Are Laminated Birth Certificates acceptible at customs?

[disney jack]

We are on the Jan 6, 2006 sailing to eastern carribbean, I was just looking at my wife's birth certificate it is laminated... I can feel the seal but it appears it came this way from her town, could this pose a problem to us at customs...Should we go get one that is not laminated she got her old one a few years ago perhaps before 2002? aw:

 

[lbgraves]

I don't see what the problem would be. You might want to call customs to find out.

 

[TiggerKing]

If the birth certificate is the "credit card" sized BC, you need to ensure that it contains certain items. On the State Department's web site, it defines a certified birth certificate as follows:

NOTE: A certified birth certificate has a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within 1 year of your birth

I hope that helps.

 

[wdwstar]

as long as you see and can feel the seal and all the other proper info is filled it. the seal is the most important issue. DD Bc seal is the border going around the BC. the other dd has the regualerseal like the old ones.

 

[tvguy]

The raised seal is the most important issue, and having it laminated could be enough for it to be rejected since they want to see and feel the seal.
Just depends who you get at customs.
Even without the lamination, the raised seal can be flatted and it can be rejected.
I'd get another one...too late for a Passport at this point. A Passport would settle it for sure.

 

[lbgraves]

VA's BC do not have a raised seal but they are still official. I was issued one of the CC ones when I was born but got a paper one to make sure we wouldn't have a problem. I was upset when it arrived without a raised seal but I have been assured that it is official. We have cruised twice with it.

 

[tvguy]

Yes, on official certificate paper they are fine. Not sure about laminating those either though.

 

[Danthesand]

The unfortunate moral of all threads like these:

Birth certificates were never intended to be a form of portable poof of citizenship (which is why pain-in-the-you-know-what issues with them like this come up again and again and again and again ).

Only one thing is 100% inarguable proof of citizenship specifically designed for travel.

It's called a PASSPORT

And the days when one could be casual and get away with traveling outside this country without one are ending, people.

Back on September 5th, the U.S. State Department revised the original proposed "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative." The proposed rules will require ALL U.S. and Canadian Citizens to carry a unexpired passport for travel to/from areas that were previously exempt. This includes children and infants.

The proposed implementation is as follows:

December 31, 2006 - Passport required for all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. Note: This will affect guests traveling on cruises that return to the U.S. after 12/30/06.

December 31, 2007 - Passport required for all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel. Note: This will affect guests traveling on cruises that return to the U.S. after 12/30/07.

You may print a passport application or get additional information from the government on this subject by visiting: http://travel.state.gov/passport