All cruisers have individual responsibility to make sure they have got the right documents to travel prior to their cruise holiday. This includes but is not limited to
Passports, Visas, Medical Certificates and Travel Insurance.
This information is up to date as of February 2019. Should any thing have changed due to Brexit, please see our page here.
Passport
All passengers (including all children under 16), should hold their own full 10 year (5 year for children) British Citizen (GBR) passport. The passport should be valid for at least 6 months past your expected return date to the UK, as this is often a criteria for entry to certain countries. It should be in good condition and preferably have blank pages, in case you need to apply for any visas.
Guests holding a different type of UK passport (Not British Citizen) or a passport issued by a country outside of the UK, should check with the relevant embassy for each country included on their itinerary, to ascertain entry requirements.
It could take up to 6 weeks to get a British passport but make sure to allow for a longer period during peak times throughout the year. Should any person in your group aged 16 and above at the time of your holiday not yet have a passport, we recommend you apply no later than 6 weeks prior to the commencement of your travels. It is required that the Passport Service validate your identity prior to the issuing of your passport and therefore may need to interview you.
For further information on obtaining a UK passport, please click here
For information on travelling within the EU after 31st October 2019, please see here.
Visa
Visa requirements differ from country to country and can change at any time. To check the entry requirements for all countries, as per the FCDO, please visit the following website.
The information below is based on the passenger holding a UK British Citizen (GBR) passport.
AUSTRALIA
An eVisitor visa is available to British Citizen passport holders, flying to or visiting Australia on a cruise. It is free of charge and available here.
CANADA
If you are visiting Canada, as a port of call on your itinerary, you do not need a visa.
If you are flying in to Canada, you will need to get an eTA visa in advance of travel. Cost is approximately £4. Details here.
CHINA
Visa rules for China are varied and also dependant on routing in and out of China and your full holiday itinerary. There are 2 main ways of visiting China without a visa, as below, but please be aware that the rules to use them are complex and strictly adhered to.
If flying in to China, you may be able to make use of their 144 Hour Visa Free Transit scheme, available in several regions (Only available one region per visit to China). See here for details
If you are visiting China as part of your cruise itinerary and the first Chinese port is Shanghai, you may be able to use the 15 Day Visa Free Transit scheme. This allows you to visit several Chinese ports, as long as Shanghai is first and you do not visit any other countries in between the other Chinese ports. Full details are available here.
If you cannot use a visa free option as above, you will probably need to get a full Chinese visa.
Details are available here.
Please note, all applications for a full Chinese visa now require you to visit one of their 4 regional centres in person, as they must collect fingerprints as part of the process. You will need a copy of your full holiday itinerary to apply.
CUBA
At time of writing (July 2019), travel between the USA and Cuba for reasons of tourism is not permitted.
If you are flying direct to Cuba to board a cruise, you must get a Tourist Card to travel on your flight to Cuba. Please check if the cruise line includes your Tourist Card with your holiday, as this may be the case. If they are not, you must obtain one in advance of boarding your flight. Details here.
INDIA
An Indian e-visa is available to use if entering India through any 5 seaports of Cochin, Goa, Mangalore, Mumbai, and Chennai. The cost is approximately £80. Full details can be found here.
If your itinerary has multiple calls to Indian ports and/or visits to Indian ports are separated by going to a port in another country, you may not be able to use the e-visa option and may have to obtain a standard tourist visa. We advise you to check whether the e-visa option can be used with your cruise line, as they will have agreed the process with the Indian authorities. The best starting point will be the visa info they provide directly on their website. Often a cruise line will not release this information until 55 days before sailing.
RUSSIA
Passengers travelling to the following cities; St Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Vladivostok, Sochi, Vyborg, Korsakov (Sakhalin Island) or Novorossiysk, can stay in Russia for 72 hours if visiting on a cruise ship, as long as they are doing shore excursions via the cruise line or an authorised and licensed Russian tour company. You are only covered for the duration of any tour taken.
To make independent visits ashore or to any other city not listed above, you should apply for a standard Russian visa.
Details here.
SRI LANKA
If your cruise only makes one call in Sri Lanka, of less than 2 days, you should apply for a Transit e-visa, which is free.
Details here.
UAE
British Citizen passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival in the UAE.
USA
British Citizen passport holders can apply to travel and enter the US through the Visa Waiver Program, by obtaining an ESTA. You should apply at least 72 hours before the date of travel with the process costing $14.
Full details can be found here.
For further information on visa requirements, we recommend that you contact our visa partners The Travel Visa Company. They will be able to provide tailored advice and for a fee, assist with arranging your documents. You can contact them via:
Web: https://thetravelvisacompany.co.uk/iglucruise/?sup=IGL
Tel: 01270 250 590
Email: enquiries@thetravelvisacompany.co.uk
Office hours Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm