Cruises

How to Get a Passport Stamp when Cruising: Passport Stamps at Cruise Ports

Cruise trips are memorable events as people celebrate the memories for many years to come. It is after all not the most convenient mode of travel and it is only natural for you to try and keep track of the places and ports you have stepped foot on during your travels. This is where the stamping of your passports comes in very handy.

There is no mandate that you must get your passports stamped but still, some tourists choose to do so. It acts as a reminder of the places that you manage to visit in the course of your cruise trip. For those wondering how to get a passport stamp when cruising, this is just the article you were looking for. We have every little detail regarding the stamping of your passports and also have a list of places where you can get the passports stamped.

Carnival Cruises
Carnival Cruises

How to Get a Passport Stamp when Cruising: Passport Stamps at Cruise Ports

Getting a Passport Stamp at Cruise Ports

Getting the passport stamps at cruise ports is fairly simple. Many of the tourists, however, are left completely in the dark regarding the same and never care for the stamping of their passports. Even you can choose to avoid as it is not mandatory but for those willing to keep track it definitely is a nice souvenir to carry forward. For getting one, after you have exited the ship you have to look for some kind of immigration or customs office around the place.

In many cases, the office is inside of a building which also houses some shops of attraction for the tourists. The offices are not often the easiest to identify and you may have to knock and ascertain it for yourself. However, once you get the officer in charge of the job of getting passport stamps at cruise ports become a simple task.

Roatan Passport Stamp
Roatan Passport Stamp Source: Cruzely

Victoria, Canada

At Victoria in Canada, you can simply get off from the ship and get the job done of getting the passport stamped. If you are on a cruise trip to Alaska then you are most likely to cross through the Canadian port. It is a good idea after exiting the ship to just ask for the directions to the immigration office and get the passports stamped.

Nassau, Bahamas

It is regarded as a relatively easy stop for getting your passport stamped on arrival. When you arrive here, simply head through the security to the building where the immigration officer will stamp your passport. In case you find problems in locating the building just ask someone to point you in the right direction and they will. You will end up with a note legitimizing your mini Bahama trip.

Barbados

All of the immigration offices that issue stamps do not do so as an official statement. This one in Barbados, for instance, does provide the tourist with a stamp on their passport. At the same time, however, they have it clearly specified that the passport stamp is more of a souvenir. It is still worth the trouble as it helps you keep a clean account of your entire travel.

Grenada

Once you get off the ship at the St. George port in Grenada, it might be a good idea to get your passport stamped. Here too you will get a somewhat informal passport which will act more of a souvenir for you. In fact, when they stamp your passport over here even the date of the travel is not mentioned in the stamped passport. Yet it just adds to the memories of this beautiful place.

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

This is a private island in the middle of the Bahamas. It is owned by the Holland America Line and it is good to get your passport stamped here. That is mostly because the procedure is fairly simple over here and you get your passports stamped without any kind of hassles. Just find the office as it is rather small and not marked as the immigration office.

Aruba

Have you been thinking about do they stamp your passport on a cruise? Here in Aruba they surely do. You just need to walk to the cruise terminal main building. There you will find the office which unlike the one in Half Moon Cay is well marked as the immigration office. Try going early as they are open during the business hours and get the passport stamped.

Curacao

The only reason you can miss out on getting your passport stamped in Curacao is that the office is open only during the business hours. If you are lucky to catch on then do get the passport stamped here.

Colon, Panama

There is supposedly an office for immigration purposes but be sure to land there on the right day. The office is only open during the weekdays and if you happen to be there then, you can get the passport stamped.

Limon, Costa Rica

Unfortunately, you will hit a roadblock here in Limon at Costa Rica. They do not, in fact, have an immigration office and so you just cannot get your passport stamped here. This is one of the very few places that actually lack in this facility.

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So How do you Know if you can Get a Passport Stamp?

So if you have been wondering how to get passport book stamped on a cruise, the answer should be evident by now. In fact, although most places do offer you a passport stamp, some do not have the facility available. The only possible way to get to know if the place actually offers you with a passport stamp facility is to ask around. The locals and officials of your cruise usually have a clear idea in this regard and you can ask them for details of the immigration office in the region.

So these happen to be some of the best ways to get your passport stamped on a cruise. We hope that you would take a few minutes out during your trip and at every opportunity get the passports stamped for good. Many years down the line it will be all but a sweet memory of the places you stepped foot on and that is always a nice account to keep track of.

Article Title: How to Get a Passport Stamp when Cruising: Passport Stamps at Cruise Ports
Article first published on May 16, 2019.

John Mathew is a travel writer and travel enthusiastic, primarily interested in how to get to any place, hotels guide, resorts guide, destination guide, and worldwide travel tips.