Passport help for my Dad Please!

[We<3WDW]

We are taking my parents on their first cruise this Thanksgiving. My Dad has never had a passport and had never seen his birth certificate. So I got a copy at the Register of Deeds and guess what? His first name is spelled Jimmie but he (and my grandmother) always spelled it Jimmy. He was born at home by a midwife who filled out the birth certificate. 70 years ago I guess they just didn't see the need to correct it! So my question is, will he be able to get a passport card with a bc spelled differently than his drivers license?

[ramrax4]

Where are you cruising?

[Ehpride]

We are taking my parents on their first cruise this Thanksgiving. My Dad has never had a passport and had never seen his birth certificate. So I got a copy at the Register of Deeds and guess what? His first name is spelled Jimmie but he (and my grandmother) always spelled it Jimmy. He was born at home by a midwife who filled out the birth certificate. 70 years ago I guess they just didn't see the need to correct it! So my question is' date=' will he be able to get a passport card with a bc spelled differently than his drivers license?[/quote']

 

Oh, I feel your pain! We were getting a passport for my Grandma 7 years ago. Not only is all her other id in her nickname, but we've also seen two spellings of her first name and 2 spellings of her middle name. Plus she's been married twice! What we had to do was have her brother sign an affadavit saying that he knew her by all these names since they never actually did an official name change for her first name. Then, they were able to get her a pass port with the name that is on her driver's license. I can't guarantee anything obviously but it worked for us.

 

And honestly, to this day, none of us have any idea how she got her dl with her nickname!

[room010]

His official name is the one on the official birth certificate so apply for the passport using that spelling.

[readytotravel44]

You've got lots of time. Good thing you are working on this early. Simply take everything to your passport application appointment and ask. In our area, that is our local post office. They will know if it is a problem. If it is, they will know how to fix it.

[l2c4fun]

We just had the same issue with my SIL. Her name was typed Briije instead of Brooke on her birth certificate. She had to take in paperwork showing that she had been using the name Brooke for the last 5 years and pay to get her birth certificate corrected. She is now applying for a passport to avoid having to carry the letter of explanation around with her birth certificate when she travels.

[swedish weave]

In my experience, the passport name and the official birth certificate must match. The drivers license is not used except for a picture ID. I have the same "Y" versus "IE" situation.

 

I don't know anything about the maiden name versus the married names.

[TravisBickle]

You have plenty of time.

 

There are two forms that you may need to file. One is DS-11, the "normal" form to apply for a passport. The second form is DS-10 which is used to "prove" a US birth for an individual who cannot present a "good" BC. Read all the instructions because DS-10 must be completed by someone vouching for the individual and that form has to be notarized (if I remember correctly). And, for sure, your father is not the only one to have had this happen - it is merely a misspelling of his given name. But, DO NOT DELAY.

 

Oh, and I am sure you know that a Passport allows an individual to travel from all areas back to the US via air, land, or sea while a Passport Card does not.

[marvholly]

I had an even harder/crazier issue when I got my first passport in 2001.

 

My bc says totally Different and ALL my other id, school records ......are Holly. I fill out the form as (Different) Holly Last. Passport came as Holly.

[zqvol]

We are taking my parents on their first cruise this Thanksgiving. My Dad has never had a passport and had never seen his birth certificate. So I got a copy at the Register of Deeds and guess what? His first name is spelled Jimmie but he (and my grandmother) always spelled it Jimmy. He was born at home by a midwife who filled out the birth certificate. 70 years ago I guess they just didn't see the need to correct it! So my question is' date=' will he be able to get a passport card with a bc spelled differently than his drivers license?[/quote']

 

 

Short answer to your question is that yes he will, but because of the spelling he would be wise to start sooner instead of later in case they need other information.

 

Make sure you book the cruise using the spelling on the BC, even if he uses the other spelling.

[We<3WDW]

Where are you cruising?

 

Bahamas.

[We<3WDW]

Oh, I feel your pain! We were getting a passport for my Grandma 7 years ago. Not only is all her other id in her nickname, but we've also seen two spellings of her first name and 2 spellings of her middle name. Plus she's been married twice! What we had to do was have her brother sign an affadavit saying that he knew her by all these names since they never actually did an official name change for her first name. Then, they were able to get her a pass port with the name that is on her driver's license. I can't guarantee anything obviously but it worked for us.

 

And honestly, to this day, none of us have any idea how she got her dl with her nickname!

 

That's too funny!

[We<3WDW]

You have plenty of time.

