How do you get a passport without a birth certificate?

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Apparently my Dad doesn't exist according to the US government. He is in his 80's and the courthouse in the town where he was born burnt down decades ago and there are no records of his birth.

He served in the military and has his records from the VA. He has a valid US driver's license and a social security card (and even collects SS checks) but he has been denied a passport because he can not produce a birth certificate.

HELP! What else can he do? He wants to go visit my brother who lives in England - he hasn't been to Europe since he was there during WWII with the US military.

He has written to his congressman but not sure if that will help. Anyone ever dealt with this before?

Thanks!

 

[HsvTeacher]

Apparently my Dad doesn't exist according to the US government. He is in his 80's and the courthouse in the town where he was born burnt down decades ago and there are no records of his birth.

He served in the military and has his records from the VA. He has a valid US driver's license and a social security card (and even collects SS checks) but he has been denied a passport because he can not produce a birth certificate.

HELP! What else can he do? He wants to go visit my brother who lives in England - he hasn't been to Europe since he was there during WWII with the US military.

He has written to his congressman but not sure if that will help. Anyone ever dealt with this before?

Thanks!

Does he by any chance have a baptismal record? My DH didn't have his birth certificate with him here in Alabama, and it was going to take Connecticut to long to send a copy. He was allowed to use his baptismal record as his second form of identification.

Good luck!

 

[Piglets Mommy]

Apparently my Dad doesn't exist according to the US government. He is in his 80's and the courthouse in the town where he was born burnt down decades ago and there are no records of his birth.

He served in the military and has his records from the VA. He has a valid US driver's license and a social security card (and even collects SS checks) but he has been denied a passport because he can not produce a birth certificate.

HELP! What else can he do? He wants to go visit my brother who lives in England - he hasn't been to Europe since he was there during WWII with the US military.

He has written to his congressman but not sure if that will help. Anyone ever dealt with this before?

Thanks!

I'd maybe contact the VA too. Did he need a birth certificate when enlisted? If so, they may have a record to start from.

 

[mrsklamc]

I'd try the state gov't too...There should be a state department of records or something..Maybe they could be more flexible than the federal gov't as they should at least have documentation of the local courthouse burning down. Maybe the state could issue some kind of document?

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Thanks for the suggestions. He doesn't have a baptismal record and he has contacted the VA already. He enlisted for WWII and was underage so his Dad had to sign something to allow him to join. He has all of those records but that wasn't good enough to get him a passport. He still lives in the state of his birth and they have been no help at all.

He's so frustrated right now. The government issues him SS checks and collects taxes from him but won't issue him a passport to go visit his son in England. Seems the SS administration and the IRS consider him a US citizen but that doesn't seem to matter as far as qualifying him for a passport.

 

[Northstar]

Here's the link to the US government page detailing what to do if you can't present a birth certificate as evidence of your US citizenship:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/Secondary%20Evidence/Secondary%20Evidence_4315.html

It can be done. It's just a lot of headaches... you have to present as much evidence as you can. I personally know (am married to) a US citizen who has no birth certificate and holds a passport. Believe me, he's never going to let that passport expire!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Here's the link to the US government page detailing what to do if you can't present a birth certificate as evidence of your US citizenship:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/Secondary%20Evidence/Secondary%20Evidence_4315.html

It can be done. It's just a lot of headaches... you have to present as much evidence as you can. I personally know (am married to) a US citizen who has no birth certificate and holds a passport. Believe me, he's never going to let that passport expire!

Thanks! It looks like my Dad doesn't have any of the "early public records" unless he can get a copy of a census record. I'll start working on that now!

 

[FireDancer]

If he was honorably discharged from the military I would think that is the most important piece of military paperwork he can use.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

If he was honorably discharged from the military I would think that is the most important piece of military paperwork he can use.

He was honorably discharged. He has all of that paperwork already and was told that wasn't enough to get a passport.

He was born in 1927 so I am hoping he shows up in 1930 census records but his family lived in a rural area so not sure if they were part of the census or not.

 

[FireDancer]

He was honorably discharged. He has all of that paperwork already and was told that wasn't enough to get a passport.

He was born in 1927 so I am hoping he shows up in 1930 census records but his family lived in a rural area so not sure if they were part of the census or not.

I feel for you. I understand the importance of verifying who someone is before giving them travel documents but far too often procedure and red tape get in the way of logic and common sense. The man fought for our country and it sounds like he has a pile of documentation.

Maybe you need to just bring him in so they can touch him and see that he is real.

