I Am Trying Not To Panic...bc Doesn't Have A Seal!

[lbgraves]

I ordered my BC from the Vital Records office months ago & when it arrived I put it with the others in the envie with all our cruise information. I opened it & thought how strange it looked without any boxes like the others but it had the same title and information...just not as much. Anyhow, I remembered reading that some states don't have a raised seal and thought nothing of it. Well, now that I have packed & am trying to stay calm while waiting for morning to arrive so we can leave I pulled out all our paperwork to put it with the doc package. I read over all of the BCs. On the bottom of mine it says that it isn't valid unless there is a pronounced raised seal. They never imprinted anything ANYWHERE on this piece of paper!! It has the postmark printed on the other side and I still have the short note that was attached giving the address.

Please someone who has gone thru something like this...LMK if you had a problem. I don't live close enough to be able to get another one or have this one imprinted in person & it is the weekend anyway. Has anyone EVER gone thru customs when the seal wasn't on the BC? I am trying very hard not to get upset or panic but that isn't far off.

 

[ivanova]

I'd like to know too ... we're having a similar problem ... one of our official birth certificates (for one of the kids) got lost during an evacuation (for the So Calif fires) ... we leave for Orlando in 6 days, and to replace the birth certificate "expedited" is 5-7 business days (coming from out of state) ... we do have a photo copy of the birth certificate, but not an official copy ... so we're freaking out right now.

 

[dzneprincess]

As I was checking in, there was a man checking in at the desk next to me. He used the certificate the hospital gives you for his son. The CM did tell him that for future reference it is not what was needed, but that it was okay this time. Hope that helps ease your worry.

Have a WONDERFUL cruise!

 

[Nysie]

My neighbor went on the cruise back in July, and I think he had the same problem with the seal. They notified their TA, and she was able to help them, so when they got to the port to check in everything was ok for that trip. They said for next time, they would need the right(raised seal) bc. I hope everything works out for you! Have a great vacation!!

 

[Hygiene99]

Raised seal

just cruised in October and i did not have a raised seal had no problem..............

have a happy cruise , believe me they just want to get u out of line and on the boat......

 

[tbuot]

My husband's bc does not have a raised seal but is states it is certified. We had no problems when we cruised last Thanksgiving. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[dclwdwlover]

... just got back & had no trouble.
My original birth certificate is written on (name correction) in ink & they accepted it with no questions asked. Well, the woman did ask me which spelling is correct, but accepted my explanation that the correction made (when I was 12 yo with a pen that I had when I decided to change the spelling of my name) was correct.

Never got a new one & we sailed one month after 9-11 & last week & no problems. Have a great time!

 

[Dennis the WDW Menace]

Don't panic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The BC with raised seal are usually the ones that you get from the Hospital just after the baby is born. If you send off to any vital statistics office all you get is a Official state Birth Certificate. These don't usually have a raised seal. All that DCL is asking for is an OFFICIAL Birth Certificate. I sent for my BC to the state of Illinois and it says "Official Birth certificate from the office of Vital Statistics from the State of Illinois." I have used this BC on the past 4 cruises because I did not want to bring my original BC. I have never had anyone question me on this BC.

 

[lbgraves]

Thanks so much guys!!! This is the BC that the office of Vital Statistics sent me this year so I know it is from the right place. That should help. I also just found my birth record card, which is what they issued in VA in 1967 instead of BCs on paper. The numbers match so I feel better now. I wasn't sure how I was going to get a copy from that expititing place since we will be in JAX FL 2 days then at WDW 3 days before the cruise. Whew! Now I can relax again.

 

[Jeanny]

CERTIFIED is the key word....some states do not have a RAISED seal on birth certificates... As long as your birth certificate shows a STATE SEAL or CERTIFIED COPY that is all you need...

The birth records the hospital gives you are usually not STATE Certified forms, therefore, are not acceptable.....

