Birth Certificate/maiden name

[PSULion]

Just booked our first ever cruise on the Dream!! I have a million questions, but will start with this...

We can just use our birth certificates instead of passports, right? I have all 4 of our birth certificates with raised seals. How does that work with my maiden name on there and my married name on everything else? Do I need to bring a marriage certificate too??

 

[DHSbutcher]

Where is your cruise sailing to? That completely depends.

Edit: Just saw it was on the dream! My bad! Yes birth certificate is fine. I would advise carrying a marriage certificate.

 

[PSULion]

Port Canaveral- Nassau-Castaway Cay

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Port Canaveral- Nassau-Castaway Cay

The minimum requirement for US citizens on a closed loop cruise (departing/returning to same US port) is a birth certificate plus, for those 16 and over, a government issued photo ID.

Of course, if something were to happen and you needed to fly home from a foreign port, you do have to have a passport.

 

[TXDCLfan]

Just booked our first ever cruise on the Dream!! I have a million questions, but will start with this...

We can just use our birth certificates instead of passports, right? I have all 4 of our birth certificates with raised seals. How does that work with my maiden name on there and my married name on everything else? Do I need to bring a marriage certificate too??

It worked fine for my wife as her drivers license had her maiden name and new last name on it

 

[bumbershoot]

Bring the marriage certificate.

Bring what you'd want others to need to bring to prove that they are the same/right person.

 

[teshawildlee]

I brought my marriage certificate as well on my first cruise because my birth certificate has just my maiden name as well and that worked

 

[beach baby]

I brought my marriage certificate on my first cruise because of
the same concerns. However they never asked or looked at it. My birth certificate with my driver's license is all I've used on 6 cruises. Can't hurt to take a copy of it. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[disneyfaninaz]

If you really think about it, most married women's names on their birth certificate is not going to match the name on their government issued picture ID. They look at first, middle and date of birth. No need to bring your marriage license. But, for the future, you might want to think about getting passports. You never know when a great opportunity will present itself to cruise someplace other than the Caribbean.

 

[PSULion]

If you really think about it, most married women's names on their birth certificate is not going to match the name on their government issued picture ID. They look at first, middle and date of birth. No need to bring your marriage license. But, for the future, you might want to think about getting passports. You never know when a great opportunity will present itself to cruise someplace other than the Caribbean.

Yeah, I figured many women's won't match so maybe it doesn't matter. The only reason I was thinking about it was bc of recently changing my driver's license between states. I (wrongly) assumed that my birth certificate and my valid and unexpired DE license with my married name would be enough to prove who I was to the MD mva. Wrong. I had to make a trip home to grab my marriage license.

I'm also not opposed to getting passports. I lived in Germany for 3 yrs, have done much international traveling, and certainly will again. But with 4 of us it's a good chunk of change, and I'd rather wait til I'm sure we need them.

 

[bumbershoot]

They look at first, middle and date of birth.

Terrifying and stupid of them.

If my husband decided to change his name, would he get through with his birth certificate and a DL in his new name? Probably not. He would need to prove that he was the same baby from the birth cert. And so all women who choose to change their names should bring the bridging document, too.

Even if they don't look at it (b/c they are lazy and don't care about security), bring it.

(the above scenario with DH might very well happen someday; I have absolutely no interest in changing my name, but he kind of wants to change to mine)

 

[beach baby]

stupid....lazy.....don't care......
Strong words considering that when you change your name on your driver's license you have to prove to the DMV that your name has been legally changed. That is where you would show your marriage certificate as proof. Since the DMV has done the legal leg work of verifying your name change, your driver's license (or govt issued i.d.) is adequate proof that you are the same person as your birth certificate says you are. even if the last name is different.

One thing to note is that the name on your reservation must match the photo i.d. you are using. So if you are newly married and have not changed your id then make the reservation in your maiden name. Again, it can't hurt to have the legal proof of your name change but it is very unlikely that you will need it.

 

[PSULion]

Since the DMV has done the legal leg work of verifying your name change, your driver's license (or govt issued i.d.) is adequate proof that you are the same person as your birth certificate says you are. even if the last name is different.

But my new state's dmv (MD) didn't accept my old license (DE) as proof of name change. I had to go get my marriage license even though my current license clearly had my married name on it and DE had already "done the leg work."

 

[beach baby]

But my new state's dmv (MD) didn't accept my old license (DE) as proof of name change. I had to go get my marriage license even though my current license clearly had my married name on it and DE had already "done the leg work."

