birth certificate problems

[B&T]

I may have a problem, I'm not sure. I have a COPY of my birth cert dated 1975 (I was born in 1974). The seal is barely visible. Will this be a problem?
An even bigger problem is that 1 letter in my 1st name was spelled wrong on my birth cert. My parents never noticed! (how could they not??? i have no idea!!) I didn't want to spend the money on a passport so I am taking my chances. Do you think I will have problems?

 

[days-going-so-slow!!]

My travel agent looked at all our birth certificates to make sure they were good. There was one that wasnt (from 1972). So I had to call the county to get a certified copy. I recieved it in less than a week. Wasnt hard at all. I think it was $18.00.

 

[B&T]

Does anyone know if anyone was ever denied embarkation due to a birth cert?

 

[webray]

I would say with all the extra security these days...get a new birth cert...really not expensive....and having a new one..would be much better than not being able to board the ship.

Why take any chances.

 

[EmmasGrammy]

We had a similar problem. We have cruised before on RCC and we did have to order new birth cert. because we (DH & I) were born in 1956 (okay so we're old!!!LOL) and at the time the state didn't use "raised seals". The new ones only cost us $7.00 each. No biggie!!! But this year we will be doing the Disney Cruise Lines for the first time and we booked thru AAA and the TA there said since my name now, because I got married (27 long yrs. ago) and my name printed on my birth cert. ( my maiden name) aren't the same, that I would also have to bring along a copy of my marriage cert. WHAT??? I didn't have to do this with RCC. Of course I didn't have any idea where I put my marriage lisence, I had to contact our courthouse and order a new one. It was only $12.00 but I don't understand the need. The TA said I MUST have this "proof of name change" because of the added security now. Has anyone else been instructed to do this also or is my TA overacting a bit?

Second problem... I changed the spelling of my first name from Linda to Lynda when I was in third grade. Just because I thought the "y" was so much cooler!!!! (Hey, that's how Wonder Woman spells her first name!! LOL) This same TA says I must get a letter notarized by a notary stating the reason my first name is spelled differently on my birth cert. from all my "legal papers now. Again I didn't have any problems with this on RCC but I am following my TA's instruction just to be safe. WHATEVER!!!

 

[mobetsy]

It is pretty easy to get a new birth certificate, especially since you aren't looking to dig way back into the distant past That said, every official birth certificate I've seen says on it clearly that it is a certified copy (issued by the county of birth, different from an "informational copy" or one given by the hospital), and that's what matters, not the raised seal per se.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I know many folks order new birth certificates from the Deptartment of Vital Statistics online. It has a very quick turnaround time too.

 

[tecdavidt]

EmmasGrammy, I have never had to take a copy of my marriage license. Your birth certificate last name will be different if you are married. I think your TA is a tad bit over doing it, just my opinion. You are also not old, hubby and I were born in 1957 lol. If you plan on cruising more I suggest you get a passport and be done with it. The passport is so much easier than the birth cert. and photo id. Have a great cruise. Kathy

 

[B&T]

I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO ORDER A NEW COPY SO I AM GOING TO CROSS MY FINGERS AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. THE COPY I HAVE (DATED 1975) HAS A STAMP SAYING IT IS A CERTIFIED COPY W/ A SIGNATURE AND A RAISED SEAL. IT IS A BIT WORN.

I WAS ALSO INSTRUCTED TO TAKE MY MARRIAGE CERT TO CONNECT THE LAST NAMES. IT ALSO HAS A RAISED SEAL.

W/ MY DRIVERS LICENSE I'M HOPING THINGS RUN SMOOTHLY......

 

[Jeanny]

Originally posted by EmmasGrammy

Second problem... I changed the spelling of my first name from Linda to Lynda when I was in third grade. Just because I thought the "y" was so much cooler!!!! (Hey, that's how Wonder Woman spells her first name!! LOL) This same TA says I must get a letter notarized by a notary stating the reason my first name is spelled differently on my birth cert. from all my "legal papers now. Again I didn't have any problems with this on RCC but I am following my TA's instruction just to be safe. WHATEVER!!!

I didn't have a problem with my birth certificate and my license... I also changed my name myself... I added an extra N in my legal name (WHICH I HATE), no one noticed or even questioned the two N's on my license. I never went to a Notary or asked for a letter and have never had a problem.

 

[ClarabelleCow]

At your age, obtaining a new birth cert shouldn't be a problem. On the bottom of my cruise documents from Costco, here is what the note says:

"We strongly suggest that all U.S. citizens traveling outside the U.S. carry a passport valid for 6 months after your return to the United States."

I know alot of people think its silly for getting one to go on a cruise. They are good for 10 years, if this is a once in a lifetime thing, then don't do it. But if you think you may leave the country within the next 10 years, then I would suggest get one. In this world climate we live in, look at what's up with Haiti now, does anyone know if RCCL still stops at Labadee for their private island? I wouldn't want to have issues there now!

