are not required for UK & Irish passport holders.
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. Passengers holding Schengen visas or EU resident cards will be allowed to go ashore and a visa will not be required.
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.
Jordan
Guests will be able to secure visa onboard the vessel.
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 per guest. 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. UK guests disembarking in Turkey will be able to secure a visa onboard the vessel at a fee of less than $50 per guest.
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.
Australia
UK and ROI citizens must apply for either an eVisitor document or an ETA, please see the below website or click on the link for Australian ETA below:
http://www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/visitors.htmRussia
Guests participating in a Royal Caribbean shore excursion 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.
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.
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 or Vladivostok:
- The tour provider needs to be licensed to operate in Russia and authorised to provide services to foreign visitors.
- The tour provider must be authorised to issue Russian visa reference numbers.
- 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.
Please note for all the above the information is correct at time of writing, but is subject to change at any time. UK passport info applies to British Citizens, holders of another UK passport must check with the relevant authority. There is often a stipulation on having a minimum amount of validity left on your passport and a number of clear pages in order to gain entry, which can be up to a 6 month requirement. Again, please check with the relevant authority.
Please also note that if there is requirement to obtain a visa prior to travel for a particular country, and a guest chooses to not disembark the ship, then the guest is still required to obtain the necessary visa. The only exception to this rule is Russia where a guest is able to stay on the ship in St Petersburg and not need to obtain a visa.
You must ensure that all guest's names (including initials) are exactly the same as they appear on their ticket as in their passport. If there is any difference, you may be refused entry onto your flight/cruise.
Passport and visa requirements may change and vary by destination. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any flight or into any country, or otherwise suffer any difficulties or incur any costs as a result of not having the correct passport and/or any required visa(s).
It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. You must pay all costs incurred in obtaining such documentation. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents results in fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly.
Certain Port Authorities may from time to time ask to see photo identification when you depart the ship during the cruise. We strongly suggest that you take a photocopy of your passport information page with you in addition to your passport itself and that you carry the photocopy with you each time you depart the ship in order to minimise any inconvenience this may cause and to provide an official means of identification whilst ashore in case it is required.
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