Using BC instead of Passports ?

[bookooz2002]

Okay I have searched and read threads about pass ports.
we will be taking a 7 day cruise. so is it NEC for passports ? or can DH and I just take our birth certs ????

Id really like to know .. where do you get passports ??
thanks kat

 

[KathyTX]

For information on acquiring a U.S. passport:

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

(edted to correct spelling)

 

[TootyJane]

Is it necessary -- no. However, it is a bit easier traveling with a passport than the birth certificate. Here is the link with info on getting passports: http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html. HTH

 

[bookooz2002]

Thanks for the link I have bookmarked it . But I would prefer to save that $$ for the trip LOL .. if I dont have to have one! thanks and Ill be watching this thread! kat

 

[wdwmom2]

This was something that I also wondered about at one time. I considered getting passports for my family of 4 which would have cost me about $300. I called DCL and asked about using bc's and they said that I would have no problem. So bc's it is, and I will use that $300 for things I can enjoy like drinks, pictures, etc.

 

[mike2beach]

We were on the Eastern Magic last year and the birth certificates were all that was needed. The only thing Disney asked for to get back on the ship was our drivers license.

 

[Gina]

All I have ever used is birth certificates and my driver's license. No way am I paying all that $$ for a passport! That's waaaaay too many other Malibu Coladas and souvenirs I could get with that money.

If you are planning an overseas trip anytime in the remote future, then you might as well go ahead and get the passports... but for just cruising, your bc's are fine.

-gina-

 

[kcashner]

We have done 9 cruises with my passport (from a previous trip) and DD's birth certificate. It was no problem at any time, and they were handled exactly the same way. There is no need to get passports! You do need a photo ID for adults along with the birth certificate.

 

[KathyTX]

Adult passports are only $85, and are valid for 10 years, so it's not so much money.

But if you don't expect to travel beyond the US, Caribbean and Mexico, you can certainly get away with just your birth certificate and photo ID.

 

[ADisneygirl]

Like the previous posters, I agree that a birth cert. is just fine to use for the cruise. My family has been on two Disney cruises and birth certificates are accepted with no problem.

But.... I want you to be sure that yours is an original or certified copy of your birth cert. with a raised seal. On our first cruise I almost wasn't allowed onboard because my birth certificate that I had always used (the only one my mother ever had) did not have a raised seal on it. They told me then with the new heightened security measures, that soon no one would be allowed onboard with this type of certificate which they called a "hospital record". So, before our next cruise I made sure to write to NYC to get a certified copy with the raised seal.

Just look along the bottom of your certificate and see if there is a circular raised seal you can feel.

 

[crisi]

We got passports, but of the four US Citizens in the family, only two have birth certificates that qualify as proof of citizenship. My husband was born in Holland, and doesn't have a "birth certificate" at all. He has some odd piece of paper issued by the State Department, which is apparently difficult to replace if lost. My son was born in Korea and is an adoptee, so his birth certificate has "Not Proof of US Citizenship" stamped on it, and his Naturalization Certificate is also a pain to replace if ever lost (it really can't be, but they can give us something else after a lot of bother).

Far easier for us to leave the country on passports. And easier for my husband and son to just have passports, rather than explaining the issues with their respective birth documentation. Adoptive interracial familes hear horror stories about their kids being pulled into different rooms to be questioned at customs. BTW, if you are not white, it may be easier to have a passport as well. I have heard horror stories of families with Latino children (adoptees) going to Mexico and taking hours and hours before anyone would let the child (and of course the parents) back into the country. I'd think a cruise would be pretty easy to clear customs after (unlike crossing the border from Mexico into Texas in a car with two white adults and two Hispanic kids), but I don't want to chance it. (Not like we ever do racial profiling in this country....)

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Originally posted by ADisneygirl
Like the previous posters, I agree that a birth cert. is just fine to use for the cruise. My family has been on two Disney cruises and birth certificates are accepted with no problem.

But.... I want you to be sure that yours is an original or certified copy of your birth cert. with a raised seal. On our first cruise I almost wasn't allowed onboard because my birth certificate that I had always used (the only one my mother ever had) did not have a raised seal on it. They told me then with the new heightened security measures, that soon no one would be allowed onboard with this type of certificate which they called a "hospital record". So, before our next cruise I made sure to write to NYC to get a certified copy with the raised seal.

Just look along the bottom of your certificate and see if there is a circular raised seal you can feel.

ack!
So did you end up not being able to board/go on that cruise at all???

We'll be using our BC's only... I'm too cheap to buy a passport for the cruise (I'm still not out any extra money by waiting to get a passport later if we need to for any reason) and all our BC's have raised seals.
I've seen signs (here also in Texas) about getting passports at the post office with prices listed- so I guess that's one place to get them?

 

[Regina]

There is a problem with hospital certificates. They may look official, but they're not. They need the certificates issued by your county or state with that raised seal.