This link is right from the DCL documentation FAQ's:
http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/d...FAQGrping#BeforeYouLeaveRatesDocumentationFAQ
"All U.S. and Canadian citizens must travel with proof of citizenship, which is a valid passport, original, state-certified birth certificate and picture identification, or a certified naturalization certificate with a picture identification. "

 

[wdwmom2]

I was also concerned about a raised seal. One of my family's bc doesn't have one. I called DCL directly and asked about this. Told them that the origional bc does not have a raised seal. They assured me that the people who check your bc's know what to look for and not to worry about not having a raised seal. They told me that alot of bc's do not have the raised seal but as long as it is an origional or certified that we would have no problem. I told them that I hoped that there would be no problem because I would hate to be one of the people standing on the dock waving big Mickey hands as the ship pulled away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[LarryC]

Originally posted by Dennis the WDW Menace
Don't panic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The BC with raised seal are usually the ones that you get from the Hospital just after the baby is born. If you send off to any vital statistics office all you get is a Official state Birth Certificate. These don't usually have a raised seal.

This is incorrect information.

Most (not all) states issue a CERTIFIED RECORD OF BIRTH that has a RAISED SEAL from the State Department of Health.

Another reason everyone should get a passport. No worries.

 

[musicgirl]

We do have the raised seal on ours, but as many have stated that it is not necessary.

My sister paniced about her ds's because it didn't have one. I told it didn't need one, but I asked to see it. I ran my fingers over the page and there was one on it. There was no way to see it because the "bumps" were so tiny that no one would have thought that the seal was on it by only looking.

 

[Dennis the WDW Menace]

Larry C, although I don't like to start a fight on the boards this is the type of info that causes people to panic. Official Certificates of Birth that are issued by most states do not have this raised seal and they don't need them to be official. My sister has worked in this division for the state of Illinois for the past 25 years and is one of their division Department Heads. Original BC given to the parent(s) when the child is born sometimes have this raised seal, but not all of them. The Official BC that you can send for, that you get through the state office of vital statistics, most of the time just have a printed seal and say "Official Birth Certificate." This mis-information, saying that all BC must have raised seals, creates confusion for people like the poster here. All that DCL requires is that if you present a BC that it be a certified BC not a copy don't worry if it has a raised seal or not and stop listening to people who are trying to upset you with this issue.

 

[yourtravelpro]

Originally posted by LarryC
This is incorrect information.

Most (not all) states issue a CERTIFIED RECORD OF BIRTH that has a RAISED SEAL from the State Department of Health.

Another reason everyone should get a passport. No worries.

I agree with you Larry. You are correct. Hospital birth certificates NEVER have a raised seal.

 

[Tluvs2talk]

My original birth certificate issued in 65 has a raised seal!!!

I went to get a copy from the health dept and it is not a raised seal. It is however a certified copy. We have used it on many cruises and never been questioned.


Teri

 

[Alex]

Originally posted by lbgraves
On the bottom of mine it says that it isn't valid unless there is a pronounced raised seal. They never imprinted anything ANYWHERE on this piece of paper!!

Reading over this thread.. it looks like everyone is missing this sentence!! A certified BC without a seal, such as some states do issue, would not have that statement.

 

[yourtravelpro]

Your original birth certificate from the state in which you were born will have a raised seal. A certified copy of the original may or may not have a raised seal, but if it's a certified copy from the state, it is still okay.

What the cruise lines don't want to see (actually what immigration does not want to see) is the hospital copy which is not legal and never has a raised seal. There are many people who do not have the proper documentation and still get on the ship. They are lucky because they very well could have been denied boarding. Bottom line is noone should take a chance like that because they might be the unlucky one who does get denied boarding. It's better to be safe than sorry.

 

[DisneyGator01]

basically they want an original or certified copy from a government agency (state,etc). Some states have a "raised" seal that you can feel, some do not. But any orginial or certified copy from a government agency will have the official state seal on it.

What they don't want is hospital birth certificates, or photo copies.

 

[Alex]

That's true..some states do issue BC's without a raised seal and DCL does not require one. This document, however, specifically states that is it NOT valid without one, that's a huge difference.