Question regarding travel doccumentation

[HoustonTodd]

Ok, we are getting near to our family cruise here and I'm starting to worry a bit about our travel doccumentation. We have cruised before but this is our first time to take our kids. My wife, myself and my oldest (16) all have passports and so are no worry. My 2 youngest kids (9, 11) do not have passports and are going to just use their birth certificates since this is a closed-loop cruise. The question is ... and I have read the FAQ, but I just want to make sure ... do they not need any kind of photo id? I mean, just thinking about it, I could be showing up with 2 birth certificates for anyone and just saying that these are those kids without some kind of photo id. But I am correct in thinking that all I need is the birth certificate, right? Thanks for easing my last minute concerns. I'm just having nightmares of showing up and losing out on my expensive cruise because they don't let my little ones board.

[steveaaaaa]

Ok, we are getting near to our family cruise here and I'm starting to worry a bit about our travel doccumentation. We have cruised before but this is our first time to take our kids. My wife, myself and my oldest (16) all have passports and so are no worry. My 2 youngest kids (9, 11) do not have passports and are going to just use their birth certificates since this is a closed-loop cruise. The question is ... and I have read the FAQ, but I just want to make sure ... do they not need any kind of photo id? I mean, just thinking about it, I could be showing up with 2 birth certificates for anyone and just saying that these are those kids without some kind of photo id. But I am correct in thinking that all I need is the birth certificate, right? Thanks for easing my last minute concerns. I'm just having nightmares of showing up and losing out on my expensive cruise because they don't let my little ones board.

 

Just the BCs are needed....as long as they have raised seals and are not hospital issued.

 

Steve

[HoustonTodd]

And actually a follow up question: checking dates, my oldest son's passport expires 4 months after the completion of the cruise not 6 months, will he be required to have an alternate photo id? Because reading the FAQ it says:

 

"U.S. citizens taking “closed-loop” cruises are not required to have a passport, but will need proof of citizenship such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship, and if 16 and over, a photo ID is also required. Canadian and Bermudian citizens are required to have a passport for air, land and sea travel, including all Carnival cruises.

Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking “closed loop” cruises, we strongly recommend all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel)."

[HoustonTodd]

Just the BCs are needed....as long as they have raised seals and are not hospital issued.

 

Steve

 

 

That also leads to a follow up question (and sorry for all of the questions, but thanks for the input guys!) ... I asked this one of Carnival, but have not heard a response back from them as of yet, so I will ask here and see if some more experienced cruisers have an answer.

 

Here is my question. I was double checking all of our forms last evening making sure everything was in order. I realized that what we have for my 2 youngest kids is not actually a state-issued birth certificate. It is NOT just a paper from the hospital either, it is an official doccument from the County, with a state and county seals. It is called a "Certification of Vital Record", it has their name, date of birth, parents, place of birth, and a statement reading "I hereby certify that the abstract of birth facts has been provided to this office by the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, from a document officially in its custody"

 

It is on official county paper, with seal. It has worked for their schools and sports leagues as being a "birth certificate", but I do not think that it is actually a birth certificate. My question is would these doccuments suffice, or do I need to go pay for an expedited copy of the actual state-issued birth certificate?

 

I have time to get the state issued birth certificate, but I don't want to pay the expedite fee if it's not going to be needed.

[steveaaaaa]

That also leads to a follow up question (and sorry for all of the questions, but thanks for the input guys!) ... I asked this one of Carnival, but have not heard a response back from them as of yet, so I will ask here and see if some more experienced cruisers have an answer.

 

Here is my question. I was double checking all of our forms last evening making sure everything was in order. I realized that what we have for my 2 youngest kids is not actually a state-issued birth certificate. It is NOT just a paper from the hospital either, it is an official doccument from the County, with a state and county seals. It is called a "Certification of Vital Record", it has their name, date of birth, parents, place of birth, and a statement reading "I hereby certify that the abstract of birth facts has been provided to this office by the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, from a document officially in its custody"

 

It is on official county paper, with seal. It has worked for their schools and sports leagues as being a "birth certificate", but I do not think that it is actually a birth certificate. My question is would these doccuments suffice, or do I need to go pay for an expedited copy of the actual state-issued birth certificate?

