Passport/Birth Certificate PSA

[fdefulvio]

Don’t put off getting/locating your Passport/Birth Certificate. I thought I left myself plenty of time until I realized I couldn’t find my Birth Certificate (BC). There is a certain time required to get your Passport, which I accounted for, but you may be surprised like I was, in the amount of time required to get your BC replaced. Most states now use a service, and the processing time is ridiculous.

We’re scheduled for a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas later this summer. I did my research, and although a Birth Certificate is sufficient, I figured I’d go ahead and apply for a Passport for my wife and I. I didn’t want to invest in Passports for three kids at this time, especially since my two boys will be 18 in a few years.

I filled out the Passport forms online, and printed them out. I searched and found a couple of options for processing centers. Now I just needed IDs (birth certificates) for my wife and myself. This is where things got ugly. I knew I had both of our BCs, but when I went to get them out so we’d have them ready, I couldn’t find mine. I found my wife’s and all three kids, but mine was nowhere to be found. I spent the afternoon tearing my house apart trying to find it.

I finally gave up, and decided it was time to investigate what I needed to do to get a new copy. A quick search of the internet, and all I had to do was go to Vitalchek.com, enter some info, pay $30, and they’d mail me a new one. That didn’t sound too bad... until I checked the processing time, 80-90 days!!!

Are you kidding me?! Our Cruise is in 60 days!

So I went back to the PA.gov website to see what I could do to get it sooner, and this is taken from their site:

• Online orders placed through VitalChek.com, PA's only authorized online vital records ordering site.

◦ Births from 1997 to present - up to 3 weeks
◦ Births from 1967 to 1996 - up to 3 weeks
◦ Births pre-1967 - up to 18 weeks

Yea, I was born before 1967. “Up to 18 weeks”. Good luck. Now what am supposed to do? Maybe it takes less time, but that’s not a gamble I’m willing to take.

In an act of desperation, before putting my fireproof box, where my BC should have been, back in the closet, I decide to look through it for the fourth and final time. I open my expired Passport, again, there’s my wife’s BC, my SS Card, an expired drivers license, and still not my BC. I decided to flip through the pages of my Passport, not expecting to find anything, but why not? And towards the last page, OMG, there it was, folded neatly in the back, my BC!

Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to go nuts trying to figure out what I was going to have to do to expedite this insane process. Yes, some states you can drive to some government office in person, but I have no desire to call these people, assuming you could actually reach someone, and potentially have to drive 4 hours to the state Capital.

Learn from my experience, find your documents, before it’s too late.

 

[Aby]

So sorry for your stress but so happy that it worked out for you.

A good reminder to everyone! I always double check that I have all the required documents in my safe each and every time at the time I book the trip.

Aby

 

[DizneyMommy]

I don’t know about your state (or if you are even close enough) but we can go to the county recorder in the county the birth was recorded in and have it issued on the spot. I’ve had to do that in an emergency after losing mine too!

 

[mousefan73]

Here’s my PSA check your passports are still valid. We live overseas and I noticed my DS’s passport was expired 3 days before our flight to Orlando. After many tear filled called to nearest embassy and a 4 hr drive. We got an emergency one issued.

 

[Ktgrum]

I’m glad you found it without having to make the drive. We had to drive to Harrisburg to get my husband’s birth certificate because we only had the short form one and they weren’t sure if it would have been sufficient for our destination wedding. I can’t believe they do not have a quicker process considering if you go in person it takes like 30 minutes.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Don’t put off getting/locating your Passport/Birth Certificate. I thought I left myself plenty of time until I realized I couldn’t find my Birth Certificate (BC). There is a certain time required to get your Passport, which I accounted for, but you may be surprised like I was, in the amount of time required to get your BC replaced. Most states now use a service, and the processing time is ridiculous.

We’re scheduled for a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas later this summer. I did my research, and although a Birth Certificate is sufficient, I figured I’d go ahead and apply for a Passport for my wife and I. I didn’t want to invest in Passports for three kids at this time, especially since my two boys will be 18 in a few years.

I filled out the Passport forms online, and printed them out. I searched and found a couple of options for processing centers. Now I just needed IDs (birth certificates) for my wife and myself. This is where things got ugly. I knew I had both of our BCs, but when I went to get them out so we’d have them ready, I couldn’t find mine. I found my wife’s and all three kids, but mine was nowhere to be found. I spent the afternoon tearing my house apart trying to find it.

I finally gave up, and decided it was time to investigate what I needed to do to get a new copy. A quick search of the internet, and all I had to do was go to Vitalchek.com, enter some info, pay $30, and they’d mail me a new one. That didn’t sound too bad... until I checked the processing time, 80-90 days!!!

Are you kidding me?! Our Cruise is in 60 days!

So I went back to the PA.gov website to see what I could do to get it sooner, and this is taken from their site:

• Online orders placed through VitalChek.com, PA's only authorized online vital records ordering site.