As ADisneygirl mentioned, they can deny you boarding if you don't have the correct documentation. This is particularly true with the heightened security in effect.

They'll work with you to reschedule, but if immigration gives your documents a thumbs down, you are not getting on that ship. It does happen.

 

[MarkRG]

Some states also use one of those holographic seals embedded in the paper instead of a raised one now, so keep that in mind.

I would also be an advocate for getting a passport. It's not hard, and it is also safer than carrying around your birth certificate. Sure, it's not cheap. but then nowadays, what is?

 

[ADisneygirl]

BibbidyBobbidyBoo -- Yes, I was allowed onboard after lengthy questioning. They pulled me and my family aside, down to the far end of the check in counters, and while constantly reassuring me that "don't worry, you will be allowed on", they still passed my hospital certificate around and around and different official looking staff kept appearing and asking me questions. The whole experience sort of frightened me, but the questions were simple ----- they asked me where I was from, where I was born, then different people asked me questions about NY -- one guy said he lived there all his life and seemed to be quizzing me on my old neighborhood I grew up in. After about 45 minutes (which felt like 4 hours under a bright light) they passed me in. Don't misunderstand me, I realize the importance of a person having the correct documentation of their citizenship. But from my innocent point of view, I had the only birth certificate my mother ever had for me. I wasn't trying to do anything wrong. And the staff there at the port were trying to be nice, I just felt confused and frightened by the whole questioning thing. I felt like I was in a movie. It took me the rest of that day to calm down.

 

[kcashner]

Right, many hospitals issue "birth certificates" that are really just a complimentary piece of paper for the baby book. It is NOT the legal birth certificate. In the US, the legal certificate must be obtained from your state.

Many hospitals now have a little check off form for newborns, one of the boxes is "do you wish to have a birth certificate sent to you from the state" and specify the fee (here $6). SO...it may come to you in the mail with no further effort

It is only this legal birth certificate from the state, with the state seal (raised or holographic) that is valid for travel, NOT the little gifty one issued by the hospital.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Originally posted by ADisneygirl
BibbidyBobbidyBoo -- Yes, I was allowed onboard after lengthy questioning. They pulled me and my family aside, down to the far end of the check in counters, and while constantly reassuring me that "don't worry, you will be allowed on", they still passed my hospital certificate around and around and different official looking staff kept appearing and asking me questions. The whole experience sort of frightened me, but the questions were simple ----- they asked me where I was from, where I was born, then different people asked me questions about NY -- one guy said he lived there all his life and seemed to be quizzing me on my old neighborhood I grew up in. After about 45 minutes (which felt like 4 hours under a bright light) they passed me in. Don't misunderstand me, I realize the importance of a person having the correct documentation of their citizenship. But from my innocent point of view, I had the only birth certificate my mother ever had for me. I wasn't trying to do anything wrong. And the staff there at the port were trying to be nice, I just felt confused and frightened by the whole questioning thing. I felt like I was in a movie. It took me the rest of that day to calm down.

I bet!
I'm so glad you were eventually able to board though. That would have been a nightmare quick end to a vacation if you hadn't.

 

[MrsPete]

We had NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER using birth certificates on the cruise -- if this cruise is your only upcoming travel, there's no need to spend the money on passports. The only time anyone looked at them was in the terminal for check-in and at customs when we disembarked. Customs took it seriously and asked us questions, but I didn't feel that it was anything out of the ordinary.

FYI: For myself I had only a hospital certificate (a very old, raggedy certificate with a barely-raised embossed seal). I had "official certificates" for my girls -- I ordered several when they were infants so we'd never have to scramble for one. I even gave copies to my mom to keep at her house in case of fire. Anyway, no one even questioned my hospital certificate (and I've used it to get a driver's license, a marriage license, and maybe other stuff that I've forgotten); however, since others have mentioned potential trouble I guess I'll pry my wallet open and spend $3 on an official one from the Clerk of Courts or Hall of Records or whomever handles such things. I may have just been lucky.

Disclaimer: We're plain old white Americans born in the USA. My husband and I are the biological parents of our two children, and we all look just alike -- fair or not, we're the ones that no one looks at twice. I'd suggest that if you have any "red flags" you should pop for the passports.

 

[cramam]

My SIL is going in 4 weeks and I mentioned this to her. She doesn't have an official birth certificate but does have from the state of KY a plastic credit card type card with all the vital info and a raised embossed seal. Anyone else seen one of these and Should this be OK? Thanks

 

[Alex]

I have actually started carrying my passport even when flying domestically. I have noticed that there is far less hassle at airport check points, they take one quick glance and you are threw. It makes sense since every state has a different driver's license they have to figure it out.
When they did customs in St. John I noticed that the custom's agents asked all the people with licenses questions, the people with passports they just took a glance and you moved on.
It also guarentees you will never have a problem like adisneygirl especially if they raise security level's and start cracking down.
I look at it as one less hassle.