 

I have time to get the state issued birth certificate, but I don't want to pay the expedite fee if it's not going to be needed.

 

I used my daughters 9 month expired passport (she was a child so no big deal and we brought here BC anyway)

 

Not being from TX, I cannot be 100% sure,but that document sounds about right.

 

Steve

[wdnoble9999]

That also leads to a follow up question (and sorry for all of the questions, but thanks for the input guys!) ... I asked this one of Carnival, but have not heard a response back from them as of yet, so I will ask here and see if some more experienced cruisers have an answer.

 

Here is my question. I was double checking all of our forms last evening making sure everything was in order. I realized that what we have for my 2 youngest kids is not actually a state-issued birth certificate. It is NOT just a paper from the hospital either, it is an official doccument from the County, with a state and county seals. It is called a "Certification of Vital Record", it has their name, date of birth, parents, place of birth, and a statement reading "I hereby certify that the abstract of birth facts has been provided to this office by the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, from a document officially in its custody"

 

It is on official county paper, with seal. It has worked for their schools and sports leagues as being a "birth certificate", but I do not think that it is actually a birth certificate. My question is would these doccuments suffice, or do I need to go pay for an expedited copy of the actual state-issued birth certificate?

 

I have time to get the state issued birth certificate, but I don't want to pay the expedite fee if it's not going to be needed.

I'd think that the "Certification of Vital Record" would be fine as along as it is on official paper with a raised seal. As for additional identification, where we're from the state license bureau can provide a picture ID for kids for those instances when an identification with picture is required, but the person is not a licensed driver. We went this route several years back when we took our underage kids on a cruise. Don't know if Texas offers this option, but it might be something to check out.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Bobbareeno]

I'm not sure why people keep saying your birth certificate needs to have a "raised seal". This is incorrect. In years past, yes, most states used a raised seal on their birth certificates. In recent years though most have gone away from this. Both of my childrens official birth certificates do not have a raised seal. They have either a watermark or an official stamp that certifies them as a legal birth certificate. My children are 23 and 20 and neither has a raised seal. As long as you've got an official government issued birth certificate you're fine. A hospital record of birth is not acceptable. It sounds like you have official birth certificates. To make absolutely sure I'd find out for sure from the government office that issued them. I hope you have a great cruise!

 

Bob

[LemurCat]

I'm not sure why people keep saying your birth certificate needs to have a "raised seal". This is incorrect. In years past, yes, most states used a raised seal on their birth certificates. In recent years though most have gone away from this. Both of my childrens official birth certificates do not have a raised seal. They have either a watermark or an official stamp that certifies them as a legal birth certificate. My children are 23 and 20 and neither has a raised seal. As long as you've got an official government issued birth certificate you're fine. A hospital record of birth is not acceptable. It sounds like you have official birth certificates. To make absolutely sure I'd find out for sure from the government office that issued them. I hope you have a great cruise!

 

Bob

 

Thank you, Bob, for point that out yet again. The Myth of the Raised Seal is a very pervasive one on this board. The truth of the matter is that most governmental agencies are moving away from this in favor of digital watermarks and other, more permanent proof of validity. People also seem to be ignorant of the fact that birth certificate designs and methods of issuance vary from state to state. What they do in Oregan is not what they do in Massachusetts, so there is no "one size fits all" answer to these questions.

 

But yes, they are minors and below the age where most schools issue picture IDs. The OP can always check with the state to see if they will issue a non-driving State ID to a child that age. Some will, some won't.

[Gatorz]

That also leads to a follow up question (and sorry for all of the questions, but thanks for the input guys!) ... I asked this one of Carnival, but have not heard a response back from them as of yet, so I will ask here and see if some more experienced cruisers have an answer.

