Another...bc..question... forgive me now

[twoofthem]

Please don't give me the passport lecture. I know, I get it. We will never fly so it seems like an expense not needed when there is a viable option. Yes, yes I know.

 

Any way...

 

Two questions. First, I have two bc from MA. One from Boston and one from the commonwealth. I do not have a father listed on either, on my Boston one it states "unknown" and the one from vital statics is blank. I know there are new rules stating a bc must be complete.. does this factor in to it? I plan on bring both when we cruise.

 

Second..not nearly as exciting. I am sailing with my 13yo (her bday cruise) She was born in FL and we have a 'short' bc. I have read conflicting information on if this is valid to sail on. Is ordering the longer version worth it, or will this suffice. It has all the info..watermark, both parents, county of birth, filed with in a year... and the bonus..from 'vital statistics' :)

 

We are getting really excited for our Aug cruise and have enjoyed lurking here for some time ;)

[luckycruzer]

raised seal MUST be on it....even if a hospital issue "live birth" one...RAISED SEAL !!!!!....will work for cruzing..not Euro land-cations visits..

[ray98]

The big part is the state seal like luckycruzer talked about. I would not think anything to do with your father would be an issue at all, the document is to prove who you are along with your state ID.

[Alliezona09]

It might not be a *raised* seal~ it could be a watermark, a stamp, etc...

 

as for your DD, it sounds like the same one I ordered for my DH last year~ Says Office of Vital Statistics at top then Certification of Birth, state file #, date filed, childs name, DOB, Sex, County of Birth, Mothers Maiden Name and Fathers Name, date issued No raised seal but does have water mark~ used it on our last 2 cruises.

[Mulege]

Would one need a letter from the mother approving the trip?

[sparks1093]

raised seal MUST be on it....even if a hospital issue "live birth" one...RAISED SEAL !!!!!....will work for cruzing..not Euro land-cations visits..

 

A hospital one is never sufficient for travel.

 

The big part is the state seal like luckycruzer talked about. I would not think anything to do with your father would be an issue at all, the document is to prove who you are along with your state ID.

 

Not all states have raised seals.

 

OP, the confusion exists because the State Department recently changed their requirements for birth certificates for those applying for passports. It sounds like either of your birth certs would be good and the short form should work, but if it's not too expensive I would get the long form just to be on the safe side.

[Herfnerd]

We will never fly so it seems like an expense not needed when there is a viable option. Yes, yes I know.

 

 

Its not that you will never fly, but if for some reason you miss the ship, or an emergency requires you to fly home - involuntary issues that come up.....

[CJinFLA00]

You said no lectures and they still give you one, anyway, all my kids were born in Fla. Sounds like you have the correct one (says from vital statics). The seal on ours doesnt really looked raised but you can feel it. Our DD took a friend last year who had a credit card sized BC from Connecticut. Had the raised seal but did not have her parents listed. She didnt have any problem. Enjoy your cruise!

[TxDiamondCruiser]

My 16 dd and I sailed on Carnival Magic with just a BC and state issued id. Had absolutely NO problem and there were TONS of passengers sailing the same way. So accept the situation you will be in if a "what if" happens but then relax and enjoy your cruise. No cruise line is going to live you stranded. As far as birth certificates go...IDK...both of ours were state issued, long form with raised seal...and worked just fine.

[chasinraynbowz]

raised seal MUST be on it....even if a hospital issue "live birth" one...RAISED SEAL !!!!!....will work for cruzing..not Euro land-cations visits..

 

 

WRONG!!!!! Not all birth certificates have raised seals. Florida may be one that has them, but not all states do.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Please don't give me the passport lecture. I know, I get it. We will never fly so it seems like an expense not needed when there is a viable option. Yes, yes I know.

 

Any way...

 

Two questions. First, I have two bc from MA. One from Boston and one from the commonwealth. I do not have a father listed on either, on my Boston one it states "unknown" and the one from vital statics is blank. I know there are new rules stating a bc must be complete.. does this factor in to it? I plan on bring both when we cruise.

 

Second..not nearly as exciting. I am sailing with my 13yo (her bday cruise) She was born in FL and we have a 'short' bc. I have read conflicting information on if this is valid to sail on. Is ordering the longer version worth it, or will this suffice. It has all the info..watermark, both parents, county of birth, filed with in a year... and the bonus..from 'vital statistics' :)

 

We are getting really excited for our Aug cruise and have enjoyed lurking here for some time ;)

 

 

 

Take what you have to your local Passport office and ask them if it would be acceptable to use for a passport. Chances are if they will take it, then it is of an official stature.

