Children who are under 16 years of age are not required to have a passport when taking a cruise with their parents.
If a child from the United States is not using a passport to return home, alternative identification will be required. An original or certified copy of the birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are acceptable forms of identification for vacationers under the age of 16, according to CruiseReport.com. A Baptismal certificate or hospital certificate of birth are not acceptable forms of identification, warns the Royal Caribbean website.
If a child is using a passport book or card for a cruise, it must belong to the child. Regardless of age, children may not piggyback on their parents' passport. Since the passport card is valid only for land and sea travel, a child will be required to have a passport book to fly to an embarkation port that is outside of the United States, according to VacationsToGo.com.