 

There are two forms that you may need to file. One is DS-11, the "normal" form to apply for a passport. The second form is DS-10 which is used to "prove" a US birth for an individual who cannot present a "good" BC. Read all the instructions because DS-10 must be completed by someone vouching for the individual and that form has to be notarized (if I remember correctly). And, for sure, your father is not the only one to have had this happen - it is merely a misspelling of his given name. But, DO NOT DELAY.

 

Oh, and I am sure you know that a Passport allows an individual to travel from all areas back to the US via air, land, or sea while a Passport Card does not.

 

I know about the card vs. regular passport. And I figured the card would be fine for my parents since this is just a 2 stop cruise, Key West & Bahamas. But you got me thinking ...what if something happened and they needed to fly back from Nassau or they love the cruise and decide to do a longer one next time. I would not want them to be in Mexico or anywhere else without a real passport. Thanks!

[K.T.B.]

We are taking my parents on their first cruise this Thanksgiving. My Dad has never had a passport and had never seen his birth certificate. So I got a copy at the Register of Deeds and guess what? His first name is spelled Jimmie but he (and my grandmother) always spelled it Jimmy. He was born at home by a midwife who filled out the birth certificate. 70 years ago I guess they just didn't see the need to correct it! So my question is' date=' will he be able to get a passport card with a bc spelled differently than his drivers license?[/quote']

 

Not a big deal. Most states require the same thing. All you do is submit an affidavit to correct birth certificate and at least one record at least five years old that shows the correct name and the date of birth or age of the applicant. The could be a marriage license, school record or voters registration card.

 

I have no idea if you have enough time however. A few phone calls to the U.S. Dept. of State would help. They may suggest getting a passport with thye wrong spelling or they may just ignore it. (Just guessing.) "Jimmie" vs. "Jimmy" is really not a concern, especially since all legal documents show as "Jimmy".

[LuckyZ]

Don't forget also to make sure the airline ticket and cruise ticket match the official documents.

[ddloml]

Not a big deal. Most states require the same thing. All you do is submit an affidavit to correct birth certificate and at least one record at least five years old that shows the correct name and the date of birth or age of the applicant. The could be a marriage license, school record or voters registration card.

 

I have no idea if you have enough time however. A few phone calls to the U.S. Dept. of State would help. They may suggest getting a passport with thye wrong spelling or they may just ignore it. (Just guessing.) "Jimmie" vs. "Jimmy" is really not a concern, especially since all legal documents show as "Jimmy".

 

If you still have problems after trying all of that, don't forget to contact your Representative to the US Congress. They have an amazing ability to cut through red tape for their constituents.

[Shaded Lady]

In my experience, the passport name and the official birth certificate must match. The drivers license is not used except for a picture ID. I have the same "Y" versus "IE" situation.

 

I don't know anything about the maiden name versus the married names.

 

But what happens if your BC is in your maiden name and your passport is in your married name? I don't even plan on bringing my BC, just my passport and DL... that's alright, isn't it? My passport is enough to prove my citizenship?

 

* EDIT POST * Just saw the last comment in the quote above sorry!!! does anyone else know the answer? I'm not required to bring my BC if I'm bringing my passport, right?

[tandemcruzr]

I'm not required to bring my BC if I'm bringing my passport, right?

 

Right :)

[katiel53]

My birth certificate had my last name spelled incorrectly. I guess no one ever noticed it, including me. Somehow, over the years I lost the original and had to apply to the state of PA to get a new one. It came with my last name spelled incorrectly. I called them and told them the name was spelled wrong.

 

I had to send them a copy of my high school diploma (even though it was a long time since I was graduated) showing how my name was spelled. I did that and they issued me a new BC with the correct spelling.

 

I was then able to use that and my marriage certificate to get a passport. By the way, it only took about two weeks to get the corrected BC. Good luck to your father with his.

[cruisingisfun3]

we ran into a issue with getting my Dad's passport last year, he was born before birth certificate were issued and no school records. he did serve in the military but they would not take his paper from the army, but we follow the process like the passport office told us and we were able to track him through census bureau and that is how we got his passport. wow we went through a lot but all worth, since then i have taken my parents on 2 cruises and we are planning our 3rd now. he is in his upper 80's and now he loves to cruise. wish you all the best in this process but it will be all worth while to see the joy on his face! be patience with the workers!

[Another ship trip]

My son's first birth certificate had an error on it and I was able to get it changed. I wonder if he can have his name changed on the BC since it is the name and spelling he has known all his life? I know you can legally change your name to whatever you want but not sure how much of a hassle and time consuming (and costly) it is.

Probably would need an attorney to do the legal name change.