obtaining a passport

[babynurse31]

Do you have to mail in your birth certificate when you go to apply for a passport at the post office or do they just look at it there? I want to get a passport for DH as he pnly has one copy of his birth certificate and it would be next to impossible to replace it (very long story)!

Do you have to bring your BC with you on the boat if you are using a passport?

Thanks!!

 

[videogal1]

Do you have to mail in your birth certificate when you go to apply for a passport at the post office or do they just look at it there? I want to get a passport for DH as he pnly has one copy of his birth certificate and it would be next to impossible to replace it (very long story)!

Do you have to bring your BC with you on the boat if you are using a passport?

Thanks!!

If you are applying for a passport for the first time you must send your BC in along with the fee and the application. If you are applying for a passport renewal you must mail in your passport with the fee and the application...
Yeah, it kinda makes me worried to surrender such an important doc., but there it is...

 

[babynurse31]

Thanks for the quick reply. Do they send it back to you?

 

[HeatherH]

YES, they return your birth certificates with the passport.

 

[my3kids]

You don't have to take your bc with you if have a pasport. You do receive your bc back in the mail after they process your passport application.

Why could his not be replaced? While the state couldn't ever give him his origional again, wouldn't they be able to issue a certified copy?

 

[daisy112878]

don't worry. We just did my DH's passport. We got back the BC and the new passport in like 2 weeks. It was very quick and the passport looked as good as it did when we sent it away.

 

[babynurse31]

This will be his initial passport. My husband was adopted multiple times (like 5 or 6) when he was a kid. Each time his mom got remarried (which was alot) she had her new husband adopt him. The last time this happened he was 17 and hated his stepfather and in turn did not want to be adopted by him but his mom did it anyway without his knowledge. My husband already had his DL, SS card and all legal papers in one name prior to this adoption. Fast forward 20 years, we decide we want to go on a disney cruise for vacation. We go to the state to get a copy of his BC and surprise, surprise there is a different last name then the one he has used since he was 13. You guessed it, his mother never told him he had been adopted by his stepfather (who she ended up divorcing within a year--but thats a whole other story ) We ended up having to cancel our cruise because we didn't have the time or money to go to court and have his name legally changed and get a new BC in time for the cruise. My mother in law finally handed over the 1 certified copy of his BC she had with the name he uses on it. It has been locked in the safety deposit box at the bank since then. I am paranoid that it will be lost and we will have to cancel our cruise yet again!!!!

I hope I didn't confuse you all--it's such a convoluted story!!

 

[babynurse31]

trying to make myself feel better about mailing his BC Does the post office just send it regular old mail or certified?

Have any of you guys had it get lost in the mail or not returned to you for some reason?????

 

[RealMickeysGirl]

DH and I applied for our first passports on Valentine's day - only reason i can remember the date

BC came back with the passports just fine. We applied at the post office and I didn't see what kind of envelope they put the paperwork in to send off.

One thing that we didn't know until we got there is that if you are applying for more then one, you have to make separate payments for each one. The post office takes checks, plastic and cash and we ended up using all three because we didn't have enough checks in the check book.
You pay the handler (in our case the post office) separately, used cash for that, used credit card for one passport fee and check for the other.

 

[babynurse31]

Thanks for the info--I guess I will just go ahead and have him to it. We're not cruising until December but I just want to take any chances!!!

 

[hawaii5o]

If you go to the Department of State website, you can look and see if there is an agency near where you live. You can go in person and get a passport on the spot. (you might want to call them first) Then you wont have to worry about the birth certificate getting lost. I know there is one in Philadelphia. It did say on the website that you have to be travelling within 2 weeks, but there might be other reasons also that you can go in person. Good Luck!!! I just renewed mine through the mail and am waiting for it to come. My daughters is a first time passport so we sent her birth certificate in the mail. Hope it comes back!!!

 

[my3kids]

Why don't you call your state's department of vital statistics. If he has one bc, he must be able to get a copy....whatever the last one that was filed. Then, you have the have the origional and the copy. You can send one and keep one. For a small price you have security of mind. Just because the entire situation is complicated to you DH, the most recent ammended bc should be on file with your state. If he was officially adopted, even if he didn't know it, the state should.