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Entry Requirements / Vaccinations

Entry Requirements / Vaccinations

Entry requirements

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 authorisation to travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (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 authorisation are not required.

Meeting 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 authorisation (see information below)


An electronic travel authorisation must be applied for at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/.
In addition, the dates of birth must be submitted to the airline.
Guests who have stayed in Cuba after January 2021 require a visa to be applied for at the embassy. 
Dual nationals who also have the citizenship of Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan, as well as travellers who have stayed in Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan after 01.03.2011, also require a visa to be applied for at the embassy.
ESTA is also required for transit, i.e. as soon as you enter the USA. Also for e.g. stopover and direct onward flight to a third country (e.g. flights to Papeete).
 

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, Swiss 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 Authorisation (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.

German and Austrian citizens require a visa for the following countries. Please contact your embassy before you leave for further information or short term changes. Citizens of other countries, please contact your respective embassies.

  • Australia
    The Electronic visa "eVisitor" can be applied for in advance at https://www.eta.immi.gov.au/ETAS3/etas.
  • Cambodia
    The visa is granted on board and costs about 55 USD.
  • Canada
    From March 1st, 2016, passengers will need an online travel authorization if they enter the country by air: https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta-facts-de.asp. Passengers who enter the country by land or sea don't need a travel authorization.
  • Cape Verde
    The visa is available in advance at the embassy. No visa is required for shore excursions.
  • China
    The visa is available in advance at the embassy. Passengers who enter the country, then exit and reenter are required to possess a DOUBLE-ENTRY VISA. Passengers who enter China only one time are required to possess a SINGLE-ENTRY VISA. No visa required for Hong Kong.
  • India
    The visa is available in advance at the embassy.The application can either be made as a classical visa via the respective embassy responsible:

    https://www.indianembassy.de
    https://www.indianembassy.at
    or, more recently, as an electronic visa online:
    https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

    As with all electronic visa documents regardless of the issuing country, we always recommend that you take at least one copy with you.

  • Indonesia
    The visa is granted upon arrival free of charge.
  • Israel
    At embassy (for German citizens born before 1928)
    German nationals born before 1 January 1928 do not require a visa for stays of up to three months. Austrian citizens only need a passport with a validity of at least 6 months.
  • Jordan
    The visa is granted upon arrival and costs about 25 USD.
  • Madagascar
    The visa is granted upon arrival free of charge.
  • Maldives
    The visa is granted upon arrival free of charge.
  • New Zealand
    As of 1 October 2019, German and Austrian nationals must be in possession of the electronic entry permit ETA in order to enter New Zealand for the first time. Registration is possible from 1 July 2019. The ETA must also be applied for for a stay in the transit area. The ETA application will be subject to a fee (12,- NZD for online application 9,- NZL for application via an app in the mobile phone).
    https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas
    When applying for the ETA, an additional tourist tax (International Visitor Conservation Levy - IVL) of currently 35,- NZD will be levied.
  • Papua New Guinea
    Visa is free of charge on entry. Enclosed declaration must be filled in, signed and presented at check-in.
    www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/PNGDeclarationForm.pdf
  • Russia
    The visa is only included for shore excursions booked via Princess Cruises. For shore excursions on your own, the visa must be applied for at the embassy.
    (https://russische-botschaft.ru/de/) No visa is required for Vladivostok.
  • Sao Tomé
    The visa is granted on board and costs about 30 USD.
  • Senegal
    The visa is available in advance at the embassy.
  • Solomon Islands
    The visa is granted on board free of charge.
  • Sri Lanka
    The visa must be applied for online (Electronic Travel Authorization, ETA). After approval, a visa for a tourist stay of up to 30 days will be issued at the entrance border crossing.
  • Turkey
    German citizens do not need a visa. Austrian citizens can apply for a visa online: www.evisa.gov.tr/en
  • United Arab Emirates
    The visa is granted upon arrival free of charge.
  • United States
    https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/
    In addition, the date of birth must be stored with the airline. Double states that also have the citizenship of Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan, as well as travellers who have registered after 01.03.2011 in Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan require a visa. ESTA also required for transit, i.e. as soon as you enter the USA. Also for a stopover and direct onward flight to a third country (e.g. flights to Papeete).
  • Vietnam
    German passengers don't need a visa. For Austrian passengers, the visa is granted on board and costs about 56 USD. An additional ID picture and a copy of your passport is required.

We recommend that all travellers always carry a copy of their passport with them. If you apply online for a VISA or entry permit (ESTA, ETA, etc.), we would like to ask you to carry a printed copy of each of these as well and keep it ready for check-in. We recommend that you take out travel insurance including international health insurance and repatriation.

For trips including a stop in New Caledonia, it is mandatory to take out an international health insurance policy.

 

Passengers under 21:

  • For passengers under the age of 21 who travel alone there may be different entry requirements. Please contact the respecite embassy to get more information.
  • For minors who have another second name than the accompanying parent, the relationship must be verified by presentig a birth certificate.

Vaccinations
Please check with your doctor or a tropical institute to verify the vaccination regulations for each country visited. For some destinations such as the Panama Canal, the Amazon and the Caribbean, a yellow fever vaccination is required. Please note that in some countries a vaccination proof is required when you apply for your visa.
 

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