Please make sure that you meet the entry requirements for each port visited during your cruise. Furthermore, we ask you to note the entry requirement of the United States.
Entry requirements for the United States:
US visa waiver program
German, Austrian and Swiss residents take part in the visa waiver program and are allowed to stay in the United States for tourism, business or transit for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa, if they:
- are in possession of a valid passport (see list below)
- are travelling on an approved carrier if arriving by air or sea
- can produce a return or onward ticket (the voyage must not end in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean except for permanent residents of these countries) whicht must be valid for a maximum period of 90 days from the first entry to the United States
- have received an authorization to travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA, see information below)
It is also allowed to arrive from Canada or Mexixo via land ports of entry. In this case, return or onward tickets and Esta authorization are not required.
Meeeting the requirements of the visa waiver programm does not necessarily guarantee admission into the United States since the final decision is taken by an immigration officer.
Passengers who do not meet the requirements or who want to travel to the United States for other purposes not allowed on a visitor visa have to apply for a visa, for example if they:
- want to work in the United States (also au-pairs and journalists)
- want to study in the United States (also language schools)
- take part in an exchange program
- take part in a research project
- want to marry and live in the United States
- travel to the United States by not approved carriers (sailors, pilots)
- didn´t get an Esta authorization (see information below)
The US government has decided that dual nationals holding passports issued by countries under the US Visa Waiver Programme and a passport issued by Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria require to apply for a Visa when travelling to the US. Customers are not eligible to travel to the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme, anymore. Additionally, all customers who hold a valid ESTA and who have visited Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria since 1 March, 2011 will also require to apply for a Visa and cannot travel under the Visa Waiver Programme, anymore.
The visa must be applied for at the respective U.S. embassy or consulate.
In the case of visa-free entry, the actual length of stay will be determined by an immigration officer. An extension of the period of stay is not permitted, not even if your departure has been delayed by unforeseen circumstances. If you are holding a regular visa, you can ask for an extension at each office of the BCIS. The latest day of departure will be stamped to your passport (“admitted until xx-xx-xx”. Please note: the american date format puts the month first, then the day. So 3-10 means 10 March, not 3 October!)
Travel documents / Visa
All passengers including children of all ages need their indivudual travel documents. The travel document must be valid for the entire period of stay (at least until the day of departure from the United States).
With the following travel documents, German residents are permitted visa-free entry into the United States under the visa waiver program:
| Travel documents adults | Visa-free entry / Requirements | |
| Passport | Yes | |
| Temporary Passport | No, visa required | |
| ID card | No, not sufficient for entry into the United States. | |
| Temporary ID card | No, not sufficient for entry into the United States. | |
| Additional comments | Please note the comments on the visa waiver program, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and the visa procedure of the United States. | |
| Travel documents Children / Youths | ||
| Children´s passport | Yes, if the passport contains a photo and was issued or extended before 26 October 2006. | |
| Passport | Yes | |
| Temporary passport | No, a visa is required. | |
| ID card | No, not sufficient for entry into the United States. | |
| Temporary ID card | No, not sufficient for entry into the United States. | |
| Children inscibed on the passport of a parent (no longer possible since 01 November 2007) | No, not sufficient for entry to the United States. | |
| Valid Child ID (Child ID no longer issued since 01 January 2006) | No, a visa is required. |
Rule: For visa-free entry into the United States under the visa waiver program, a regular (maroon) German passport (machine-readable passports issued before 01 November 2005 as well as machine-readable passports with integrated chips issued since 01 November 2005) or children´s passports with photo issued or extended before 26 October 2006 will be required.
A temporary (green) passport with a maximum duration of one year or a children´s passport issued or extended since 26 October 2006 will not be sufficient for entry into the United States. In these cases, a visa will be required.
Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)
Since 12 January 2009, all passengers travelling to the United States under the visa waiver program (VWP) have to apply for a free entry permit from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. A request by a third party (for example a travel agency) is possible. The authorization is valid for any number of entries within a period of 2 years.
Only in the following special cases, a new authorization has to be applied for before the end of the two-year period:
- Change of passport
- Change of name
- Change of citizenship
- Change of sex
- Change of answers to questions in the ESTA-form answerable with “yes” or “no” (see ESTA-website).
Please note that an ESTA authorization (or a formal visa) does not necessarily guarantee admition into the United States since final admission eligibility is determined at U.S. ports by an immigration officer.
The Department of Homeland Security points out that the ESTA offers more security for travellers since they can fill out the form in advance. Before, they had to fill out a similar form on entry into the United States, resulting in the danger of being rejected at the border and sent back. Now, travellers not meeting the criteria of the visa waiver program will not take up their journey at all.
Important note:
When entering ESTA into your search engine, you will get a lot of commercial results looking like official sites at the first glance but offering downloads for money. Therefore, we recommend to type the official link https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov directly into the address bar of your browser. The information of this official site is available in different languages. The use of ESTA is free of charge.
Should you have made a mistake, the Department of Homeland Security recommends to fill out a new form with the correct data. The original form will then be overwritten. You will find more answers to this and other questions when following the link on the bottom of the ESTA homepage.
Important information for cruises to Cuba:
Please note the following information if you want to take part in a Cuba cruise with Carnival Cruise Line:
- All passengers are required to present a passport which must be valid for at least six months after the end of the voyage. Birth certificates will not be accepted. In addition, each passenger is required to have a health insurance valid in Cuba for the duration of stay.
- All passengers must complete a travel affidavit which indicates the category of travel and excursions. This form must be presented upon embarkation. It is recommended to carry a copy of the form together with the other travel documents.
- All passengers entering Cuba via the USA re required to obtain a visa. The price of 75 USD will be charged to the onboard account automatically and will not be refundable. The visa will be granted during embarkation. Since you enter Cuba via the USA, a European entry card will not be accepted.
- Passengers born in Cuba are required to request a special visa and to use a Cuban passport.
- Passengers who travel to Cuba for other purposes than standard people-to-people activities, e.g. for journalist activities, business meetings or family visits, must request a special visa (see below). People-to-people activities are a permitted category to visit Cuba and include excursions and onboard activities where passengers get to know the Cuban culture while interacting with Cuban people. After the end of a people-to-people activity, passengers have free time to explore on their own. Carnival Cruise Line offers a vast selection of shore excursions in each port. Passengers are required to take part in these excursions and may explore on their own if their activities comply with their travel affidavit.
- Special visas are issued by the Cuban consulate. Passengers must contact the Cuban consulate in order to get the required documents and to pay the fees. Alternatively, passengers can contact third-party providers which have specialized in visa applications (e.g. Visa Central, ABC Charters ). Please note that processing the visa can take about 3 months or more.
Passengers who do not have the required travel and visa documents will not be allowed embarkation. Cancellation fees will apply.
Vaccinations
There are currently no vaccinations required for our cruises.