 

Just a suggestion.

[luckycruzer]

WRONG!!!!! Not all birth certificates have raised seals. Florida may be one that has them, but not all states do.

 

 

ya only get one legal choice of state for a BC..MINE just happens to be Florida

[cruiseaholic76]

Please don't give me the passport lecture. I know, I get it. We will never fly so it seems like an expense not needed when there is a viable option. Yes, yes I know.

 

Any way...

 

Two questions. First, I have two bc from MA. One from Boston and one from the commonwealth. I do not have a father listed on either, on my Boston one it states "unknown" and the one from vital statics is blank. I know there are new rules stating a bc must be complete.. does this factor in to it? I plan on bring both when we cruise.

 

Second..not nearly as exciting. I am sailing with my 13yo (her bday cruise) She was born in FL and we have a 'short' bc. I have read conflicting information on if this is valid to sail on. Is ordering the longer version worth it, or will this suffice. It has all the info..watermark, both parents, county of birth, filed with in a year... and the bonus..from 'vital statistics' :)

 

We are getting really excited for our Aug cruise and have enjoyed lurking here for some time ;)

 

Longer version is only needed to obtain a passport. We just cruised recently and I was concerned because of things I've read on here. The rules are not the same as the ones for getting a passport. My husbands and my BC do not have any parents listed so I was worried when I read about the whole April 2011 thing. I did some research and we did not need the long version that is only required for a passport not for Homeland security.

[zqvol]

raised seal MUST be on it....even if a hospital issue "live birth" one...RAISED SEAL !!!!!....will work for cruzing..not Euro land-cations visits..

 

 

STOP with the raised seal comments. It does not have to have a raised seal, it has to be certified. Most governmental agencies do not use raised seals any longer and haven't for years. They use a stamp, and sometimes special papers.

 

The BC must be certified, but it DOES NOT have to have a raised seal.

[sparks1093]

STOP with the raised seal comments. It does not have to have a raised seal, it has to be certified. Most governmental agencies do not use raised seals any longer and haven't for years. They use a stamp, and sometimes special papers.

 

The BC must be certified, but it DOES NOT have to have a raised seal.

 

Technically it doesn't even need to be certified. The regulations as originally proposed did specify that copies had to be certified but the final regulations only require a copy (although I would personally rather bring the original with me).

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Longer version is only needed to obtain a passport. We just cruised recently and I was concerned because of things I've read on here. The rules are not the same as the ones for getting a passport. My husbands and my BC do not have any parents listed so I was worried when I read about the whole April 2011 thing. I did some research and we did not need the long version that is only required for a passport not for Homeland security.

 

 

My son was born in Fla and only has a short-version of his BC. We took it to our local Passport office for him to get a passport for our upcoming cruise next April. They accepted the short verson, no questions asked....as.... this is all that we were given from the State of Fla. It is a legal BC. This is why I mentioned to take what you have to your local Passport office. They will be able to tell you if it is appropriate to obtain a PP. I would feel much more comfortable knowing that...... before..... I got to the port. For a few minutes of time, it certainly takes some of the stress off.

 

BYW: He received his Passport and original BC in just over two weeks, so the short version worked fine.

 

 

:) Good Luck

[ManyMore]

It doesn't matter if your father is on the BC or not, they don't care who your father is but rather that you were in fact born in that state. As long as it says it is issued by the state be it saying "massachusetts or Boston" and some official seal, it does not need to be a raised seal. Also, it doesn't matter if it is the long or short version. Be sure your name matches your ID though. If it is a married name and then BC bring a copy of your marriage or divorce certificate.

[qlz19]

Some people just can't afford to get passports. Oh well. Just be glad that you can and don't have to worry about it.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Some people just can't afford to get passports. Oh well. Just be glad that you can and don't have to worry about it.

 

 

I don't think that anyone on this thread was advocating that the OP get a passport. I only suggested bringing the Birth Certf. to the Passport office to see if they would be sufficient. My son just got his passport 2 weeks ago using a Fla short form birth Cert., so the Passport office should be aware of what is acceptable and what is not. It was just an easy suggestion that would take a little time.

 

:)

[Sparky2]

Would one need a letter from the mother approving the trip?

 

Isn't the mother going on this trip?