Does passport office keep birth certificate?

[Sunshine2U]

Hi! I need quick answer from the experts here. My DS has procrastinated and not obtained passport for his DS. We sail Feb. 10. I would rather everyone have a passport (realizing we can travel on birth certificate). If he tries for an EXPEDITED passport, will they validate the birth certificate and hand it back to him, or will they keep it?

 

[Sunshine2U]

deleted

 

[scgustafson]

Hi! I need quick answer from the experts here. My DS has procrastinated and not obtained passport for his DS. We sail Feb. 10. I would rather everyone have a passport (realizing we can travel on birth certificate). If he tries for an EXPEDITED passport, will they validate the birth certificate and hand it back to him, or will they keep it? Can we assume shutdown affects passport issues?

The only way you will get it back that day is if you do same-day passport service at a Passport Center. Otherwise, your passport and the other supporting documents will be sent back separately after processing.

 

[Sunshine2U]

Going to check DCL website but do you know if child can board with certified copy of birth certificate - in case not back in expedited 2-3 week time frame?

 

[Dug720]

Going to check DCL website but do you know if child can board with certified copy of birth certificate - in case not back in expedited 2-3 week time frame?

Where does the cruise begin and end? If it's the SAME US Port, then that is fine.

As long as nothing happens where they are cruising to that causes them to miss the ship or be disembarked. Then it will just take extra time and effort and money to get them back into the US.

 

[Sunshine2U]

The only way you will get it back that day is if you do same-day passport service at a Passport Center. Otherwise, your passport and the other supporting documents will be sent back separately after processing.

Thanks for the quick reply. DCL website says minimum to board is copy of birth certificate. We're going to make a notarized copy before handing over to passport office.

Where does the cruise begin and end? If it's the SAME US Port, then that is fine.

As long as nothing happens where they are cruising to that causes them to miss the ship or be disembarked. Then it will just take extra time and effort and money to get them back into the US.

Thank you. Yes, we meet criteria for traveling on birth certificate, and yes, I completely understand reasons for needing passport - hence the post.

 

[houseofduck]

Here is our timeline without expedited service. We applied for new passports in the middle of November. The post office submitted our birth certificates along with the passport applications. Our passports arrived about three weeks later. Yesterday, we received our returned birth certificates (along with the old passports).

I read a post on here recently where it was said that the post office verified the birth certificate and returned it the same day, but that was not our experience. It was also not our experience the last time we did their passports.

You could always try for the expedited service and make a copy of the birth certificate. If it's a Caribbean cruise, I think DCL will take a copy of a birth certificate.

From the DCL website: (https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/passport-travel-documentation/)
"The following guidelines are based on government regulations, which are subject to change at any time. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have all the proper documentation to board the ship and enter each of the countries on the ship's itinerary.

Travelers can visit the U.S. State Department's website for more information. All documents must be valid for the entire length of the voyage, unless otherwise noted. Guests without proper documentation will be denied boarding.

Required Documents for U.S Citizens

• Original valid U.S. Passport
• Original valid U.S. Passport Card
• Original valid Trusted Traveler Card (NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)

OR

• Original or copy of their state-issued birth certificate AND Government-issued photo ID
  1. Puerto Rico birth certificates issued prior to 7/1/10 are not acceptable
  2. Hospital-issued birth certificates are not acceptable
• Original Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by the Department of State AND Government-issued photo ID
• Original Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services AND Government-issued photo ID

Guests 15 years of age and younger are required to travel with one of the documents listed above but do not require a Government-issued photo ID.

Social Security Cards and Global Entry are not acceptable proof of U.S. citizenship for purposes of traveling outside of the U.S."

 

[hpsalb]

Thanks for the quick reply. DCL website says minimum to board is copy of birth certificate. We're going to make a notarized copy before handing over to passport office.



Thank you. Yes, we meet criteria for traveling on birth certificate, and yes, I completely understand reasons for needing passport - hence the post.

In our experience (non-expedited) the passport office retained and submitted our documents, which were returned to us in the mail once the passports we’re processed.

I did want to chime in for clarity...you can always use or get another certified birth certificate to use just in case. But it has to be certified, you can’t have a copy notorized on your own to qualify.

 

[KVH]

I want to make one thing clear - don't rely on much of anything the Post Office thinks they know about passports, including backlogs, delays, and processing. They're there to do one thing - authenticate the execution of the signature on a DS11 (for a new adult ppt or any minor). They are not trained or allowed to adjudicate any citizenship questions regarding birth certs. If for no other reason than than the massive potential for citizenship fraud that exists. And they don't need to be involved with renewals either.

How do I know? 7 years at State in DC in Consular Affairs in the PPT division. With a long list of horror stories and complaints from applicants about what they were told at the PO that contradict policy and regs at State (see CFR Title 22, section 50).

To the OP - If you need a ppt in a hurry, use one of the standard expiditer services. Somewhat costly but gets the job done. State themselves also has a fee-based rush service you could check into.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

They keep it but mail it back to you separately from and after the passport. They are sent snail mail and one of our children's birth certificates never made it back to us.

 

[lds0191]

We just got our passports and received them exactly 3 weeks to the day we applied. We got our birth certificates back around a week and a half later.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

I read the one who posted that the post made a copy of birth certificates and gave them back to me. They sent the copy he made with our application.

We never got the copies back. Not that it matters.

You can get a new birth certificate same day very easily if needed

 

[Henlady]

Also, take into consideration the current government shutdown and if that will have an effect on the passport return.

 

[bumbershoot]

Going to check DCL website but do you know if child can board with certified copy of birth certificate - in case not back in expedited 2-3 week time frame?

If your cruise qualifies for boarding with a BC, anyone can board even with a copy of it.

DCL website says minimum to board is copy of birth certificate. We're going to make a notarized copy before handing over to passport office.

As you saw, a copy is fine.

A notarized copy means NOTHING. It means that a notary saw the form, saw you and your ID, and says that you gave them the BC to see. It's worthless for this case.

DCL and the government say that a COPY of the BC for a closed loop cruise is fine. If they meant "certified copy" (which is all any of us ever has of our birth certificates...our "originals" are just "the first certified copy of the information"), they would say "certified copy". They don't. They say copy.

 

[JackieF]

Hi! We just got our daughter’s passport today in the mail. It’s her third passport but since she’s only 12 we have to do the whole process. Our appointment was on 12/27 at our local post office. I was shocked by how fast it was. We just paid for routine service, not expedited. The issue date on the book was 1/10/19. However, we just received her passport, still waiting on her birth certificate. Have a great trip!