Each state's DMV will have different requirements for proving your identity. Some will make you start from the beginning and some will honor another state's research. But regardless of what you have to do to obtain your state issued i.d., the point is that when you get it, it is the government's stamp of approval that you are indeed who you say you are. So when DCL and customs agents look at your drivers license they know and trust that your name change has already been verified. But I'll say it again, bringing a copy of your marriage certificate is just extra insurance.

I'll also add that I have not carried my marriage certificate with me since my first cruise.

 

[2-pointdoe]

I would also take a copy of the marriage certificate as just in case.
We all have passports but I usually fly with late husband's death certificate and my current marriage certificate just in case there is any question about whom my daughter belongs to (we now have different last names) and why I don't have a parent permission slip. Husband and i are also older with oldest grandbaby only a year younger than my DD, LOL.
I like to err on the side of overly cautious.

 

[richkaryn]

I didn't bother with marriage certificate...just birth certificate....I figured since we had my son's BC also and it has both my married and maiden name on it,along with my husband's name, plus my id and DH's id, that would pretty much prove who I was.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

The minimum requirement for US citizens on a closed loop cruise (departing/returning to same US port) is a birth certificate plus, for those 16 and over, a government issued photo ID.

Of course, if something were to happen and you needed to fly home from a foreign port, you do have to have a passport.

I admit to being ignorant, but this still surprises me. If you were to get off the boat in Nassau...
http://www.nassauparadiseisland.com/getting-here/passports-entry-requirements/

U.S. government regulations require all persons travelling by sea to have a valid U.S. passport, passport card or other travel document approved by Homeland Security, please visit travel.State.Gov for full details.

Out of curiosity, why does this not apply? Granted if you never leave the ship, you would not require a passport. But if you intend to disembark, wouldn't you need one?

I should note I did find this at the cbp:
http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents

Which again implies that as long as the OP doesn't get off the ship, they are fine - but would still need a passport if they intended to visit either Nassau or Castaway Cay? (Can't remember about Castaway Cay... )

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I admit to being ignorant, but this still surprises me. If you were to get off the boat in Nassau...
http://www.nassauparadiseisland.com/getting-here/passports-entry-requirements/

U.S. government regulations require all persons travelling by sea to have a valid U.S. passport, passport card or other travel document approved by Homeland Security, please visit travel.State.Gov for full details.

Out of curiosity, why does this not apply? Granted if you never leave the ship, you would not require a passport. But if you intend to disembark, wouldn't you need one?

I should note I did find this at the cbp:
http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same U.S. port) are able to enter the United States with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. Please be aware that you may still be required to present a passport to enter the countries your cruise ship is visiting. Check with your cruise line to ensure you have the appropriate documents

Which again implies that as long as the OP doesn't get off the ship, they are fine - but would still need a passport if they intended to visit either Nassau or Castaway Cay? (Can't remember about Castaway Cay... )

Well, that first link isn't the official Bahamas website. It's a travel website and they only put the basic information there.

On the US embassy website for the Bahamas there's a link for "Consular Information Sheet - Bahamas", but it's not working. Basically entering via cruise ship, you're not really "entering" the country, you're visiting. Visitor requirements are different than people actually coming into the country to stay (either permanently or for an extended stay.

That's how it is in most of the Caribbean countries - on a closed loop cruise out of the US, that visits only Western Hemisphere countries, the minimum requirement is the birth certificate and (for those 16 and over) a government-issued photo ID.

 

[lbus42]

stupid....lazy.....don't care......
Strong words considering that when you change your name on your driver's license you have to prove to the DMV that your name has been legally changed. That is where you would show your marriage certificate as proof. Since the DMV has done the legal leg work of verifying your name change, your driver's license (or govt issued i.d.) is adequate proof that you are the same person as your birth certificate says you are. even if the last name is different.

One thing to note is that the name on your reservation must match the photo i.d. you are using. So if you are newly married and have not changed your id then make the reservation in your maiden name. Again, it can't hurt to have the legal proof of your name change but it is very unlikely that you will need it.

A driver's licence is not very good proof of identity. I lived in Tennessee for a long time. It was one of the states with the highest number of fake ID's. A few hundred dollars could get you a fake driver's license and social security card. Apparently it was very easy to fake Tenneessee driver's licenses.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Well, that first link isn't the official Bahamas website. It's a travel website and they only put the basic information there.

On the US embassy website for the Bahamas there's a link for "Consular Information Sheet - Bahamas", but it's not working. Basically entering via cruise ship, you're not really "entering" the country, you're visiting. Visitor requirements are different than people actually coming into the country to stay (either permanently or for an extended stay.

That's how it is in most of the Caribbean countries - on a closed loop cruise out of the US, that visits only Western Hemisphere countries, the minimum requirement is the birth certificate and (for those 16 and over) a government-issued photo ID.

Thanks!