UPDATED - Documentation Requirements from DCL

[gottaluvdisney]

I am not Michelle, but would like to give MHO.

Passports are the way to go these days. So if you have time, I would suggest getting them.

I was born in PA. The birth certificate I have is from the vital statistics and it is on yellow and blue paper. My parents lost the original prior to me being enrolled in school. It has the commonwealth of PA Department of Health 'seal'. And at the bottom it states 'It is illegal to duplicate this copy by photostat or photograph.' I have used this for 9 cruises and it was fine. However one time I checked it in my luggage by accident and Royal Caribbean let me on the ship by signing a waiver form stating that I was indeed a U.S. Citizen. They are NO longer doing this. You must have the proper proof of citzenship or you will not be allowed to board.

Bottom line - If it is issued by the state - in any form whether it has the 'raised seal', or is from vital statistics or vital records, etc - then you are good to go.

DO NOT TAKE PHOTO COPIES.

 

[CathyCanada]

As many have said, not all states have the raised seal type of birth certificate, but it MUST be the original, not a photocopy.

CC

 

[Michelle]

Just to add to what Cathy said, it must be the original OR a certified copy...whatever your state does to certify copies is fine.

And I agree, passports are the way to go, I'm finally renewing my very expired passport this year too.

 

[disneydeb]

can someone help me and dd have long form bc but dd friend has wallet sized one with raised seal, i went to town hall to check it out and they said wallet sized one is official document from ct, so i called dcl who said that if town hall issued it it was considered official, there is still some talk on boards that wallet sized one with raised seal is still no good anyone know for sure?

 

[kramer_clan]

My two kids have the same type of birth certificates from Maryland. It is one that you can fold and it would be wallet size. It is the actual certification of birth received from the state a month after they were born. It has the Maryland Seal (not raised) and actually says Certifcation of Birth. I am assuming that this is acceptable since this is the only birth certificate that I received. Can anyone shed any light on this.

I did call DCL and they said that what I have is acceptable.

Vicki

 

[PoohBWV]

We have been discussing proper documentation for Canadians on the Canadian visitors board. I called DCL and was told that Canadians need an original birth certificate and a valid photo ID. Someone else emailed them and were given the same response. I am not sure why we are being given this answer when obviously DU has been told otherwise.

 

[Toad]

PoohBWV - When I cruised DCL in 1998, we had both our passports and birth certificates. At check in we expressd concern to the CM about handing over our passports since we planned on getting off the ship in Nassau and did not want to be without them. She said it was no problem to just leave our birth certificates and a drivers license. No issue at all. I was hoping to do the same in September when I go again but obviously times have changed and they may be more strict.

 

[dgsnj]

Would you know what the rules are for children traveling without one or both parents? As US citizens I know that certain destinations (Mexico in particular) will not allow a child to enter without both parents unless they are carrying a notarized letter from the absent parent(s) stating their permission for the child to be traveling with the current accompanying adult.

I will be on the Western Caribbean itinerary and will most likely be in this situation.

Thanks for any help you can give!

dgsnj

 

[Cheese Please]

Has anyone with one of the non-raised seal birth certificates sailed since the "new" documentation requirements? The BRIGHT ORANGE sticker that now seals the cruise documents says the requirement is "Birth Certificate (original with raised seal), and a Picture ID issued by Local, State or Federal government ...... Copies of birth certificates without a raised seal are not acceptable. The bold is on the sticker. Just based on this statement one would conclude that a "certified copy" would NOT be acceptable. But that does not seem reasonable if all states do not use raised seals.

What has the recent experience been????

Dave

 

[blackgauldron]

Originally posted by WebmasterMichelle
Actually, for non-US citizens you DO need to bring BOTH a passport and a photo ID. DCL takes the passports of the non-US citizens at the beginning of the cruise and returns them the final morning. Non-US citizens will still need a photo ID to get on and off the ship.

We are non-us citizens. What can I use as a photo ID? I have an international passport witch will be taken by DCL and I have a passport and a european drivers license from Belgium both with photo, will this be good enough.

 

[Toad]

Blackgauldron,

This should be more than enough. I am a Canadian and although not thrilled about surrendering my passport, will do it. If your DL has a photo and you have your birth certificate or better still, a piece of ID with your address on it, you should be OK.
Have a great time!!

 

[Gillian]

I don't know if anyone is still answering questions here, but...

My DH just got a certified copy of his certificate from the city in NJ where he was born. It's a photocopy of the top part of his birth medical record, all handwritten in a printed form. It's from 1965. There is a raised seal. You can see that there was more to the record that was not copied. The vital records people this is medical information that is never included in the birth cert. It's just weird because it looks like it's cut off.

I am concerned about the handwritten part, and also that you can tell the original record is kept in a looseleaf book, because you can see the where the holes are punched!

It just looks awful but vital records assured me that this is the real thing. I suppose if you were faking docs, you'd make them look better, right??

 

[macbasset]

Hi, when we did our first DCL cruise in '99, we didn't understand what the raised seal birth certificates were either. my husband's was from new york, mine from pennsylvania, and my sons from maryland. all said official certified birth certificate (the original one that you receive in the mail after birth) but when I contacted the state officials at the capital of each those states, they said i had to request by mail with a fee the certified raised seal type, which i did. They look different and have a definite raised seal. My sister that same year had to fed ex. a copy of hers to WDW because when she checked in at the hotel for land and sea, it wasn't the right kind of birth certificate even though it was the original certified one. it did not have a raised seal. luckily, while she was at WDW, she called the state capital in PA. and they fed ex'd it to her in the hotel in time to make the cruise. barb