TSA Pre-Check Application info: what to expect & name changes

[bumbershoot]

I just did this last week and learned something. Not all birth certificates are created equal. Seems pretty obvious, but it was a learner for me. Yes, I am 49 and my mother has always had my original birth certificate. I have requested the official notarized copy and had it in my files from when I needed it in the past.

My mom and I talked not too long ago and I asked her to send me my original as I had planned to apply for Pre-check and thought maybe an original was better to have. Drove the 2 hours to nearest office for my appointment time and presented my original birth certificate to which he replied "I need a certified copy"?????

Turns out some hospitals issue a "sentimental copy" to parents. And, that is the one I had! Luckily I had grabbed the envelope with my marriage certificate in it before I left home and the copy I had notarized was in there too. My heart sank when he told me as it was a 4 hour round trip and I would have hated to come up empty and have to do the 4 hour round trip again.

I had the number issued 2 days after application process on line and the letter should be here in the next 10 days.

Happy and lucky my boss insisted I get it because I travel for work and they paid for it for me...

You keep saying notarized. You need certified copies.

A certified copy of a BC is an official printout from the registrar's files marked with the certified seal of someone working there.

A notarized copy would mean you brought something to a notary (like many bank employees) and told them that it's yours or you're signing something. That's it.

If what your mom had had was a certified copy of the official bc your notarized copy still wouldn't have meant a thing. You need the certified copy. And it sounds like that's what you have, because they let you go forward.

Now how did you go those years without using your own bc? I'm 48 and went through my first two certified copies of my bc in college because CA prints them on disappearing paper apparently, and every place I turned in college needed it.

 

[DebbieB]

Last year I was off Thanksgiving week, so I did the enrollment on a Friday And made the appointment for the following Tuesday. The office I went to was not at the airport, I was the only one there. In and out in about 15 minutes. Got the number on Saturday.

 

[rlduvall]

Speaking of paying, if you have any Airline credit cards check with the benefits, some of them cover the PreCheck fee. Southwest did mine

Dang it. That wasn't something I had even thought of; and I had a SW credit card when I did it last year.

Edited to add: Just googled it about Southwest with all the details of how to do it; this one required you to use your Rapid Reward points. It expired August, 2016 and I didn't do it until October, 2016. DON'T tell me anything different; it makes me feel better that I might not have blown it. LOL

 

[KrazeeK120]

I just did this last week and learned something. Not all birth certificates are created equal. Seems pretty obvious, but it was a learner for me. Yes, I am 49 and my mother has always had my original birth certificate. I have requested the official notarized copy and had it in my files from when I needed it in the past.

My mom and I talked not too long ago and I asked her to send me my original as I had planned to apply for Pre-check and thought maybe an original was better to have. Drove the 2 hours to nearest office for my appointment time and presented my original birth certificate to which he replied "I need a certified copy"?????

Turns out some hospitals issue a "sentimental copy" to parents. And, that is the one I had! Luckily I had grabbed the envelope with my marriage certificate in it before I left home and the copy I had notarized was in there too. My heart sank when he told me as it was a 4 hour round trip and I would have hated to come up empty and have to do the 4 hour round trip again.

I had the number issued 2 days after application process on line and the letter should be here in the next 10 days.

Happy and lucky my boss insisted I get it because I travel for work and they paid for it for me...

Correct. The hospital “birth certificate” is just a memento.

I’m surprised you’ve never needed your actual certified birth certificate though. I had to have mine the first time I got a driver’s license and I think when I got a marriage license.

When my son was born and I applied for
his birth certificate, I went ahead and ordered a few certified copies so I can just give it to him whenever he needs it and we won’t have to mess with figuring out how to get it later.

 

[Ress76]

When in doubt, bring more than you think you need. According to their website, my maiden name bc and my maiden name on my marriage certificate (Married Named #2) should have been fine, but lo and behold, when i got there they also asked me for proof of my name change from maiden name to Married Name #1. Luckily, I had brought it with me 'just in case'.

 

[piperdown]

I have my appt on Saturday. I was only planning on taking my Passport and DL, which both have my married name. The website said I only needed the passport as it represents both my citizenship and photo ID. Is there any reason I need my BC? Heck, I'm not even sure I know where my marriage license is.

 

[AngiTN]

I have my appt on Saturday. I was only planning on taking my Passport and DL, which both have my married name. The website said I only needed the passport as it represents both my citizenship and photo ID. Is there any reason I need my BC? Heck, I'm not even sure I know where my marriage license is.

Typically no.
The reasoning is you already provided all the back up documentation to get the Passport. That's why the passport can replace all the other documents. Provided the names match on both and all that
If you can locate it, as PP said, it never hurts to take everything but passport should be all needed, and a 2nd form of ID such as a DL

 

[crazycatlady]

I would really like to apply for this but I have hit a snag. My husband's parents are US born citizens who lived in Canada for six years due to a job transfer in the 1960s. My husband was born while they were living there, but the family moved back to the US before his first birthday and he has lived in the US ever since. We have his short form Canadian birth certificate, but I am fairly certain we will need his certified long form, which shows his parents' information. While investigating this process, which is tougher than I thought it would be, I am seeing that he may also need to apply for a CRBA to prove his citizenship to even get a passport. I am going to call US Citizenship and Immigration Services tomorrow and hope I can get a straight answer of exactly what we need to do.

 

[bumbershoot]

Nothing wrong with you applying right now and doing his stuff separately. When only dh had global entry, if we were on the same reservation we would all get pre. (Now he has just GE and son and I have nexus so it’s all good and we don’t have to be dependent on booking with him.)

 

[sponica]

I would really like to apply for this but I have hit a snag. My husband's parents are US born citizens who lived in Canada for six years due to a job transfer in the 1960s. My husband was born while they were living there, but the family moved back to the US before his first birthday and he has lived in the US ever since. We have his short form Canadian birth certificate, but I am fairly certain we will need his certified long form, which shows his parents' information. While investigating this process, which is tougher than I thought it would be, I am seeing that he may also need to apply for a CRBA to prove his citizenship to even get a passport. I am going to call US Citizenship and Immigration Services tomorrow and hope I can get a straight answer of exactly what we need to do.

If you hit a brick wall, call your congressperson. They are actually quite effective at helping cut through red tape like that (or at least telling you where to get the scissors)

 

[Disflyer226]

If you have a current passport, that is all you need.

 

[StageTek]

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