◦ Births from 1997 to present - up to 3 weeks
◦ Births from 1967 to 1996 - up to 3 weeks
◦ Births pre-1967 - up to 18 weeks

Yea, I was born before 1967. “Up to 18 weeks”. Good luck. Now what am supposed to do? Maybe it takes less time, but that’s not a gamble I’m willing to take.

In an act of desperation, before putting my fireproof box, where my BC should have been, back in the closet, I decide to look through it for the fourth and final time. I open my expired Passport, again, there’s my wife’s BC, my SS Card, an expired drivers license, and still not my BC. I decided to flip through the pages of my Passport, not expecting to find anything, but why not? And towards the last page, OMG, there it was, folded neatly in the back, my BC!

Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to go nuts trying to figure out what I was going to have to do to expedite this insane process. Yes, some states you can drive to some government office in person, but I have no desire to call these people, assuming you could actually reach someone, and potentially have to drive 4 hours to the state Capital.

Learn from my experience, find your documents, before it’s too late.

Thanks for this. We had a similar experience with my younger son, all ready to get their passports only to discover we couldn't find his BC. He was born in New Jersey, where we no longer live, and I thought the 4 weeks that took to get online was a long time, but certainly it wasn't 18 weeks. That is really important for people to keep in mind! We were able to postpone our Passport session and we still had enough time to get it before our cruise.

But I second your call: Find those Birth Certificates right now! Don't wait!

 

[Fldogmassage]

Same thing happened to me. Day before sailing, went to grab everything. My passport expired the week before sailing. Husband's and kids passport and BC we're there. I tore the house up for 4 hours .And finally relooked in my baby book a second time. No idea how or why it was not there and not with everyone else's .but glad I looked a second time.

 

[owensamo]

If you have an expired passport, you can use that as your proof for a new one as you had to have a BC to get the first one. As long as it was issued in the last 15 years, you can submit it instead of your birth certificate.

 

[CrawfordMomof3]

Don’t put off getting/locating your Passport/Birth Certificate. I thought I left myself plenty of time until I realized I couldn’t find my Birth Certificate (BC). There is a certain time required to get your Passport, which I accounted for, but you may be surprised like I was, in the amount of time required to get your BC replaced. Most states now use a service, and the processing time is ridiculous.

We’re scheduled for a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas later this summer. I did my research, and although a Birth Certificate is sufficient, I figured I’d go ahead and apply for a Passport for my wife and I. I didn’t want to invest in Passports for three kids at this time, especially since my two boys will be 18 in a few years.

I filled out the Passport forms online, and printed them out. I searched and found a couple of options for processing centers. Now I just needed IDs (birth certificates) for my wife and myself. This is where things got ugly. I knew I had both of our BCs, but when I went to get them out so we’d have them ready, I couldn’t find mine. I found my wife’s and all three kids, but mine was nowhere to be found. I spent the afternoon tearing my house apart trying to find it.

I finally gave up, and decided it was time to investigate what I needed to do to get a new copy. A quick search of the internet, and all I had to do was go to Vitalchek.com, enter some info, pay $30, and they’d mail me a new one. That didn’t sound too bad... until I checked the processing time, 80-90 days!!!

Are you kidding me?! Our Cruise is in 60 days!

So I went back to the PA.gov website to see what I could do to get it sooner, and this is taken from their site:

• Online orders placed through VitalChek.com, PA's only authorized online vital records ordering site.

◦ Births from 1997 to present - up to 3 weeks
◦ Births from 1967 to 1996 - up to 3 weeks
◦ Births pre-1967 - up to 18 weeks

Yea, I was born before 1967. “Up to 18 weeks”. Good luck. Now what am supposed to do? Maybe it takes less time, but that’s not a gamble I’m willing to take.

In an act of desperation, before putting my fireproof box, where my BC should have been, back in the closet, I decide to look through it for the fourth and final time. I open my expired Passport, again, there’s my wife’s BC, my SS Card, an expired drivers license, and still not my BC. I decided to flip through the pages of my Passport, not expecting to find anything, but why not? And towards the last page, OMG, there it was, folded neatly in the back, my BC!

Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to go nuts trying to figure out what I was going to have to do to expedite this insane process. Yes, some states you can drive to some government office in person, but I have no desire to call these people, assuming you could actually reach someone, and potentially have to drive 4 hours to the state Capital.

Learn from my experience, find your documents, before it’s too late.

Good info. 2 of my boys were born out of state, and if we need BC it’s a hassle. I hadn’t even thought about the timing wow.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you have an expired passport, you can use that as your proof for a new one as you had to have a BC to get the first one. As long as it was issued in the last 15 years, you can submit it instead of your birth certificate.

Yep. And that’s because as an adult you’re renewing the passport. There’s a different process and fee structure.

OP do you know that? Are the passports THAT expired that you can’t do the renewal?


And don’t forget to read all info on your state’s website. From the application to get a replacement...

“HOW TO APPLY
Order from Pa.’s only authorized online provider at www.vitalchek.com or by phone at 866-712-8238 (credit cards accepted).

