Photo: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, 2025. Cruise Terminal 25, Galveston. Note: Downtime. Photo taken under the supervision of CBP.
Almost all deep-sea cruises involve ports of call outside the jurisdiction of the port of embarkation. Upon return, passengers must clear customs to enter the country of destination, regardless of whether they have left the ship or not. Due to large volumes to be processed in a short amount of time, customs clearance is often organized in a manner similar to airports, particularly since they use the same clearance system and under the same authority. Although passports are usually mandatory documents to take a cruise, closed-loop cruises from the United States allow the use of an enhanced driver’s license or a birth certificate as valid forms of identification for travel. This is only valid for sea border crossings (such as the one shown in the above photo) and allows a larger pool of cruisers.