If you are traveling by plane, you must have a U.S. Passport.
If you are traveling by sea, you can use a passport book or one of the following documents:
Exceptions
There are, however, a few exceptions to the above rules. For example, if you are traveling to the Bahamas on a closed-loop cruise, a cruise that begins and ends at the same US port, you can use your driver’s license and birth certificate instead of a passport.
There are also a couple of exceptions for children. Children under age 16 can use a birth certificate, naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship IF they are traveling to and from the Bahamas by sea. Children under age 19 can also use birth certificates IF they are traveling by sea and IF they are traveling with a school group, a church group or a social or cultural organization supervised by an adult.
Just like adults, children in any age group must have a passport book to travel to the Bahamas by plane.
If the new passport regulations have caught you off guard, RushMyPassport can help. We hand-deliver your application to the US Department of State and then rush your new passport back to you, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.
Sea Travel to Jamaica
ID Alternatives for Sea Travel
If you are traveling by sea, you can use a passport book or one of the following documents:
- a passport card
- a trusted traveler card such as NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST card
- an enhanced driver’s license (only some states have these).
Exceptions
There are, however, a few exceptions to the above rules. For example, if you are traveling to the Bahamas on a closed-loop cruise, a cruise that begins and ends at the same US port, you can use your driver’s license and birth certificate instead of a passport.
There are also a couple of exceptions for children. Children under age 16 can use a birth certificate, naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship IF they are traveling to and from the Bahamas by sea. Children under age 19 can also use birth certificates IF they are traveling by sea and IF they are traveling with a school group, a church group or a social or cultural organization supervised by an adult.
Just like adults, children in any age group must have a passport book to travel to the Bahamas by plane.
If the new passport regulations have caught you off guard, RushMyPassport can help. We hand-deliver your application to the US Department of State and then rush your new passport back to you, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.
Sea Travel to Jamaica
Jamaica customs officials will not ask U.S. citizens to present a passport or visa upon their arrival on an island. However, WHTI requires that travelers returning to the U.S. after a stay in Jamaica present either a U.S. passport book or passport card to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. A passport card is a less expensive, wallet-size alternative to a passport book. The passport card can be used only by people traveling to Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico by land or sea.
ID Alternatives for Sea Travel
Enhanced tribal cards, enhanced driver's licenses, a Form I-872 American Indian card, a U.S. military ID, a U.S. Merchant Mariner's Document, trusted traveler cards and a Native American Tribal photo ID card are the only other acceptable identification documents that can be presented at the border or seaport under the WHTI.