 

[Northstar]

This may sound weird, but if there is an active genealogical society in your area, contact them for help... they will know how to go about getting some of the records that you may not have (like census, local newspaper birth announcements) and may even have collected and archived some records where your dad might show up (like family bibles or rural school records).

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I feel for you. I understand the importance of verifying who someone is before giving them travel documents but far too often procedure and red tape get in the way of logic and common sense. The man fought for our country and it sounds like he has a pile of documentation.

Maybe you need to just bring him in so they can touch him and see that he is real.

Thanks for the kind words. He is very proud to have served his country!

He has been to the office in person. The only answers they give him seem to be "no". My fear is that because of his age (83) that by the time we get all this figured out it would be too late for him to make the trip.

This may sound weird, but if there is an active genealogical society in your area, contact them for help... they will know how to go about getting some of the records that you may not have (like census, local newspaper birth announcements) and may even have collected and archived some records where your dad might show up (like family bibles or rural school records).

Good idea! My brother has actually traced the family tree back a couple of hundred years so he has interacted with some groups like this before - I'll email him and ask him if he still has that contact info handy. I do know that my brother was never able to find any documents himself with my Dad's name on them but he was tracing the whole tree at the time not just trying to find something about Dad.

I also have a friend in the state department that I emailed today and asked her for help. There has got to be a way to prove Dad's citizenship so he can get a passport!

 

[bumbershoot]

Which office are you going to? Just the post office?

Has he gone to the current registrar's office, to see what they can do? I can't find it now, but awhile back I was looking into b.c. stuff, and noticed a whole section about "what if the registrar's office is destroyed", and places do have contingencies, things to help in such situations.

In the FAQ on the state dept site, it states "A letter from the Vital Statistics office of the state of your birth with your name and what years were searched for your birth record. An official of the Vital Statistics office needs to issue a letter of no record found."

So that would be a good initial reason to visit the VS office...get that ball rolling, and maybe help them start to help him with this.

 

[chisnpeke]

Email and write the president! It's worth a shot.

State senators and U.S. senators from your state.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I have to say it's kind of ridiculous. I know they can't be too careful but if you are providing all of these other documents, especially military documentation, I can't imagine how frustrating that would be to be denied a passport.

 

[chisnpeke]

Which office are you going to? Just the post office?

Has he gone to the current registrar's office, to see what they can do? I can't find it now, but awhile back I was looking into b.c. stuff, and noticed a whole section about "what if the registrar's office is destroyed", and places do have contingencies, things to help in such situations.

In the FAQ on the state dept site, it states "A letter from the Vital Statistics office of the state of your birth with your name and what years were searched for your birth record. An official of the Vital Statistics office needs to issue a letter of no record found."

So that would be a good initial reason to visit the VS office...get that ball rolling, and maybe help them start to help him with this.

I don't know if this would help but this post reminded me of something. If he was born in a hospital, could they have some sort of record. Both of my grandparents are deceased but I remember that they were both born at home in 1927, same year as your father. You never know though, he may have been born in a hospital.

 

[FireDancer]

Email and write the president! It's worth a shot.

State senators and U.S. senators from your state.

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I have to say it's kind of ridiculous. I know they can't be too careful but if you are providing all of these other documents, especially military documentation, I can't imagine how frustrating that would be to be denied a passport.

That may be the best bet. Writing to the president might get lost in the commotion since I'm sure he gets a fair share of mail. The representative from your house district is also a good place to start. Since the area they represent is smaller they will probably be the best chance for a timely response.

 

[gm]

Where are you getting these answers from? The post office or the actual passport office? It could make a huge difference if you can make an appt at the passport office. in fact if your trip is within 2 weeks they give you an appt asap. Check to see if there is one in your area.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

This may sound weird, but if there is an active genealogical society in your area, contact them for help... they will know how to go about getting some of the records that you may not have (like census, local newspaper birth announcements) and may even have collected and archived some records where your dad might show up (like family bibles or rural school records).

I second this. I came across a book with wedding, baptism and cemetery records from the 4 churches in the aea where my Mom and Grandmother were born. IF you can find something like this for the area where he was born, that might help for your "secondary documentation" Plus, it is neat to se how everyone was related.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Was he born in the same town where he first lived? Here in Massachusetts, BOTH locations have the birth certificate.

 

[golfgal]

I would check with the church where he was baptized or possibly the elementary school he attended. They MIGHT have some records. I can't believe that his military records wouldn't be enough for them??