Do I need a passport?

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pricetravel

Most of the answers are half wrong. You should run, not walk to your travel agent and get the regulations for your particular trip.
When are you traveling? Rules are changing for air on Jan 8 and cruises a couple of years from now.
St Maarten IS NOT A US TERRITORY..BUT OUT OF THE COUNTRY...

Have your agent check with the cruise lines, however..
If you are flying to Florida to sail, you should still be ok without a passport.

You will need:
NOTARIZED LETTER FROM PARENTS (depending on your age) Call your travel agent.

Your travel agent is the one to speak with. The motto is..
"Without a travel agent you are on your own".

Jim B

Short answer is just a birth certificate and government issued photo ID for right now. I might point out that it has just been announced that after mid January Homeland Security says that you will need a Passport to fly into the USA from ANY country. If for some reason you needed to leave the ship in St Martin you would not be allowed to fly back to the USA from there and would have to wait until you returned to US soil. Bottom line is, get a Passport! In addition as you are a minor you will need to carry with you a notorized letter signed by BOTH of your parents giving your uncle who needs to be named, permission to take you out of the USA. He should also have a temporary right to make any and all medical decisions for you on behalf of your parents in case you need medical attention. Understand this as it is VERY IMPORTANT, BOTH your parents need to sign this letter of permission for it to be any good. If one of them is unavailable for any reason other than death you will need a court order allowing their exclusion. If one of your parents are deceased, you will need his/her death certificate. It is not really complicated but it is VERY strictly enforced

Jeff

As a precaution against these new laws, if you're going anywhere outside the Continental 48, you should have a passport. You may be able to get away with less in some circumstances, but a passport is guaranteed to be sufficient to get in and out of any country you visit.

Second, if you're going with your uncle, one big question: Are you over 18? If so, then there's no issues.

If you're under 18, you will need a notarized permission slip, signed by both parents, and perhaps other papers depending on the country you're visiting.

cherryâ™¥blossoms

yes, you need a passport

popcorn

yes, better to have one

Bow Hunter

You will need a letter from your parents granting temporary guardianship to you uncle. This is in case you would get hurt or sick, he could get medical attention for you without your parents consent.

missanglgrl

This depends on when you are sailing and where the cruise starts.

If you cruise before Jan 1, 2007....
You will only be required to have a goverment issue photo ID and an original or ceritified copy of your brith certificate.

If you sail after Jan 1, 2007....

1. For a cruise leaving from a US port, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, etc.
You will only be required to have a goverment issue photo ID and an original or ceritified copy of your brith certificate.

2. For a cruise leaving from a foriegn port, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Etc.
You will be required to have a passport.

Princess Buttercup

St Maarten in a US Territory? Did I miss something? lol.

Get a passport. It doesn't hurt to have one and not need it.

Call the cruise line and tell them how old you are and who you will be traveling with. They'll tell you exactly what you need to do.

Jennifer A

As of January 2008 yes. If traveling by air out of u.s. you need it by Jan 2007. This site tells new laws.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

traveler

normally you don't but most cruises make it obligatory for the passengers to carry one to make sure noone has unpleasant surprises somewhere on the road. ask ur uncle to check the sign-in documents by the cruise liner. if nothing about the pport is mentioned, you're safe to go without it. whatever is the case, MAKE SURE you have at least one photo ID at all times.
traveling without your parents is not a concern at all.
bon voyage!

Samantha t

Yes you if you want t go out of state or something.

The Indigo Cobra

no. they are all US territories. but if you have one, it wouldn't hurt to bring along.

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