Order in person at a Pennsylvania Vital Records branch office in Erie, Harrisburg, New Castle, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or Scranton. Delivery ranges from same day to five days based on public office processing time.

Order by mail: Send application, identification and payment to: Department of Health
Division of Vital Records PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103”


So it wasn’t just Harrisburg that was an option.

 

[Fldogmassage]

If you have an expired passport, you can use that as your proof for a new one as you had to have a BC to get the first one. As long as it was issued in the last 15 years, you can submit it instead of your birth certificate.

That's good to know!!!! Will have a new one by next crycru, need to get myself in motion.

 

[xQuizx]

We just renewed my daughter's passport (Under 16) and the turn around time from the application to passport delivery was 2 weeks.

We couldn't find my daughter's birth certificate either, but fortunately I looked for it 2 nights before our appointment and found it. I did find everybody else's birth certificates and social security cards. Afterwards I put everyone's vital documents into individual gallon sized bags in our filing cabinets.

Cheers!

 

[soniam]

I always keep track of when our passports are 6 months from expiration, because they can prevent you from entering the US or a foreign country if it's got less then 6 months left. I don't think the US would deny entry, but other countries might. This stuff is such a hassle though.

 

[soniam]

We just renewed my daughter's passport (Under 16) and the turn around time from the application to passport delivery was 2 weeks.

We couldn't find my daughter's birth certificate either, but fortunately I looked for it 2 nights before our appointment and found it. I did find everybody else's birth certificates and social security cards. Afterwards I put everyone's vital documents into individual gallon sized bags in our filing cabinets.

Cheers!

I have a folder in our filing cabinet with stuff like that. That's also where I put our theme park annual passes, my voting registration card, and my Global Entry card. If it seems important and it's like ID, I just know to go to that folder.

 

[Mitura]

I just the Vitalink for my sons Birth Cert for the state of PA. The turn around was about 10 days. But during that time I found it. So now he has 2 BC's.

Right now I am just renewing their Passports for our Thanksgiving cruise. The thing that stinks for me is my oldest won't be 16 when we renew, so he will need a new passport in 5 years. If we wait 2 months prior to the cruise (say Sept) and renew we may not have it back in time, but he'd be 16 then he can wait 10 years to get renewed.

So ensure we get it in time, renew in 5 years, wait and maybe not get it in time renew in 10 years. Oh well what's ~$100?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I just the Vitalink for my sons Birth Cert for the state of PA. The turn around was about 10 days. But during that time I found it. So now he has 2 BC's.

Right now I am just renewing their Passports for our Thanksgiving cruise. The thing that stinks for me is my oldest won't be 16 when we renew, so he will need a new passport in 5 years. If we wait 2 months prior to the cruise (say Sept) and renew we may not have it back in time, but he'd be 16 then he can wait 10 years to get renewed.

So ensure we get it in time, renew in 5 years, wait and maybe not get it in time renew in 10 years. Oh well what's ~$100?

We just did one kid passport and 2 adult renewals. The kid’s passport took 12 days. The renewals took 11 and 16 days (even though they were mailed in together, one envelope). If you have 2 months before the cruise, I’d wait until he’s 16.

 

[darnheather]

Good info. 2 of my boys were born out of state, and if we need BC it’s a hassle. I hadn’t even thought about the timing wow.

I have to laugh at this just a little. Both of my children were born abroad and they are no do overs for those certificates as they are not actually birth certificates like the ones issued in the US but a "proof of birth". However, we stay passport ready always.

 

[fdefulvio]

Apparently that BC that I struggled to find was not even necessary. My almost 20 years expired Passport was all I needed. The woman processing my paperwork didn’t need to see anything else once she saw my expired Passport. She said it didn’t matter when it expired, it still proves my identity. I’m pretty sure that I read online that it had to have been valid within the last 10 years.

Another thing that I learned, and others should be aware of, your BC MUST have your parents listed. My wife was unable to submit her application because her BC did not list her parents. This was implemented around 2011.

I was told that she could go in person to Philadelphia to get a new BC with the appropriate information. This may not be necessary now because I was able to locate her expired Passport, and this time I didn’t have to tear apart my house.

 

[3monkeys4me]

I have to laugh at this just a little. Both of my children were born abroad and they are no do overs for those certificates as they are not actually birth certificates like the ones issued in the US but a "proof of birth". However, we stay passport ready always.

Just an FYI you can get a replacement. I don't think you were able several years ago but you can now. I still have my daughters but am considering getting a few extra copies. I have no idea how to get another copy of her actual birth certificate, which is Italian, but so far I have never needed to use the one that I have.

https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...e-abroad/birth-abroad/replace-amend-CRBA.html

 

[darnheather]

Just an FYI you can get a replacement. I don't think you were able several years ago but you can now. I still have my daughters but am considering getting a few extra copies. I have no idea how to get another copy of her actual birth certificate, which is Italian, but so far I have never needed to use the one that I have.

https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...e-abroad/birth-abroad/replace-amend-CRBA.html

Thanks for this. Will certainly look into it.