Using BC instead of Passports ?

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Hmmm, do you think they'd have a "problem" with this?...

My first name is not spelled correctly on my birth certificate. Well, one might argue that everything else is not correct since it should be what my BC says- but my mother says they mispelled it when they filled it out at the hospital. My BC has my first name as Shelly and all other forms of identification I have (SS card, drivers license, credit cards- etc) all have my name spelled as Shelley. Do not ask me how she managed to get my SS card with it spelled like Shelley- but that's what it's always been... and thus so has all my other forms of identification.
I grew up never even knowing this was spelled differently until many years ago when I needed a copy of my BC to get married (14yrs ago)

So our BC's are all certified with raised seal etc etc... but the only thing is my BC spells my name Shelly and all other forms of ID I have -have it spelled as I have always known it... Shelley. They won't change my BC- I guess unless I go through the motions of like having a name change (costly?) and it never bothered me before. I asked then about it being different and the office at the courthouse said it didn't matter?? (btw- you have to show ID to even get a copy of your BC- and where I got it is in the town I was born also- so I showed ID as Shelley and got a BC for Shelly. KWIM?)

Will this be an "issue"?

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

Originally posted by 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.

I also have Passports for our family. Find it much easier to travel with (yes, I take them flying too), and you don't have to worry about them ripping. Also, if you lose a passport, the chances are slim that someone else can alter it and use it. Lose your BC and your identity can be stolen. We also have one for our dd because I think it is a great id for them - although you have to update it every 4 or 5 years for them (10 years for adults). I just think it is a good thing to have.

 

[CarolAnnC]

You might want to bring along a copy of your marriage certificate as well. This will show your maiden and married names. You did not mention what they did when they issued that, but you do mention the name misspelling on the BC was noticed at time of getting marriage license. Good luck!

 

[mrsfuzzmo]

We too, now ONLY travel with passports. We did the BC/License thing and it just got to be too much of a hassle. With things like changed names because of marriage, and the like, we just opted for passports and LOVE IT!

Like Alex said above, If you fly, take your passport. With the heightened security, if you have a passport, your moved right along. We breeze through most security measures while traveling BECAUSE of the passports, While some of our traveling companions have to bring out the IDs/licenses, match them up with the BCs, the carefully put them away. With our littl passports we just lay them down and pick them up. Just sooooo much less hassle!

Yes, you can travel to the caribbean/mexico with a BC (If it is the correct form with the official raised seal), and DL, but I vote passport for ease and the comfort of knowing that I can ALWAYS get back into the US! No, you shouldn't have any problems, but you just never know!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Originally posted by CarolAnnK
You might want to bring along a copy of your marriage certificate as well. This will show your maiden and married names. You did not mention what they did when they issued that, but you do mention the name misspelling on the BC was noticed at time of getting marriage license. Good luck!

Hi!
I'm the one that noticed the mispelling- because to get married we had to get our BC's. So when I got mine- I noticed my name wasn't on there the way it had been spelled my entire life. Our marriage license, just like everything else but BC, shows my name Shelley. I'm not sure what showing maiden/married name means- since the last name is not mispelled- just Shelley spelled Shelly on the BC.
I don't know really what to do- what would the passport do? I mean do they go by BC's to make a passport therefore if I got a passport it ALSO would be spelled Shelly while my DL and everything else would be spelled Shelley? Or would they make it like my SS/DL spelling it Shelley on the passport?

 

[Alex]

It wouldn't really matter. Since the passport is all you need it doesn't get matched to anything else. If you book under that name you won't have a problem.
That's the beauty of a passport, one document, guarenteed to work.