New Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) regulation expected to be effective January 1, 2003, will require every passenger boarding a cruise ship from a U.S. port to provide additional personal data to the cruise operator in advance of embarkation. In accordance with the Boarder Security Act, the cruise operators must submit the complete passenger and crew manifest electronically to the INS prior to departure. Failure to provide this information  required by the U.S. government may result in denial of boarding. 

The Cruise Line Coalition, a communication partnership of the major cruise line associations, is working with the cruise lines and travel agents regarding the new requirements. "This is and immediate issue of extreme importance to travel retailers selling cruise vacations," says Bob Sharak, executive director of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Cruise lines will be asking for additional passenger information prior to January 1, 2003. The cruise lines will be communication directly with agents regarding the specifics and data collection details. In the meantime, travel agents who have questions are encouraged to the lines directly.

The following data will need to be collected for all passengers prior to sailing:

-Ship Name

-Sailing Date

-Passenger's Last Name, First Name, Middle name or Initial

-Date of Birth

-Gender

-Nationality

-Country of Residence

-Document Type (P= Passport, V=Visa, A=Alien)*

-Document Number*

-Document Country of Issuance*

-City of Issuance*

-Date of Documentation Expiration*

-Destination Address in the United States

-A unique passenger identifier or reservation number

*For U.S. citizens and other travelers exempt from the passport or visa requirements, this information may not be required for certain itineraries. Travel Agents should consult with the individual cruise line at time of booking for complete date requirements details. More information and detail regarding these requirements will be published as it becomes available from the government.

"Our highest priority is the safety and security of our passengers and crew, said Michael Crye, president, International Council of Cruise Lines. "By working together with government agencies such as the INS, we are able to continue to provide a safe and secure shipboard environment. At the same time, our travel agents can assist in minimizing delays at the boarding by collecting this information in advance."

The Cruise Line Coalition is a joint communications initiative formed by the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL), Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), North West Crusieship Association (NWCA) and Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) to educate the public and travel agents about the multifaceted, global nature of the North American cruise industry.