Travel documents & visas

At MSC Cruises, we take pride in creating incredible holiday experiences the whole family can share and in our ability to cater to the individual needs of everyone, from children and tweens to teenagers and parents. 

We have recently updated our Corporate Minors Policy, effective May 15th, 2025, to ensure the well-being of all individuals on board. You can find these changes below, and we trust they will help you better assist you in choosing the perfect family cruise. 

1. Infants on board

Starting from 15 May 2025, infants under 2 years old are admitted on board, except for cruises starting from 11 nights onwards, for which it is required that the minor is at least 2 years old at the moment of embarkation.


2. Minors on board

Generally, MSC Cruises does not permit minors (those under 21 on U.S. itineraries, or under 18 on others) to occupy a cabin without the presence of at least one adult. To be considered an adult, passengers must be 18 or 21 years old at the time of embarkation, depending on the itinerary.

However, an exception applies for minors under 18 traveling with one parent or legal guardian, provided the following conditions are met:

The parent/legal guardian must specifically request at the time of booking that the minors be assigned a cabin without an adult and sign a liability waiver, which must be submitted to the Contact Centre.

The parent/guardian is traveling with 2 to 5 minors.

The cabin is occupied by either one minor aged 12 or older, or two minors, with the eldest at least 12 and the youngest at least 8.

No more than two minors may occupy a cabin without an adult.


For MSC Lirica, Musica, and Fantasia class ships:

Parent/guardian and minors must stay in connecting cabins, and the balcony of the minors' cabin will be locked.


For all other MSC ships:

The parent or legal guardian and the minor(s) shall be accommodated in connecting cabins with the minor cabin’s balcony being locked or in interior adjacent cabins**.

The parent or legal guardian shall be required to purchase a bracelet to have access to the cabin occupied by the minor(s) at any time during the cruise.



3. Travelling Alone on U.S. Itineraries

Travellers of all nationalities must be at least 21 years old to travel alone on cruises embarking from or traveling to the US. However, guests aged 18-20 may stay in a cabin alone if traveling with someone aged 21 or older, without needing to meet the additional cabin requirements.

These updates are designed to ensure the safety and well-being of all passengers.
Full details are in our Booking Terms and Conditions and Conditions of Carriage. All the changes will be managed directly through our Contact Center.

For more details, see our FAQ.

Please note: 
* Infants are permitted on 11-night cruises or longer only if they turn one year old on or before the day of embarkation.
** “Adjacent cabins” is defined as two cabins, at least one without a balcony, which have no more than 3 cabins between them, and that pertain to the same assembly station and corridor. “Connecting cabins” is defined as to cabins that are connected by an internal door.

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.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta.

 

UK ETA Additional Information:
- Eligible non-European guests: can apply in advance from 27th November 2024 and will need an ETA to travel to the UK starting from the 8th January 2025
- Eligible European guests: can apply from the 5th March 2025 and will need an ETA to travel to the UK starting from the 2nd April 2025

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.

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.

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.

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 .

For all MSC Bellissima cruises departing from/arriving in Shanghai starting from January 16th, 2025 until September 7th, 2025, passengers holding passports from China, Macao, Hong Kong, and Taiwan will be required to provide additional information during the Web Check-in process, as requested by local authorities.

For further information and details, please contact our Contact Center or your Travel Agent