Passport or birth certificates

[coloradogirl13]

I am head for a cruise Jan 2. I know it is kind
of early to think about this but do we need passports for
the whole family or can you use birth certificates?

 

[LibertyBelle]

Birth certificates and photo Id's are acceptable however passports are easier, you have time to get them if you want to but they are not necessary.

 

[kcashner]

Legal (state issued) birth certificate and photo ID for adults, birth certificate without photo ID for kids is all you need. Be sure it is the legal, certified birth certificate. A hospital "gifty" certificate is no good.

You can certainly choose to use passports, but don't need to invest in them if you don't wish.

 

[LibertyBelle]

Yes, I forgot to add that. They need to be the original with the raised seal (no copies, no notary signed). If you do not have the originals DCL suggests vitalcheck.com to have one reissued.

 

[kellimomo3]

I had read somewhere that starting on Jan. 1, 2005 all travel out of the US will require a passport. We are cruising on 1/15 and have just applied for passports for our whole family. It may just be a rumor but if it is true, I wanted to be prepared!! Has anyone else heard rumblings of this???

Kelli

 

[DrCavin]

Originally posted by kellimomo3
I had read somewhere that starting on Jan. 1, 2005 all travel out of the US will require a passport. We are cruising on 1/15 and have just applied for passports for our whole family. It may just be a rumor but if it is true, I wanted to be prepared!! Has anyone else heard rumblings of this???

Kelli

First I have heard that. Would find it very unlikely seeing that Jan 1 2005 is only 5 months away. Seems like too short of notice to put into effect. But of course I could see them not notifying anyone until it is way too late to apply for a passport eek:

 

[jrabbit]

We have used our birth certificates in the past. With them you have to worry about them "getting ruined" during travel - especially since they are just a piece of paper. Passports are designed with travel in mind and therefore are sturdier. We now travel with our passports.

 

[vikingfans]

I fully agree with you jrabbit. The passport is much more durable and easier to deal with than a piece of paper that can too easily get ripped and torn.

I use my passport more and more even when I travel within the country. It's a great second ID.

 

[Mark_F]

Originally posted by LibertyBelle
Yes, I forgot to add that. They need to be the original with the raised seal

Many municipalities - NYC being one of them - are now computer printing BCs on a special paper, with no raised seal. If this is what your municipality is using, it is acceptable.

We were on the July 3 Magic, and my daughter had gotten one of these new BCs. We had an older one with a raised seal just in case, but there was no problem with the new one. We never even brought the older one out.

 

[crisi]

Most people travel just fine on their birth certificates. You may want to consider a passport, in particular if:

You (or one of your children) were born outside the country (either a US citizen born abroad or a naturalized citizen - internationally adopted kids may want to travel on a passport).

There is something "odd" about your birthcertificate or you don't have one (which will make getting a passport difficult, but not impossible).

You suspect you may be subject to profiling (by race or name).

You may take a subsequent trip outside the country where you will need a passport.

You really want a cool document.

The sturdiness of a passport or its function as a second ID appeals to you.

You are not a US Citizen.

I don't see anything on the State Department's website about requiring passports for all international travel.

 

[coloradogirl13]

Would it be bad to just use certificates. My parents are getting ones
for them but are just using birth certificates for me and my siblings.
Would that work even with that rumor.

 

[kcashner]

No, it would not be "bad" to use "just" birth certificates (per your question.) You and your parents would need the certified birth certificate AND a photo ID. If you don't plan any other international travel and have no reason to want a passport (many reasons are listed above), then you may not want to spend the $ to get one.

There is absolutely no difference in how DCL handles you with a passport or a birth certificate and photo ID.