MANDATORY TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

  1. Original Travel Documents*

International departures:

• Original Passport:

• South Africans passport holders require 6 months of validity (from the date of travel). 
• Foreign national passport holders require 6 months of validity (from the date of travel) 

Coastal Cruises

• Original SA ID Document is accepted for cruises not visiting foreign ports

2. A printed copy of page 1 (embarkation form) of your cruise ticket or digital QR code, one per person travelling

3. Mandatory Travel Insurance: For your protection, an additional charge is included in your cruise fare for Mandatory Travel Insurance. This insurance is

mandatory for all guests and includes cover for certain infectious or contagious disease (e.g. COVID-19) related risks, including cancellation, repatriation and medical expenses. Click here for more information.

CHILDREN TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

The South African Department of Home Affairs requires all children under 18 years travelling through any South African port of entry to have the following:

• A valid birth certificate containing both parents' personal details, including, at a minimum, their ID numbers and full names
•   An unabridged birth certificate (Not required for cruises not visiting foreign ports).
•   Children under 18 years old travelling without their parent(s) need additional documentation to show consent.

For more information, click here

 

IMMIGRATION GUIDELINES

Please click here to see all general requirements. A reminder MSC Cruises are not responsible for ensuring that each guest has the necessary and valid Travel Documents.

It is the guests’s responsibility to verify the visa requirements with the consulate or embassy of each country the ship is scheduled to stop, including stop overs and ports, and to verify if any other documentation is required, including relating to immigration, customs and health, and if there are any other legal requirements applicable to their travel and ports of call, and to comply therewith.

 

Visitors travelling to Qatar may be required to have a visitor’s health insurance policy which will protect them during their stay in Qatar, as a part of the Visa application process.

For more information on how to obtain a visitor’s health insurance please visit Ministry of Public Health - "Mandatory Health Insurance Scheme" or the VisitQatar Health Insurance page .

Please do note that, as per Official instructions received from the Norwegian relevant Ministry, all Russian Tourist passport holders cannot enter Norway from 29th of May.

 

After merging with Local Authorities, relating all cruises arriving in Norway through a Schengen Port (MSC Euribia, MSC Poesia and MSC Preziosa), all Russian Touristic passport holders in possession of a Schengen Visa issued ONLY by Norway after the 30th of May 2022 or with a valid Schengen Residence Permit (under renewal not accepted) and ONLY transiting Norway (not embarking/disembarking) will be exceptionally accepted onboard.

 

Holders of Diplomatic, Service, Special Passports need to receive pre-approval before showing up for the embarkation.

For all other cruises calling extra-Schengen Ports before Norway (MSC Virtuosa), mentioned guests will not be allowed to embark.

• Please note Guests must present only valid passport with at least residual validity 3 months at their arrival in the UK.
• EU ID Card is not accepted, even in case willing to remain on board during the call in the UK.
• Please check before embarking on Northern Europe cruises any visa requirements for UK.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE : Starting from 15th November 2023, Qatar Nationals must apply for an UK ETA.

Starting from 22th Februrary 2024 also Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE and Jordan Nationals must apply for the UK ETA visiting the webstite: https://www.etauk.uk/

For all the other nationalities further information will be following.

As per Malta Authority decision, please do note that all French guests willing to embark on Cruises calling Malta also in transit embarking from any Schengen state with an expired Residence permit but having a covering receipt or with an expired French ID Card usually automatically renewed for 5 years, are not accepted as valid travel document and will not be authorized to disembark but they can remain onboard during the call.

We advise guests who select itineraries that require an ESTA document to print a hard copy and bring it with them upon boarding. The hard copy is not mandatory but is strongly recommended to expedite boarding procedures.

The USA Immigration has reiterated to all ESTA eligible passengers that, starting from the 7th of July 2023, those who have stayed in Cuba after January 12th, 2021 cannot travel to the United States simply through the Visa Free Travel Program (VWP) also know as ESTA. The mentioned VWP travel restriction also applies to individuals who have dual citizenship of a VWP country and Cuba at the time they apply for ESTA.

Passengers who have visited the island before 12th January 2021 are not affected by this measure.

Citizens of a Visa Waiver Program Country not notified about the issue, need to apply for a non-immigrant USA Visa well in advance: in case the cruise is imminent, guests can request an emergency visa appointment through https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-it/niv including in the request the date and purpose of the trip, as well as the information contained in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection message received regarding the ESTA status.