 

Here is my question. I was double checking all of our forms last evening making sure everything was in order. I realized that what we have for my 2 youngest kids is not actually a state-issued birth certificate. It is NOT just a paper from the hospital either, it is an official doccument from the County, with a state and county seals. It is called a "Certification of Vital Record", it has their name, date of birth, parents, place of birth, and a statement reading "I hereby certify that the abstract of birth facts has been provided to this office by the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, from a document officially in its custody"

 

It is on official county paper, with seal. It has worked for their schools and sports leagues as being a "birth certificate", but I do not think that it is actually a birth certificate. My question is would these doccuments suffice, or do I need to go pay for an expedited copy of the actual state-issued birth certificate?

 

I have time to get the state issued birth certificate, but I don't want to pay the expedite fee if it's not going to be needed.

 

I'm not from Texas but I do know that in Missouri, where I was born, the easiest/quickest way to get a copy of your birth certificate is to go to the county that you were born in and get it from the county health dept. In this case they do actually put the raised seal on it but it is issued by the county but still an official BC as authorized from the state. It sounds like what you have is official but I can only speculate on Texas law.

[canjay95]

I have a question too. On Carnival's website it says you must have an enhanced drivers license. Does this mean that a regular drivers license won't be sufficient?

[cjt3]

That also leads to a follow up question

It is called a "Certification of Vital Record", it has their name, date of birth, parents, place of birth, and a statement reading "I hereby certify that the abstract of birth facts has been provided to this office by the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, from a document officially in its custody"

 

My kids have Texas "Certification of Vital Record", and theirs sound the same as what you have described. Theirs, however, say "Certificate of Birth" right above their name (in smaller print). Even if yours don't have this, however, I think they would certainly be accepted.

[yogi2929]

............It is called a "Certification of Vital Record", it has their name, date of birth, parents, place of birth, and a statement reading "I hereby certify that the abstract of birth facts has been provided to this office by the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, from a document officially in its custody"quote]

 

California was using those also for a while. I was able to use their Abstract of Birth for our cruises in 2006 and before. After that we got our passports.

Abstracts of Birth are not valid for getting passports. Found that out the hard way.

 

Might want to get the 'real' birth certificate JIC.

[Traveler353]

My last BC for Kentucky did not have a raised seal/stamp. It used a watermark in the paper. Times are changing and people keep posting out-dated information.

[DAllenTCY]

Some countries require that your passport does not expire for 6 months upon entry. Canada is one of them, but I am not sure what others.

David

[HoustonTodd]

My kids have Texas "Certification of Vital Record", and theirs sound the same as what you have described. Theirs, however, say "Certificate of Birth" right above their name (in smaller print). Even if yours don't have this, however, I think they would certainly be accepted.

 

It sounds like you have the official state one. My oldest has that. At the tope it says "State of Texas Certification of Vital Record". What my youngest have at the top just says "Certification of Vital Record", nothing about the State of Texas. There is a State of Texas seal at the bottom, but it's not raised. It is issued by Harris County, not the state.

[chloelocks]

That also leads to a follow up question (and sorry for all of the questions, but thanks for the input guys!) ... I asked this one of Carnival, but have not heard a response back from them as of yet, so I will ask here and see if some more experienced cruisers have an answer.

 

Here is my question. I was double checking all of our forms last evening making sure everything was in order. I realized that what we have for my 2 youngest kids is not actually a state-issued birth certificate. It is NOT just a paper from the hospital either, it is an official doccument from the County, with a state and county seals. It is called a "Certification of Vital Record", it has their name, date of birth, parents, place of birth, and a statement reading "I hereby certify that the abstract of birth facts has been provided to this office by the Texas Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, from a document officially in its custody"

 

It is on official county paper, with seal. It has worked for their schools and sports leagues as being a "birth certificate", but I do not think that it is actually a birth certificate. My question is would these doccuments suffice, or do I need to go pay for an expedited copy of the actual state-issued birth certificate?

 

I have time to get the state issued birth certificate, but I don't want to pay the expedite fee if it's not going to be needed.

