Short form birth certificate

[tltay2005]

I went ahead and ordered the long form since I will need it for a passport application if I decide to get one later.
MarFV, I had already ordered and received the short form, but didn't think it had enough info. So before I spent more money on the long form, just wanted to see if anyone had used the short. After all this, I got confirmation from my DU agent, that the short form is fine, she even contacted the port to be sure. Want to thank you all for the info and for not telling me to "Just get a passport ". For some of us, that extra expense (close to $500) is a lot to add on top of the cruise cost, parking, etc. if we decide that cruising is something we do more often,we will get them, but get one at a time spread out over the year.

 

[perditax]

Hmm, passport isn't $500, I think it's about $120?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hmm, passport isn't $500, I think it's about $120?

I believe PP is having to purchase more than one passport. Each new passport (adult) costs $110 plus $25 processing fee. Each child passport is $80 plus $25 processing fee. Plus the costs for photos. So a family of 4 could easily pay at least $500 for passports.

 

[tltay2005]

PromcessShmoo, that is exactly what I meant, for the whole family.

 

[tltay2005]

Sorry, typo on the name, meant PrincessShmoo.

 

[tvguy]

These days, I don't know why everyone doesn't have a Passport, including kids. I don't mean this to be passing judgement. The reality is, there are so many times in everyday life here at home that a Passport is helpful.
Everything from changing jobs were you have to prove citizenship, to school registration and getting a driver's license for kids.
We use our far more often for those type of things than for travel.

 

[VbChristy]

When I called on this issue I was told as long as it it original with a seal you are good.... It's hard. I was calling for someone else (we have passports on my family).

 

[bumbershoot]

When I called on this issue I was told as long as it it original with a seal you are good.... It's hard. I was calling for someone else (we have passports on my family).

But...someone on cruisecritic said he was given a really hard time with a short form PA BC by the officials. One person is one person, and they were in fact allowed to cruise, but it just shows that answers given by phone aren't necessarily perfect.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Last cruise we were on, people in front of us did not proper documentation, no passport and I heard the words...short form...when discussing their documents. They were still arguing their case when we were getting our keys and walking away. I would never chance it. And even if you don't thnk you will ever need a passport, why not have one just in case? Guess I don't understand that mentality. It gives you so much more flexibility to go on mini trips, drive into Canada or Mexico. Etc. don't mean to be preachy...just honestly don't understand why some people are so adverse to it. Really not that much money overall. My kids all got their first ones as babies. Also worked well to prove identity for drivers license, state Ids, and college Ids. Good luck.

 

[Cindycindycindy]

Has anyone used a short form BC (without parents names) to board DCL? Yes, I know, should get passport, (would need long form with parents name anyway for that application) plus this may be first and only cruise, so we don't want that expense. I have the short form now but need to know if I need to order the long one. TN dept of vital statistics is VERY slow at processing requests, so I need to do now if needed. Thanks for the help for this Newbie cruiser.

I used a valid Drivers License and a short form birth certificate from Texas. No problem.

 

[Sparkie]

I would be worried about getting BACK into the United States. Even if you were allowed through and on the ship, you have to show identification and proof of citizenship to get back home. I would get the long form with the official seal at the very minimum.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I used a valid Drivers License and a short form birth certificate from Texas. No problem.

I would be worried about getting BACK into the United States. Even if you were allowed through and on the ship, you have to show identification and proof of citizenship to get back home. I would get the long form with the official seal at the very minimum.

I'm fairly sure that the OP has taken their cruise by now.

 

[Sparkie]

Yes, I see now that this is an old thread. My apologies.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Yes, I see now that this is an old thread. My apologies.

No apologies necessary. Just giving a head's up for others who may have advice for OP.

 

[Cindycindycindy]

I'm fairly sure that the OP has taken their cruise by now.

I am sure they have taken their cruise. I posted this for people who may find this thread. And I was able to get BACK in the United States with my short form.

 

[bcla]

Wow - old thread.

That being said, I've taken an interest in birth certificates and passports. There really is no solid reference for the difference between a "long form" and a "short form". There are different forms depending on state, county, or even city. I know most people accept a "long form" as some sort of photographic or facsimile representation of the originally filed document with signatures, but some states refer to a long-form as a long document with a longer list of printed entries.

Over the years, a "short form" has been anything from a printout of some sort, to handwritten forms, or even typed transcripts.

Using the State Department's criteria, there's a specific set of information they require for first-time passport applications. Some forms just don't contain all this information. I've heard the worst offender is Pennsylvania, where it's a printed abstract, and often the clerk failed to have the name of the parent(s) printed on the certificate. They might also have issues with specific jurisdiction where there are known issues with fraud, such as California's former abstract form, or Texas where there were issues with attendants fraudulently signing off on birth certificates. There was one county in New Jersey where clerks took bribes to fake birth certificates, and the State Dept is on notice not to accept those (one can still order directly from the state).

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/first-time.html#step3

Quite a few government agencies that record births have abandoned any kind of capture of actual signatures. There's electronic birth registration, where there is no record other than a computer database entry that was sent by a hospital to a government agency. So the important thing isn't really long-form or short-form, but whether or not the form contains the minimum required information for a specific purpose.

 

[Hundredacre]

You need long form.

 

[KVH]

Just so the real facts are documented here, please be aware different agencies have different governing regulations that they interpret differently and those interpretations have evolved over time. What State says doesn't apply to Homeland/ICE and vice-versa. Don't make generalizations about what you think you can do with a single document under a variety of circumstances.

For example, if anyone REALLY wants to know how State decides to issue passports and adjudicate citizenship, read the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 22, Chapter I, Subchapter F, Part 51. The piece that really applies to this thread is section 41.

But Immigration, Border Patrol, or anyone else doesn't really care about Title 22. They refer to other CFR's for their operating guidelines. So be careful in anything you read anywhere on the internet unless you're getting something straight from the appropriate government agency.