Passports?

[tbserena]

Stupid question...

Where do you get Passports made/done? (I live in Alabama)
Are they expensive? Is there a reason why you would get those instead of bringing birth certificates?

 

[mmouse37]

Most any municipal office or any post office will issue passports. Check with your town.

Passports are not required but are a good idea...in my opinion. With security getting tighter all the time I believe many islands that now just require a birth certificate and photo id will soon require a Passport.

Again that is my opinion. Passports are expensive initially but for adults they last 10 years. Under 18 they last for 5 years.

They are also much sturdier than BC's because they have a plastic cover.


This link will give a lot of info on passports.

http://travel.state.gov/passport_easy.html


MJ

 

[DMS_cruisers04]

You can download the application from the US Passport website here . There is also a link that allows you to locate the satelite centers that do passport processing (post offices and such). They ask that you not use a main passport office unless it's special circumstances or you need your passport expedited quickly.

Current rates are $85 for adults (16 and over) and $70 for kids (under 16). Adult passports are good for 10 years, kids for 5.

Most people say, especially when you have to go through immigration during a cruise, that it's easier with a passport and that they are easier to travel with (not as much paperwork to worry about).

Hope this helps.

 

[tbserena]

******YIKES!*******

It would be $380 for DH and myself and 3 kids to get passports!! I sure didn't budget for that.....Wow.

Another decision...okay...so tell me all the possible situations where we would have a harder time (?longer lines?) with birt certificates....I need to justify this extra expense! : )

 

[DMS_cruisers04]

I believe it is just that, longer time to actually look at the birth certificates and at an id. Nothing really more than that I don't think. We've done several with just bc's, including the last with DD3, and haven't had any "problems".
We didn't have to go through immigration during any of the cruises though, other than after debarkation. The DCL eastern does, but the western doesn't.
If it's that big of a budget breaker, don't bother, unless you plan on getting your moneys worth and cruising several times in the next 5 years.

 

[crisi]

If your birth certificate is not proof of citizenship, get a passport.

If your birth certificate is questionable or unusual, get a passport.

If you suspect you may be the victim of profiling based on your name or race, get a passport.

If your citizenship is even remotely suspect, get a passport (its better to be told you aren't a citizen when you try to get a passport than when you try and reenter the country and can't - and yes, that has happened).

Most people born in the US will be able to travel just fine on a birth certificate. But for some people, passports are a much better alternative.

 

[SCOTTOHIOCPA]

We just renewed our passports. Took about 6 weeks to arrive in the mail. While we are using them on the cruise, the real reason to get them is because it can cost $300 each if you need to get them in a hurry. If a last minute deal to Europe comes along on priceline, we are on our way.

On our last cruise, we left Ohio in a blizzard and our bc's blew out of our carry-on bag. We would have been denied debarkation at Key West if we hadn't had my dad find them in a snowdrift in our front yard and fax a copy of them to the ship. The phone call to get him to send them was $80. From now on, we will be making photocopies of all tickets, bc's, etc. and putting them in a separate bag just in case.

 

[din]

If you are planning to travel any time in the near future a passport is very useful.

If you are a naturalized citizen, get a passport. The naturalization papers cannot be replaced from what I was told.

crisi is correct: We have always been asked to show passport coming back from Canada after a vacation, despite the fact my DW and I are naturalized and our 2 DS are born in Ohio. Unfortunaltely we live in a world that needs these kind of scrutiny. It is better to have the passport that be stuck at the border!

 

[wdwmom2]

I was very against getting passports because of the cost. My family and I was going to use our bc's. Well, I was told that I needed to take my marriage license as well. So I got to thinking, since this is my second marriage, will I also need my divorce decree? So I called US Customs and explained the situation. I was born a Dentler, married a Witmer, divorced, and now am married to an Oberholzer. The answer was yes, I would need a paper trail. A bc, marriage certificate, divorce decree, and my second marriage certificate. I really didn't want to carry all that around. So despite the cost, my husband and I applied for passports and got them in 3 weeks. Our children will still use their bc's. I'm sure that not everybody may have had problems with not having the entire paper trail, but I'm not taking the chance.

 

[tbserena]

i never thought about the paper trail i'm remarried and we have 3 kids. 2 are from first marriage and are "Bairds" DH, myself and DD 6 are "Serena's" But we all live at same address....TA said I would need a certified letter from kids Dad saying I could take them out of the country. (I am primary custodian)
I bet I would have to bring BC's, marriage license, divorce documents...etc. Maybe DH and I will get the passports and not the kids...?

 

[SeaSpray]

Once a child turns 16 they pay the adult price for a passport AND they are good for 10 years, just like an adult's. Age 15 and under are good only for 5 years.