 

[kcashner]

You do NOT need a copy of your marriage certificate. DCL is very used to women with one name on birth certificate and another on driver's license. The birth dates and first names will match.

As to an incorrect birth certificate, I'd get a corrected copy. Again, for security reasons, they can be quite strict. DCL has to comply with US Customs & Immigration requirements, so it is the government being the sticklers, not DCL. It is cheap and easy to get a new birth certificate.

The key point to the birth certificate is that it is "certified." It must be a legal birth certificate issued by the state, not a souvenier certificate from a hospital.

Turn around time on the birth certificate probably varies by state, but it took about 10 days to get one for my daughter when her adoption became final.

 

[Stimpy]

My parents are going on a Carnival cruise this week and were told by their TA that as of March 1, 2004, you need to have a passport for most, if not all, of the Carribean Islands. They will no longer accept birth certificates and driver's licenses anymore. Since they are returning after March 1, they needed to run out and get passports right away. Anyone else hear something similar?

Also, about the marriage license.....we have been on a couple of cruises and I have never been asked for proof of name change or a marriage license before.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Well now you have me scared.
I think the part about the name change because of marriage is stupid though... they have to have a LOT of women boarding that have different last names than they were born with due to marriage!
But my birth certificate spelling of my first name is Shelly when it's always been Shelley (my mom says they did the BC wrong- but how do you prove that 34yrs later? Would I have to go through an actual name change and the cost/etc. it takes to do that??) and so Shelley is on my DL, SS card, etc. Everything is Shelley... certified birth certificate says Shelly.

Is that going to cause problems on the cruise? I worry now...

 

[Miss Eeyore]

When we discovered (when I needed my birth certificate to go away to college) that my first name had been mis-spelled, this is what I did (in the state of Washington). According to our state laws, anyone can legally call themselves anything, as long as it is not for criminal purposes. This is the same in many states. I simply had to "assume" the use of the name. So I contacted social security and informed them of the name "change", went to the dept. of motor vehicles and asked for a new driver's lisence with the "new" name, and they snapped the picture, and I had a new dl with the correct name.

Later in life, when dh and I started cruising, we did go the passport route, since it is more convenient.

Marilee

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I don't want to change my name (on DL, SS card, etc.) to the way it's spelled on my birth certificate. I've lived with this name spelling my entire life... I don't consider the way it's spelled on the BC the "correct" name. There lies the problem... I'm not changing my name on everything to match the BC.

 

[DMS_cruisers04]

Stimpy, the new restriction "rumor" where started because Barbados is, as of 3/1/04, requiring travelers (not cruisers) to use a valid US passport.
We're going on Carnival in the fall and I had heard the same thing. I checked both with AAA and Carnival and unless you are disembarking at a foreign port (like anyone ever does that) you are considered "in-transit" so you, usually, don't have to go through immigration. Carnival also stated that if it ever becomes a requirement at any of the port for passengers to have passports, they will notify cruisers.

No worries.

 

[tecdavidt]

The "rumor"was not a rumor. On the cruise critic web site under cruise news they reported it which was exactly what my TA told me a few weeks back. The good news is that they just decided to be less restricted on cruise passengers and that article is also on the cruise critic news board. Now Barbados is insisting they only ment intransit people, ie people who would be staying in Barbados for a length of time or leaving via the airport. Maybe they realized the dollars they would be losing from US cruise tourists who only have birth certificates. My TA was concerned on how she was going to inform cruisers going on Spring Break they would have to all have passports! If no passports the port of Barbados would be considered a day at sea and there was not enough time to get the passports! Thankfully the situation is now passed. Kathy

 

[ScrapHappyMama]

We are dealing with the exact same issue... we are going on the May 1st Eastern and taking my mom with us. She is 60 years old and has always spelled her name Kathaleen, on DL, SS card, etc. She has never seen an official copy of her birth cert, believe it or not. So we request a copy, and discover that her name is actually spelled Kathleen. She, like you, has no interest in changing her name, as she has spelled it with an "a" her whole life and my neice is named after her, also spelled with an "a". So I called Disney, and they said they would simply change her name on the travel docs to Kathleen to match the Birth Cert, and said it would not matter if the DL had a different spelling, as long as their manifest and her birth cert matched.

Hope this helps,
Linda

 

[Miss Eeyore]

I didn't change to match the spelling on the BC, I assumed the use of my name spelled the way I had always spelled it.....and it was all legal. And when it was time for the passport, I used my BC (with the mis-spelled first name) and my DL with the correct spelling......and it is spelled correctly (my way) on the passport. And there were no questions asked about any of it.

Marilee