 

 

What you are describing sounds like an official state issued birth certificate. I just checked my husband's birth certificate (he was born in Texas). His does not have a county seal however - just the state seal. Things change, though, and his copy was issued over ten years ago. It does state at the top "State of Texas - Certification of Vital Record." There's no mention of the term "certification of birth" or anything similar. Is there a live person you can call at your state or county's record office and ask to verify you have the official copy?

 

 

Your small children will not need a photo ID. However, you may want to consider going to the driver's license office in your county and having an official ID made just to give you peace of mind. It's pretty easy and cheap to get one made.

 

The passport expiring in 4 months should not be a problem. The six months expiration is a "recommendation." It is a good idea to always travel with a passport in case you were to be left behind in port, but it isn't required on closed loop cruises. The six month recommendation applies because some countries will not allow you to enter without meeting this requirement. If you're still wary, why not take the child's birth certificate along, too, just in case?

 

Enjoy your trip!:) I know you'll have a great time.

[leigh61870]

here is how I know. Both boys born in Texas. Cruised 2 times already. Presented what I had for a birth certificate to them. It is not the one from the hospital, but the copy I went to get before they entered school from the city they were born in.

On that note.... this year I got them passports. What I had presented was not good enough in order to get a passport. It was good enough for sports, school, and everything else...but not a passport.

The easiest way I can describe to you the difference in the one I had vs the one I had to get for a passport was the one I had was 5x7 or 6x9 size. What I received that was good enough for the passports was exactly what I had...and it looked like all they did was place a copy of what I hadd been using in the middle of an 8x10 piece of paper! The paper was framed around the edges with a formal border. DUMB

 

I'm pulling out both copies now...the old one and the new one..youve got me curious which one you have now...hold that thought

[zqvol]

And actually a follow up question: checking dates, my oldest son's passport expires 4 months after the completion of the cruise not 6 months, will he be required to have an alternate photo id? Because reading the FAQ it says:

 

"U.S. citizens taking “closed-loop” cruises are not required to have a passport, but will need proof of citizenship such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship, and if 16 and over, a photo ID is also required. Canadian and Bermudian citizens are required to have a passport for air, land and sea travel, including all Carnival cruises.

Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking “closed loop” cruises, we strongly recommend all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel)."

 

The two younger ones only need certified birth certificates (they have to be certified, they do not have to have a raised seal as mentioned above.)

 

There older child whose passport expires four months after the cruise is fine too. Since passports are not required on Caribbean cruises, and since you will never take them off the ship the foreign governments will not know when they expire. US CBP does not care when they expire as long as they are valid on the day you return to the US.

 

Stop worrying and have a great time!

[leigh61870]

having 3 kids looking at all of them, I will say the wording at the top is not consistent with what is official and what is not. What is consistent is on the official one it has their time of birth and the dr's name that delivered them. The "fake" ones dont have that detailed info.. but like I said both boys used that to get on Carnival. Once in 04 and again in 06

[Chacooe]

I don't have a passport so I just took my original Birth Certificate from the hospital that I was born at and they said that was fine. It did not have any raised seals or anything on it, but considering it was 59 years old and real big, the lady said to me, "You sure can tell this is an original, it even has a picture of the hospital that you were born in on it. All I see are just printed small papers that are printed from the states, seeing yours really made a nice change." So they do accept original birth certificates from the hospitals were the little ones are born at.

[bob&france]

Lot's of conversation about the document, but little about what it may be used for.

 

1} to get on the ship...speak to Carnival.

2} access back to ship at various ports of call...what ports are your going to ?.....most just need to see your Ship Card & photo ID . Some ports require nothing. Regardless ,you will need to respect the laws of the countries enforing the regulation and thus what they consider acceptable.

3} the unlikely event you miss the ship and get stranded in another country.

 

So, as long a Carnival lets you on the ship{which you can verify ahead of time}, you ask the check point before leaving the port if your papers are Ok{otherwsie stay on the ship} and / or you don;t miss the ship...you should be fine.

 

Nothing anyone says ahead of time {not even this} is 100% fool-proof...if you have time to get a passport...why not get them?

 

Bob